For those who don’t live in the Richmond or surrounding areas, squirrels might appear like a harmless part of nature. But squirrels can pose serious health risks and become very annoying and costly vermin. The local gray and flying squirrel are the most common problem pests in the area because they can carry a variety of parasites and diseases.
Infected squirrels can have large cysts from botfly larvae, patches of raw furless skin, carry ticks, fleas, lice and worms. And like many other wild animals, squirrel droppings may contain Leptospirosis and Salmonella – which can be transmitted to and infect pets and people.
In addition to disrupting commercial tree and nut production, squirrels also pose a significant nuisance to households because they can travel on power lines and cause shortages, gnaw on wires inside your home, damage siding and insulation, and contaminate and deteriorate buildings by making nests in attics.
They’ve also been known to dig up lawns searching for nuts, eat planted seeds, grains, and mature fruit. The Richmond Flying squirrel has even entered into some bird houses and eaten nesting birds.