Squirrely

Yesterday, I returned to a wood that we had previously cleared of greys and it remains clear. That is not to say that it cannot be re-populated in the future. I also checked a wood cleared a few months ago and that also remains clear. It's a pity that a more concerted effort is not made countrywide. If anyone needs a hand in clearing greys in the East Midlands, please get in touch. There is no charge for our efforts. All that I would ask is that the wood owner makes a small donation to the Red Squirrel Survival Trust.

From memory, I was told that they chew the bark to get at the phloem which is a sweet sap produced in the leaves and then transported through the phloem "tubes" under the bark

Must give squirrel meat a try. The problem with what I could make out is that only the back legs seem worthwhile. Would it be true that you'd need half a dozen or so for a meal? Back to my original post, if anyone would like me to embark on a grey clearance, completely free, please let me know.

Thanks again for the replies. I've always been a little bit worried about Fen traps because I'm not 100% certain what I might find in them and secondly I'm not in a position to monitor the traps on a regular basis. It's true you can't guarantee a 100% eradication and there's always the problem of re-population. However, having removed the best part of 50 squirrels from an area of 150 x 200m, we are confident there are very few if any left and we have checked this over a couple of visits. At the very least the population has been massively dented and songbirds are starting to appear whereas previously the wood was like a morgue. Removing the greys is an uphill battle for all of us but I feel that I must do what I can. Anyway happy to help Forum members with grey squirrel removal and we are insured.

Many thanks to all of you who have replied. My son and I would be happy to travel say a 60 mile radius from Loughborough, Leics. To date we have cleared greys from a five acre wood (22 in three visits), a wood 150m x 200m (48 over approximately 8 visits), and an 8 acre wood (10 one visit). Apparently, squirrels make good eating and are seen as a delicacy in London restaurants. In my previous life, I have carried out squirrel dissections and there seems little meat on them. Currently, I freeze them and they are drip fed to a pet fox but maybe as a community we should try them. There are no secrets to our methods of control, we shoot with short range silencered guns and low noise ammunition. The combination is very effective and any passer by would not recognise the noise. We have not received a single complaint despite shooting near houses. If any of the Forum members would like us to lend a hand with control we'd be delighted to help. As mentioned in my previous post, we do this control for free. You might consider making a donation to the Red Squirrel Survival Trust which initiated my interest in the removal of the greys. You can contact me on [email protected]

Dear Sirs, We are two keen highly educated environmentalists who belong to the Small Woodlands Trust. To date we have cleared a number of woodlands of greys very quickly, discretely and effectively. If you would like us to work with you or alternatively recommend us to your clients we would be grateful. We do this conservation work on a completely free basis (East Midlands) Kind regards James