New Hope for Squirrel Removal

On Saturday, October 3rd, we had a major squirrel-extermination project going.  I’d finally picked a guy who seemed like he knew what he was doing, and who seemed to appreciate the full scope of the job (since he actually pulled his behind up into the attic, and out onto the windowsills, too).  The job was all day—he and an assistant closed up all the holes around the gutters and windowsills with metal sheeting and/or mesh.

SHOCKER—squirrels are back!!  I’m reluctant to call this guy back, first because at the end of the job things got uncomfortable when his miscommunication led to his not being paid when he thought he’d be, and second because I don’t see what he could do differently or additionally to keep the squirrels out if they really want to be in.

I was doing some Googling today, looking for a good repellant product.  The exterminator said he put Hot Foot in the gutters and on the windowsills.  I wanted to find a repellant product that I could buy at Martin Viette, something natural but effective.

Instead, I discovered the Squirrel Evictor Strobe Light.  It’s basically a strobe light that you can hang in the attic: it annoys the squirrels and makes them decide to move out.  You can read all about it on the website—they have articles, links to press, and a couple of videos:

 

 

It makes sense—the squirrels have been in our attic for twenty or so years.  Even if we seal up every hole, like the last exterminator promised to do, they’ll just chew through something to get back in.  They see this as their house.  So we have to make them decide that they don’t want to be here anymore.  That was my idea with repellent, but the Squirrel Evictor’s promises make it seem even better. 

I found an article about one extermination company in Florida, Massey, who installs the Evictors and then offers a maintenance contract, where they come back periodically to check that they’re still working, replace bulbs, and check that the light is reaching all the little corners.

I e-mailed the company to ask whether they knew of any exterminators on Long Island who provide that service, or who are behind the Evictor and whom I can get to provide me with a maintenance contract.  We’ll see!

What’s Bloomin’

Swimming, anyone?

Pool-Opening Day!

But first, I had to get them here. I called Chaikin and spoke to Evelyn. I asked at what time I could expect the pool guys to get here. She said we were the second ticket today, so probably some time between 10 and 12. I asked if she could have them call me when they were here or on their way.

"Well, like I said, it'll be before noon, definitely."
"Okay, that's fine. Can you have them call me?"
"Well, they've already left for their route."
"So... you have no way to reach them at all? It's just that our doorbell is broken."
"Well I can tell them to knock."
"So you can reach them? My house is pretty big, and I won't hear them knocking. Don't they have cell phones? I'd really like them to call me when they're on their way."
"SIGH. Hold on."
"Okay, I told them to call, and they actually won't be there until 2 or 3."

Well, B & B, as it says on the work ticket, rolled up at about 4:30 (no phone call). I went out to keep checking on them, and asked them to take pictures of the stones that are coming up. When they were about to leave, B comes up to me to hand me a copy of the work order. He asks if I know where the skimmer baskets are.

"I don't even know what a skimmer basket is, but it'd have to be wherever you guys left it when you closed the pool last year. Did you check in the basement and the shed?"
"Yeah, we couldn't find the skimmer baskets, the eyeballs, or the pump gasket, so we couldn't turn on the pool yet." Blank stare.
"So.... what does that mean? What do we do?"
"Well, we're gonna order the parts and bring it next time, but meanwhile the filter's not up and running yet."
"Is whoever closed the pool last year still working there? Because no one has even touched one pool part since you closed it, so wherever they put it is where it should be. Can you ask them? Because I don't want to pay for a part that you guys lost."

So he wrote something down on his clipboard and said they'd be in touch.

Delay #1 (Day 1): Missing skimmer baskets, eyeballs, and pump o-ring mean the pool system can't be turned on yet.

R.I.P Holly

I pointed out this holly tree, to the right of the front door, to Paul.  For some reason it’s twice as big as the holly tree on the opposite side.  A few years ago, someone else seriously botched a pruning job: instead of shortening some of the lower branches so that they didn’t whack one in the face, they just sawed the lower branches off completely, resulting in a lollipop look.

Paul agreed that it was time for the tree to go.  We discussed replacing it with another holly to match the remaining one, and he said he’d get me some quotes.  Then they sawed it down.  It caused quite a kerfuffle amongst the birds, but I’m not too worried.  I’m sure they’ll find another comfy place to hang out, like on the pool furniture I just cleaned.

But now that I look at it, I think I like it better without a tree there.  It reveals all the interesting architecture in that corner of the house.  Maybe some kind of low shrub?  I just hope that Paul doesn’t show up with a replacement without calling or asking, as is his style.

Ivy Chop

After telling Paul (twice) that I really actually did want to cut the ivy back that far, they went to it.  This way, we shouldn’t need to get it trimmed again for at least four hours.