Birds, squirrels, bees and wasps around your array
Short answer
The gap between a solar panel and your roof is warm, dry, sheltered, and out of reach of predators — which makes it close to ideal nesting real estate for birds and squirrels. Wasps like the shelter of equipment enclosures for the same reason. It's a common nuisance rather than an emergency, but it's worth dealing with rather than living with, because squirrels chew wiring and nesting material blocks the airflow panels need.
Don't go up there. Not to look, not to spray, not to set traps, not to hose it out. Roof work is dangerous, there's live electrical equipment involved, and a startled animal on a roof is a bad combination. Call us instead.
How to tell what you've got
| What you notice | Probably |
|---|---|
| Scratching, scuffling, or scampering overhead — especially early morning | Squirrels or chipmunks nesting under the array. The one worth acting on quickly. |
| Cooing, chirping, or a steady mess of droppings down the roof and siding | Pigeons or starlings nesting between the panels and the roof. |
| Twigs, leaves, or insulation poking out from under the panel edges | An established nest, whatever built it. |
| Wasps or hornets coming and going from equipment on a wall or the roof | A nest in or behind an enclosure. Tell us before we schedule anyone — see below. |
| A panel or two suddenly stopped reporting, with animal noise around the same time | Possible chewed wiring. Worth prompt attention. |
Why it's worth fixing
- Chewed wiring. Squirrels gnaw, and there is wiring under there. This is the real reason to deal with squirrels rather than tolerate them.
- Blocked airflow. Panels are designed with a gap beneath them so they can shed heat. Pack that gap with nesting material and you lose a little efficiency — and gain a fire consideration nobody wants.
- Droppings and debris. Corrosive over time, and unpleasant on the siding and walkways below.
- It gets worse. A site that worked once gets reused, by the same animals and by others. Clearing and closing it off together is what actually ends it.
What we do about it
Two parts, and they belong together:
- Clear it out. Remove the nest and debris, clean underneath, and check the wiring for damage while we're up there.
- Close it off. We install critter guard — a mesh clipped around the perimeter of the array that seals the gap so nothing can get back under. It can be fitted to any existing array. Clearing without closing off just means doing the same job again next spring, so we'd normally recommend doing both in one visit.
Give us a call and we'll look at your array layout and quote the work. Whether any of it falls under your existing coverage depends on your contract — ask us and we'll check it with you rather than have you guess.
What's covered? Your contract with us sets out your workmanship and roof warranty — what's included and for how long. It's worth pulling up before you call. The equipment itself (panels, microinverters, optimizers, inverters, batteries) carries its own manufacturer warranty, and we handle those claims on your behalf. If you can't find your contract, ask us and we'll help you track it down.
A note on nesting season and on stinging insects
Birds. Some species are protected, and an active nest with eggs or chicks in it can't simply be removed. If we find one, we'll tell you and we'll come back — it's usually a matter of weeks. Closing the array off before nesting season starts is the way to avoid the situation entirely, which is an argument for calling in late winter rather than in May.
Wasps and hornets. We're solar installers, not exterminators, and we won't put a technician into an active nest. If there's a nest in or near your equipment, have a pest control professional deal with it first, then call us and we'll do the rest. Tell us up front if you know there's one — it saves a wasted visit for both of us.
Please don't try to handle this yourself. No ladders, no spraying up under the panels, no poking with a pole, no hosing the array. Water forced under panels reaches electrical connections, sprays damage equipment, and roof falls are the most common serious injury in this line of work. It genuinely isn't worth it.
Ready for us to take a look?
This is the fastest way to reach our service team. It goes straight into the queue with your system details attached, so nothing gets lost in a voicemail. You'll get a confirmation, and you can reply to it with photos or updates as things develop.
Include your Site ID if you have it. It lets us pull up your system and check your monitoring data before we get back to you, which often saves a visit entirely.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (518) 478-8365.
How soon will someone come out? When a visit is needed, we're typically scheduling about two weeks out. That's a typical case rather than a promise — how far you are from us, how full the schedule is that month, and whether a part has to come from Enphase or SolarEdge all move it. If something is urgent or unsafe, say so in your request and we'll treat it differently.
Last verified: August 2026