Unwanted House Guests: Squirrels Wreaking Havoc in Homes Across N.H.
Scott Borthwick holds up a flying squirrel he retrieved from the bathroom of a small house in White River Junction, VT. Photo by Britta Greene for NHPR
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.