When attempting to rid the home of the animals, it is important to know that "flyers" are a protected
animal in New Jersey, so in order to control them, a company must hold a valid state depredation
permit. Without a permit, one can’t even affect their nesting area. For flying squirrels, sometimes it is
appropriate to set traps in an attic. Sometimes it makes more sense to set traps only on the outside of
the house. The key for this animal is that everything needs to be sealed.
When it’s a small colony, we often find it’s the beginning of the problem. When dealing with a big
colony it often seems we’re not the first company to try to fix the problem, having been brought in after
a previous abatement attempt has failed. Because flying squirrels tend to migrate into different roost
areas depending on weather conditions and environment, sometimes a less reputable company may
perform a "flying squirrel abatement" to a lesser degree in March or April - when the attic is still
relatively temperate - and then give the customer a three month warranty. The problem with this is that
flyers commonly leave the attic in the summer because it’s too hot, but return to old nesting sites in the
autumn... just in time for that warranty to expire. Clearly, in these cases, the homes were never properly
sealed in the first place and the animals left for more comfortable conditions throughout the summer
months. But the holes remain, so they find their way back in.
Flying squirrels may also vacate a structure temporarily because of human activity (this is more
common with a small colony). Occasionally we’ll have a house that has a flying squirrel concern, but we
may never catch one if they are disturbed by our presence alone during, for example, our inspection.
Sometimes that disturbance is enough to encourage them to make their way out prior to the seal-out.
But if you don’t seal up the house, you can be sure these little creatures will be back!
