Few thoughts on nuisance rodents

December 9, 2008

NH Business Review Staff,

NASHUA – The Telegraph’s online readers are nuts over a story about squirrels plaguing residents at a public housing apartment building.

Readers’ comments ranged from helpful “use commercially marketed fox urine to scare the critters off, or two boxes of moth balls” to comical “take away their nuts” to bizarre “a high-intensity anti-squirrel strobe light.”

Plus, if you’ve ever sought a recipe for cooking squirrels, or pondered which wine complements a fried squirrel meal, Telegraph readers leaped at the chance to offer helpful advice.

What set off the flurry of comments (34 and counting since Monday morning) was a story about residents who say large, aggressive squirrels have become a nuisance at Arel Manor on Pine Street.

One resident complained that a squirrel gnawed wires under the hood of his truck, causing an expensive repair.

Another said a squirrel entered her apartment and had to be fought off with a broom.

The police department’s animal control officer set out a trap, as did a city employee hired by Nashua Housing Authority, which manages the apartments for elderly and disabled residents.

Some residents said the squirrels have entered the building through gaps and cracks, a result of poor maintenance. Squirrel-plagued residents and NHA officials agree the problem is at least aggravated by some residents who insist on feeding the rodents.

Following is a smattering of comments left by readers at www.nashuatelegraph.com. The names are user names registered on the site:

“Leave a piece of bread with peanutbuter on you BBQ grille surface. When the squirrel enters the grelle for lunch, pull the string attached to the cover. Set the gas to on and just wait about 15 minutes. Then wait for the next one. And try and recycle the peanutbuter if possible.”

– Michael

“HOLY SHIZZZNIT!!! I also find your response to be disgusting (as in the stench created by burning squirrel), and shameful (cause you obviously have done this at least once in your lifetime) . . . But other than a few comments by people without a sense of humor . . . I think this is the greatest idea I’ve ever heard! . . .”

– Rick King

“That is when you get a .22 and ‘pop those suckers’. They are nothing but ‘tree rats’.”

– Skiggley

“OK folks, there is an easy solution to this problem; use the laws of supply and demand.

You folks have an excess supply of squirrels, while homeless people, and welfare moms have an excess demand for food.

So I’ve taken the liberty of researching Mike Huckabee’s recipe for fried squirrel and I will post it here as a public service. (Mike Huckabee said that he used to catch squirrels when he was in college and fry them in his corn popper.)

Here you go:

Dress squirrel.

Wash thoroughly.

Cut in pieces for servings.

Cover with salt water.

Let stand overnight. Drain.

If squirrel is not tender, parboil 10 minutes. Drain.

Roll in flour.

Fry in vegetable oil until tender.

If the squirrel is young, parboiling is unnecessary.

Make a brown sauce.

Serve squirrel garnished with lemon slices and parsley.