Squirrel ethologist in the house?

[verbs4us]

One of my riding buddies has been broadsided by squirrels two times in that last six weeks. The first encounter sent him over the bars and resulted in a busted clavicle; the second one he busted some ribs. A few days ago, I had one kamikaze bash into my front fork blade and (thankfully) bounce off. Years ago, on Cape Cod, one went straight into my front wheel; went around a few times, and shot out the other side, uninjured. I suspect they don’t perceive the spokes and think they can shoot through an open wheel. (hmmm--time to clip in those old baseball cards again...) Here in the Northeast squirrels seem to be unusually active. Any ideas why? Not mating season.

[unterhausen]

They might be active because the weather has been so warm

I have seen the pictures of destroyed bikes with squirrels stuck in the spokes, so when a squirrel ran into my front wheel, I feared the worst. He somehow got inside the spokes, tumbled around for a few revolutions, and ran out the other side. All I got out of the deal was a few tufts of hair where the spokes cross.

[OtayBW]

The last year I lived in MA, my house was infested with squirrels in the walls and ceiling crawlspace. Could not get at them, but I learned their behavior and ended up trapping 23 of those (little bastards!) guys outside which resolved the problem. I agree that the warm weather probably has kept them more active than usual....

[arimajol]

I ran over a squirrel's tail on my commute last month. I didn't even think about how poorly that could have ended for me. Now I feel lucky!
I had some in my attic a few years back. Trapped and euthanized dozens. I've got a huge black walnut tree next to my driveway that they love.

[tiretrax]

what is good bait to trap them?

[dustyrider]

Originally Posted by tiretrax

what is good bait to trap them?

I always used whole peanuts and bread ties through the sides of the have heart trap. Sometimes you can catch more than one if you size the cage up. Have fun!

[Frankwurst]

Peanut butter. And no I'm not trying to be funny it really does work. Smear it on the release of a have a heart trap and they will come. Unfortunately for them I don't have a heart when it comes to squirrels.

[Tony T]

In NYC they like egg rolls:

[dookie]

Bastards ate up the primary wiring harness on my car (apparently we're now using soy-based insulation?) and routinely chew up my soffet boards. They have cost me thousands of dollars.

My solution? A sharp eye and a PCP air rifle (I live in the country). Word seems to have gotten around, as they definitely seem to keep greater distance from the house.

[Frankwurst]

Originally Posted by dookie

Bastards ate up the primary wiring harness on my car (apparently we're now using soy-based insulation?) and routinely chew up my soffet boards. They have cost me thousands of dollars.

My solution? A sharp eye and a PCP air rifle (I live in the country). Word seems to have gotten around, as they definitely seem to keep greater distance from the house.

I use a trap if one get's in the garage. Outdoors it's an air rifle or if I'm really pissed a shotgun.

[ariw]

Originally Posted by verbs4us

One of my riding buddies has been broadsided by squirrels two times in that last six weeks. The first encounter sent him over the bars and resulted in a busted clavicle; the second one he busted some ribs. A few days ago, I had one kamikaze bash into my front fork blade and (thankfully) bounce off. Years ago, on Cape Cod, one went straight into my front wheel; went around a few times, and shot out the other side, uninjured. I suspect they don’t perceive the spokes and think they can shoot through an open wheel. (hmmm--time to clip in those old baseball cards again...) Here in the Northeast squirrels seem to be unusually active. Any ideas why? Not mating season.

Probably 15 ears ago on a fast group ride, a squirrel shot through the front wheel of a friend's bike. No one slowed down or swerved, and there was an explosion of fur, blood, and guts from the front end of the bike. Moral of the story; 32-spoke wheels are good for some tasks...

-Ari

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by dustyrider

I always used whole peanuts and bread ties through the sides of the have heart trap. Sometimes you can catch more than one if you size the cage up. Have fun!

And that's not all!.....

[twors]

Groundhog attack....

[Hawker]

I don't care to hit a squirrel, chipmunk or woodchuck while on my bicycle. So assuming they are in my yard, i take them out with a pellet gun which never concerns my neighbors because the sound is nil. I'm a good shot and try to make it as humane as possible.

The telephone and power company have both told me "good job' as they have to regularly replace cables and lines from where the squirrels have chewed on them.

Have-a-heart traps work, but release them a loooong way away. In the past researchers have used spray paint to ID them and found squirrels have returned from ten miles away. Who knew they had GPS?

[JLQ]

We have many mature oak trees and I've never seen fewer acorns fall than I did this year. Maybe that's the case everywhere and they're more frantic in finding winter fuel? We bring in special ops teams to manage the population.