How to Seal Off Entry Points for an Attic

Whether you are having squirrels use your attic or upper crawlspace for their home, or any other animals that fly, crawl, or jump, and are not paying rent, you probably want them gone. This article will give you some ideas on how to chase out the unwanted guests, locate the entry points and seal them off so they can't get back in. Or perhaps you don't currently have any visitors and just want to be sure you don't leave any open doors for them. In either case, here's help in your quest for a visitor-free attic.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1/4 inch chicken wire
• Wire and metal snippers
• 1/4-inch thick pieces of wood
• Wood saw
• Carpenters hammer
• Aluminum or light weight sheet metal (22 gage or thinner)
• Exterior nails with large heads (Roofing nails work best)
• Meduim grade steel wool
• Heavy duty window screen (Optional)

1. Determine if you have animals such as squirells, bats, birds or possibly racoons, which have been known to live in an attic. Set off roach aerosol bombs in the attic while having others observe from the outside to see if anything comes out once the bombs are set off. This will be a quick way to discover any entry points. If you are suspicious of a particular area and don't want to use the bombs you can set up pails of household ammonia in the area to drive them out. You may also soak rags or towels with the ammonia and toss into the areas. The scent of the ammonia stirs them up and they want out!

2. Choose your sealant. For openings squirrels have made at the inner or outer corners of wood along the eaves, particularly where the wood joins together, you have two choices to seal them off. One is to use chicken wire and the other is to use metal. Keep in mind that rodents such as squirrels "gnaw" all the time and going through wood is not a problem, especially at a more vulnerable corner. This is the reason that metal or chicken wire must be used since they cannot get through it.

3. Measure, trim and cut your metal or chicken wire to fit around or inside the corners of the opening, or over the holes if on a flat section of wood, and nail down along the edges with exterior nails. Your patch should completely cover the opening by at least 1 inch. It's also a good idea to install a patch over nearby corners or areas that they may get started gnawing on once you cover the original opening.

4. Mind the vents. For natural openings between the roof and the eave for instance, which may be built into the design of the roof for venting, which can be being used for the transit of birds, bats or squirrels, your only choice is to install screen all the way around. You don't want to use metal since you need the venting for the roof. Vents are important to keep your roof dry so it doesn't rot out due to moisture. Birds or bats will not be able to get through common heavy duty window screen which will be easier to work with and install, however squirrels will usually find an edge to work on and create an opening. In the case of squirrels you would have to use the chicken wire at least over the edges of the screen.

5. Look for bats. When dealing with bats in the attic you need to discover where they come and go from. The roach bombs should drive them out quickly, and as other people watch the roof line from the outside, they can spot the entry points, or you can just watch the rooflines around dusk, which is when they would typically leave the nest, being nocturnal creatures. At dusk you will be able to see their figures in the sky, whereas once it has gotten dark, it will be difficult to spot them. Heavy duty screen or chicken wire with 1/4 inch openings or less, nailed up over the entry points will normally stop a bat, and for small openings you can use steel wool to stuff them with. Ideally the sealing takes place once the bats have left after dusk, so you would need sufficient artificial lighting.

6. Watch for roof rats, which obtained their name due to their nature. They are not typical in North America, but if this happens to be your situation and they are entering through your attic, you can use roach aerosol bombs to drive them out and then seal off the entry points with either metal or heavy duty chicken wire, with no more than 1/4 inch openings. Be sure that you cover the openings completely, especially around all inner and outer corners of the wood, along with any other nearby sections that may not be currently used, but can be opened quickly knowing that these rodents can gnaw their way in without much trouble.

7. Notice any type of bird using your attic to nest. Roach bombs or ammonia to drive them out and simple heavy duty screen nailed over the openings they use will keep them out.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider over hangs such as tree limbs over the roof which squirrels will use to access the attic. They may also climb across cable wires. Eliminate access routes whenever possible.

• After you have sealed off an opening with metal or wire, you can nail finish wood over it that you can paint to match the surrounding wood.

• Check your chimney top also. It's a good idea to screen over it with the chicken wire even though this is not a typical entry point and in most cases the animal will end up in the furnace anyhow. But, this is a typical hangout area in the winter, especially for birds. In some cases while sitting on the ledge they become asphyxiated and can fall in.

• Even though you may have driven out pests with your roach bombs there is still the chance that babies in their nest couldn't escape. Once you seal off the entry points and the mother cannot reach them, the young will generally die off due to lack of food. You may be able to locate the nest and cautiously transport the young to the outdoors, leave them to die in the attic (which will eventually cause an odor which will last two to three weeks) or not seal off the opening at all, but then you have defeated the purpose of moving them out. This is your call.

• If during the process of sealing off squirrel entry points the squirrels come back to try and get inside, especially considering you are on a tall ladder, I suggest you stop and get out of their way, at least for the time being.

• Never corner squirells, racoons, bats or rats. It is a fight you do not want to experience. Back off and leave them alone.