A two-storey office building located in a business area of Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, a rural village in the Montérégie region on the east bank of the Richelieu River, called on our services after repeated noises in the false ceilings of the second floor disrupted the work of employees for several weeks. The building, built in the early 2000s, is surrounded by wooded strips that serve as corridors for wildlife to travel. Neighbouring properties, facing Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu on the opposite shore, had reported similar problems the same season, and the situation called for a quick and discreet intervention to limit operational disruptions and preserve the quality of the work environment.
Risk assessment in a professional office context
The inspection covered the entire building envelope as well as the interior technical areas. Our technician identified four entry points: two openings in the degraded vinyl soffit panels, an uncaulked telephone cable routing on the rear panel, and an HVAC ventilation duct with an airtight outer cover. In the false ceiling of the second floor, accessible from a service corridor, an active nest and extensive traces of activity have been documented.
Computer network cables showed slight marks of gnawing, which was of particular concern to the facility manager, who was aware of the potential for network failures. An electrical and IT risk assessment was shared with the systems manager so that he could prioritize the necessary technical checks. These findings highlight the importance of acting quickly at the first signs of squirrels in a professional building. In an office environment, a service interruption due to a damaged cable can paralyze operations for several hours and cause financial losses far greater than the cost of a preventive intervention.
Trapping process and coordination with the customer
In an office setting, coordination with the client is paramount to ensure business continuity. Live capture traps were installed at the identified outdoor entrances and in the false ceiling space, outside office hours. Our squirrel capture service has scheduled checks at the beginning of the day, before the arrival of the employees, to avoid any inconvenience. The traps were positioned to pose no risk to those using the service corridor, and all false ceiling hatches were secured after each access.
Four red squirrels were captured in six days and relocated to a suitable natural environment. The damaged network cables were reported to the building’s IT manager for preventive replacement. Our Nova Extermination animal capture and relocation service always includes complete documentation of each capture, useful for the audit reports required in certain professional sectors and for building a maintenance history of the building.
Caulking and recommendations for preventive management
The closure of the four accesses identified on the office building required high-durability materials: replacement of damaged soffit panels, installation of metal grilles on the HVAC ventilation ducts and application of professional caulking around all cable ducts on the façade. This work was carried out outside opening hours to respect the working environment of the occupants and avoid any inconvenience related to noise or the presence of technicians in the common areas during the office day.
The facility manager was provided with a preventive inspection schedule recommending a bi-annual check of the soffits and exterior ducts, ideally in the spring and fall, when squirrels are most active. These regular inspections help detect new vulnerabilities before they are exploited, avoiding more costly interventions. For interventions in similar professional environments in Montérégie, Nova Extermination represents a trusted partner with extensive institutional and commercial experience. For other practical cases, see our achievements in capturing squirrels in various professional buildings and in raccoon management in a professional environment.