ABSTRACT
Grey squirrels are omnivores, although their diet is mostly herbivorous. There is a seasonal variation in the efficiency of trapping, when traps are place on the ground with food baits as the lure. During the autumn period when the fruits of their main food trees (beech, oak, sycamore) are ripening, the squirrels are more arboreal in their feeding pattern and do not come into contact with traps placed on the ground. Live catch, permanent-baited multicatch traps are best, such as the Legg Multiple Catch trap. Traps should be placed on the ground under large trees, adjacent to the trunk, where the squirrels can feed during the prebaiting period with an easy escape route to the canopy. It is helpful to place a sheet of polythene over the trap and to cover the whole trap, except for the front tunnel entrance, with dead leaves and sticks.
