Squirrel Pest Control Solution to West Yorkshire Golf Club
We were contacted by the Golf Club as they were being overrun with squirrels, causing extensive, costly damage to the greens. Being surrounded by residential properties was proving difficult in controlling the squirrel population and the course were struggling to keep on top of the ever expanding scurry.
With the start of the breeding season only a few weeks away it was imperative that we find a way to minimise the squirrel population in the area with a great deal of urgency. During the breeding season each female squirrel can birth 3-4 young. These young are ready to leave the drey at around 3 weeks of age, leaving the mother free to have another litter.
We attended the course for an initial inspection. After a thorough walk around the course, it was clear to see which were the key areas for squirrel activity. It was decided that the most efficient course of action would be to create a number of bespoke covert trapping boxes. The boxes would be designed to be not only effective but also aesthetically pleasing so that they would be in keeping with the surroundings of the golf course. These would need to be positioned in the key areas around the grounds of the course to ensure the desired result was achieved.
It was decided that the number of trapping boxes required would be 12. These were constructed from a hard-wearing wood with a MK4 Fenn spring trap placed inside. The design of the box would ensure that the cull of the squirrel would be swift and effective whilst making sure that it would not injure any non-target species. We constructed a variety of boxes, 4 vertical and 8 horizontal. The vertical boxes would have a hole in the top for the squirrel to come through, there would be an additional shelf within the box before the squirrel would reach the trap. Squirrels are naturally inquisitive creatures and will make their way through a number of tunnels/holes, whereas birds will not, thus ensuring that non target species are safe from the traps. The horizontal boxes would be of a similar construction but without the shelf in the middle, there would be a small ledge on either end of this box with a hole on each side for ease of entry for the squirrels.
We will undertake the construction of the bespoke trapping boxes presently and return to install them upon the course once completed.
