Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
OK... so I am sitting here at my comp sort of minding my own business when my cat starts to go completely ballistic while trying to get out of the 25' off the ground window screen.
I turn my head to not only tell Bob to stop scratching up the screen, but to see what is causing the ruckus.
There is a rather large brown/grey/red squirrel up in the shrub about 1 foot from this window and he is busy chewing all the top branches off the shrub!
My next thought is WHY? Why is this squirrel doing this? I continue to watch the little tick magnet for a few more minutes when I see him jump from the shrub to my roof.
So, my next thought is... why is this tick magnet taking branches to MY roof?
If you have been on LN long enough, you will remember why this is a tad disturbing to me!
And if you are aware of the research done in CA re: squirrels and ticks, you will begin to understand a bit more of my concerns.
So, I do a bit of Google-ing and come up with this... lovely. (weren't we just discussing ticks in trees yesterday?)
...
``What's That Clump of Leaves?''
By Art Shomo
Winter has come. Hardwood trees, stripped of their colorful fall garb, yield secrets previously hidden from all but the most careful observer. ``Hey, there's a new house!'' ``I've never noticed that cave on the side of the hill.'' ``What's that clump of leaves in that tree--a bird nest?'' Well, not quite. Many hunters and wildlife enthusiasts could tell you quick as a wink that those leaf clumps are tree squirrel nests.
Leaf nests are a common sight throughout West Virginia since the abundance of oak, hickory, beech and tulip poplar trees usually provides a cornucopia of food for tree squirrels. Three species of these arboreal acrobats inhabit the Mountain State. At home in cities as well as rural areas, gray squirrels live throughout our state. To the dismay of some people, but to the delight of others, old bushytail is a master at breaking and entering all but the most secure birdfeeder to dine on sunflower and other seeds.
Fox squirrels, largest of the tree squirrels, also reside throughout West Virginia but are associated more with farmland than their gray cousins. Preferring pine seeds to nuts, the small red squirrel lives mostly in the eastern portion of the Mountain State where coniferous forests are most abundant. All three squirrels are active year-round but may hole up for several days during severe winter storms or periods of extreme cold.
Tree squirrels build two general types of nests: tree cavity dens and leaf nests. Whether located in abandoned woodpecker holes or in natural cavities, tree dens offer better protection from wind, rain and snow. Studies have identified another advantage. Squirrels living in dens use less energy in maintaining their body temperature. Leaf nests are common in woods that have a shortage of natural den trees. Oaks, beeches, elms and red maples are favored by squirrels for dens or leaf nests. Ground holes may be used as emergency shelters by tree squirrels.
Location of a leaf nest is important. Whether built near the tree trunk, in a crotch where several small branches depart a large limb, or on a strong limb, the ragged-looking nests are located at least 20 feet up in the tree. One biologist found that most of the leaf nests on his study area were built in conjunction with grapevines which provided additional support for the nests.
Construction begins with a platform of twigs roughly woven together, upon which damp leaves and moss are compacted to form a solid base. A spherical skeleton of interwoven twigs and vines is erected around the base. The outer shell is then completed with the addition of leaves, moss, twigs, and even paper.
The inner nest cavity is six to eight inches in diameter and is lined with shredded bark, grass, and leaves. This soft lining is especially important to cradle the delicate infants which weigh about half an ounce at birth and whose skin is almost transparent.
Nests of gray and fox squirrels may measure up to two feet wide and a foot high. Red squirrel nests are proportionately smaller. Opposite the main entrance, the wary bushytail builds a leaf-concealed escape hatch.
Durward Allen, a noted biologist, wrote: ``From the ground, most leaf nests look small and flimsy, although a closer examination shows that they are by no means so frail as they appear. On several occasions after a rain I evicted a squirrel and found its nest to be dry and warm.''
Second and third homes are popular with tree squirrels. More loosely constructed, these secondary leaf nests are erected at varying distances from the main nest. Having several homes provides refuge from predators when squirrels are out feeding and also allows squirrels to temporarily set up home when food around their main nests run short.
Secondary homes are especially abundant in summer and frequently consist of a pile of leaves and bark heaped onto a twig platform. A roofed-over cavity isn't necessary as the green leaves on the tree provide ample protection. Sometimes leaf platforms or old bird nests are used for resting during feeding and exploration bouts.
