And, I watch him on sunny afternoons from my kitchen window stuffing sunflower seeds in his cheeks at the backyard bird feeder. At least I'm providing him with a warm place to live, I used to tell myself. And, he's such a cute, harmless little creature. Cute, maybe, harmless, not. Don McCarthy of Braemar Pest Control Services says red squirrels, the diurnal tamiasciurus hudsonicus, common to Nova Scotia, are very harmful creatures indeed.
Squirrels are very destructive.
The problem is, it could be wires. . . . Our biggest worry is that it's going to cause a fire. For some reason, squirrels love the taste of the plastic or rubber coating on electrical wires. A spokesperson at the Nova Scotia Fire Marshal's Office said there are no statistics available that point to squirrels as the culprits in electrical fires. But, Mr. McCarthy is convinced it's possible.