With Bonfire Night just behind us and the first proper frosts starting to bite, the pattern we see every year across Radcliffe on Trent, Cotgrave, Keyworth, Bingham and Whatton is already underway: grey squirrels hunting for a warm, dry loft to see out the winter, and rats slipping into sheds, garages and outbuildings as the ground outside turns cold and wet. This week we’re focusing on both, because right now they’re the two call-outs we’re seeing most across these villages.
Grey squirrels moving into lofts
Squirrels don’t hibernate, and once the clocks have gone back and the trees have dropped their food supply, a dry loft space starts to look very appealing. We’re seeing activity around Radcliffe on Trent’s golf course and the riverside meadows along the Trent, where mature trees back directly onto rows of older semis and bungalows. The same goes for Cotgrave, where the tree cover along the edges of Cotgrave Country Park gives squirrels an easy, sheltered route from woodland straight onto roofs on the surrounding streets. Keyworth’s leafier roads and the trees around its allotments and recreation ground create a similar problem for homes nearby.
Once a squirrel gets into a loft it rarely stays quiet. Listen for scratching, scampering or rolling, bumping sounds overhead, especially early morning and at dusk when they’re most active. Squirrels will also chew, and chewed roof timbers, torn loft insulation, and gnawed electrical cabling are all signs worth taking seriously, since the cabling damage in particular is a genuine fire risk, not just a nuisance.
Rats heading for shelter
At the same time, rats are on the move in Bingham and Whatton. Bingham’s gardens backing onto the Grantham Canal, along with the Old Vicarage area, give rats a sheltered, food-rich route from the waterway straight into garden sheds and compost areas. Whatton’s farmland-edge gardens see the same thing as the fields empty out after harvest and rats look for a new food source closer to houses. Once the weather turns properly cold, outbuildings, garages and the gaps under decking all become attractive, especially where there’s a bird feeder, a compost bin, or pet food left out overnight.
Signs to look out for include dark, pellet-shaped droppings near skirting boards or in sheds, greasy rub marks along low walls and fence lines where rats travel the same route repeatedly, and gnawed holes in timber, plastic bins or even brickwork mortar. Rats need very little space to squeeze through, so a gap you’d barely notice around a pipe or airbrick is often all it takes.
Squirrels or rats? Telling the signs apart
Because both are active in the same areas right now, it’s worth knowing which you’re dealing with. Noise location is the biggest giveaway: squirrels are almost always heard in the loft or roof space, moving during daylight hours, particularly morning and early evening. Rats are far more likely to be heard or seen at ground level, in sheds, under decking or along fence lines, and are most active after dark. Droppings differ too: squirrel droppings are generally larger and more rounded, while rat droppings are smaller, darker and more tapered at the ends. If you’re finding chewed loft timber and insulation, it’s squirrels; if you’re finding gnawed bins, greasy rub marks and burrow-like holes at ground level, it’s rats.
What residents can do now
For both pests, prevention is far cheaper than cure. Check your roofline for gaps where a tile has slipped or lead flashing has lifted, since that’s a squirrel’s easiest way in. Keep bird feeders tidy and don’t let food scraps build up on compost heaps, which draws rats in from the canal and fields. Cut back any overhanging branches that give squirrels a direct bridge from a tree onto your roof, and fit a decent cover or cap to any airbricks or pipe gaps at ground level.
If you’re already hearing movement in the loft, or spotting droppings and rub marks around the garden, it’s best not to wait, since both squirrels and rats breed quickly once settled and a small problem becomes a much bigger one within weeks. NestBusters covers Radcliffe on Trent, Cotgrave, Keyworth, Bingham, Whatton and the surrounding villages, with fast, discreet treatment for both squirrels and rats.
Call NestBusters on 0742 984 9483 or visit nottinghampest.co.uk to book an inspection.