Leaf nests host a variety of activities throughout the year. The beginning of a year finds squirrels in the midst of their mating period. Although squirrels usually live alone, males and females may share their nest with their mate for a short time during mating season in December and January. Squirrels may also double up in a nest for warmth during winter.
During spring, females busy themselves with nursing and raising their young. Young squirrels first venture outside the nest when about six weeks old. The young usually leave the nest for good when 10 to 12 weeks old. However, some of the spring litter linger until their mother is ready to have her next litter in August (two litters per year is the rule in West Virginia).
Nest building activity mushrooms in June and July when the spring-born squirrels practice building nests. These nests are often flimsy and seldom last long. Also busy building or remodeling nests at the same time are pregnant females about to have their summer litter. Adults may also build several temporary nests during the warmer months. Fall is the most active time for nest construction as both males and females prepare nests for winter.
In the author's backyard, the resident squirrels usually move their nest from the outer branches closer to the main tree trunk in preparation for winter. Females with young don't always stay in one nest. They may shuttle their litters between leaf nests and cavity dens in response to weather changes, danger from predators such as raccoons and snakes, or parasite infestation.
Sometimes females choose to defend their nest from predators rather than move their young. More than one human has a battle scar to show for fooling with a squirrel's nest!
Leaf nests become a hub of activity, not only for squirrels but also a variety of other creatures. Insects--spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes and especially fleas--congregate in leaf nests.
The three species of tree squirrels in West Virginia seem to prefer den cavities but will construct leaf nests where natural cavities are scarce. Red squirrels use cavity dens extensively because hardwood trees, necessary for leaf nest construction, are often scarce in the coniferous forests in which they live.
John Burroughs, a famous naturalist of the late 1800s and early 1900s wrote: ``One secret of success in observing nature is capacity to take a hint: a hair may show where a lion is hid.'' We might learn more things during our visits in the West Virginia woods if we heed Burrough's words. Winter reveals many hints: a clump of leaves may show where a squirrel is ``hid''!
Art Shomo is the editor of West Virginia Wildlife and a public information specialist stationed in Charleston.
Melanie Reber
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The squirrels or the neighbors were yelling at you? Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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Melanie Reber
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Identifying the reservoir hosts of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in California: the role of the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus). [Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural] Salkeld DJ, Leonhard S, Girard YA, Hahn N, Mun J, Padgett KA, Lane RS Am J Trop Med Hyg 2008 Oct; 79(4):535-40.
We investigated the role of the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) as a reservoir host of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi.
A survey of 222 western gray squirrels in California showed an overall prevalence of B. burgdorferi infection of 30%, although at a county level, prevalence of infection ranged from 0% to 50% by polymerase chain reaction.
Laboratory trials with wild-caught western gray squirrels indicated that squirrels were competent reservoir hosts of the Lyme disease bacterium and infected up to 86% of feeding Ixodes pacificus larvae. Infections were long-lasting (up to 14 months), which demonstrated that western gray squirrels can maintain B. burgdorferi trans-seasonally.
Non-native eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) were infrequently infected with B. burgdorferi.
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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Starfall1969
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No surprise to me that we have so many squirrels here---we're surrounded by nuts.....
But yeah, it does scare me thinking there are so many little tick magnets around our house--
both squirrels and rabbits.
Not to mention the stinking deer!
Someone just told me taht the last time her husband shot a deer, there were so many ticks on the carcass that they didn't even risk eating the meat.
Posts: 1682 | From Dillsburg, PA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Melanie Reber
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Evaluation of squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae) as ecologically significant hosts for anaplasma phagocytophilum in California. [Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Nieto NC, Foley JE J Med Entomol 2008 Jul; 45(4):763-9.
Granulocytic anaplasmosis (GA), caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, is a potentially fatal, emerging rickettsial disease of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether sciurids from multiple areas of northern California were infested with ticks or exposed to or infected with A. phagocytophilum using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and indirect-fluorescent antibody (IFA) serology.
