Unwanted House Guests: Squirrels Wreaking Havoc in Homes Across N.H.

New Hampshire Public Radio | By Britta Greene

Published October 3, 2018 at 4:30 PM EDT

It’s the year of the squirrel in New England. The animals have never had so much fame, never been the subject of so much attention.

It’s partly because they’ve put themselves in the spotlight—or in our headlights might be more accurate. Their populations have boomed in recent years, fed by a glut of acorns, and now they’re running across roads en masse in search of more food.

The thing is, all these squirrels aren’t just affecting our highways. They’re getting into houses as well.

Of all people, Scott Borthwick knows this well. He runs a wildlife control company out of Canaan.

Squirrel complaints make up about 75 percent of his business. He recently had to hire another employee -- he’s getting double the demand he had last year, and that was double the year before, he said.

NHPR’s Britta Greene tagged along with him recently on several squirrel-related calls. Click the audio player above to hear this story.

One of the first things Borthwick does when he gets to a property is look for gaps in the walls or roof of a house -- access points for squirrels.

George Little shows Borthwick his land in Hartland, VT. The Littles are having trouble with both squirrels and bats.