Sciurids of nine different tree- and ground-dwelling species were assessed: arboreal squirrels (western and eastern gray squirrels, Sciurus griseus and S. carolinensis, and Douglas squirrels, Tamiasciurus douglasii) but not northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) had greater evidence of exposure and current infection than did semiarboreal or ground dwelling sciurids (California ground squirrels, Spermophilus beecheyi, and chipmunks, Tamias spp.).
Western gray squirrels had the most extensive exposure (70.7% seroprevalence and 12.1% PCR prevalence). Positive squirrels were identified in all regions where squirrels were collected. A logistic regression identified being a western gray squirrel (OR = 20.5, P = 2.95 X 10(-8)) and from the north coastal region of California (OR = 9.052, P = 1.41 X 10(-6)) as having the highest risk of exposure to A. phagocytophilum. Five of nine sciurid species had evidence of infestation with Ixodes pacificus or I. spinipalpis that could vector A. phagocytophilum.
Extensive exposure from multiple areas suggests sciurids may be important in the maintenance of GA in California and indicates that studies of reservoir competence of these species are warranted.
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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lymeberry
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Years with an abundance of acorns equals more ticks and we all know what more ticks can cause.
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Ocean
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Lol Melanie!!
yes, it was the squirrels, hehe! And it was going on and on and on! Just sitting on the telephone wire. When it finally started walking, it was trying to yell at me and walk, and it kept slipping off the wire. So it would walk a little, stop and yell, and repeat.
Melanie Reber
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Member # 3707
posted
Yes... they are 'silly little things', but dangerous. Hard to believe? Listen to this...
One of my first trips out to CA was to visit with my Aunt and Uncle who lived in Santa Cruz. My Aunt just LOVED squirrels for some reason. (she also loved deer... but that is getting off the subject a bit)
So, one day, she had a 'big surprise' for me. We jumped in their mini-van and stopped to by a bag of peanuts in the shell.
Then, we went to a beach close by where you could walk right up on the rocks and sit among the squirrels and feed them peanuts... right out of your hand.
The 'silly things' would come and grab your hand to see if you had more peanuts for them. Fun, huh?
This was way before one dropped on my head, or I would have been a bit less enthusiastic about the whole ordeal.
Just recently, w/in the last year or so, reports started coming out of San Jose, not too far north of Santa Cruz, that squirrels had actually begun to attack people!
Seriously! One report was about a squirrel jumping on a baby in a stroller!
I just knew they had to be 'Santa Cruz' squirrels looking for more peanuts. Or were they?
Were they in reality sick squirrels with TBDs?
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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Pinelady
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Member # 18524
posted
Reminds me of the time my brother in law had a
sharecropper house burn down. The family of coons
in the attic got out?
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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Melanie Reber
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So now the little tick magnet is jumping on my roof with a mouth full of leaves! Oh My!
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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Marnie
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Make SURE the nest is NOT in the top of your chimmney!
Ocean
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Melanie....that's scary!
Gosh I miss Santa Cruz! We lived in Los Gatos for a year during one of my 'well times' when I could actually work, and we were only 20 miles to Santa Cruz. We used to go to the beach and just play in the sand with the kids, up near Aptos there were some nice cliffs with beaches that most people didn't go to, it was really pretty.
We do not feed the squirrels for the record! Once our 2 kitties get spayed this Sat and are healed, they will be allowed outside some and I'm hoping they will scare the squirrels off a little!
Melanie Reber
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Member # 3707
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Goodness! I don't have a chimney, but do have an attic. Now, I'm afraid to look up there. My neighbors just may have a chimney though... (I live in the back part of the house).
I've been meaning to call the landlord anyway to ask if they will powerwash the outside of spiderwebs, mold and wasp nests. Maybe they should be the ones to check the squirrel situation?
Plus those shrub branches have grown so close that they are tearing holes in my window screens!
But first I have to find someone to cut my lawn as it has gotten knee high and I can no longer do it. I wouldn't want the landlord thinking I am neglecting my yard.
(I'm starting to feel like Rosanna Rosanna Danna!)
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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sutherngrl
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I had a yard full of squirrels. They would come up on my deck and stare in at me through the window. So I bought a fake, but real looking owl and sat it on my deck. It's been there about 2 months. They haven't been on the deck since. They are afraid of owls!
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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