Martens are crepuscular or nocturnal and usually hide from humans. Below are some tips on how to identify a marten infestation:

• Scratch marks – on beams, downpipes, trees.
• He was scratching or scraping noises – in false ceilings or attics.
• Unpleasant smells and dirt – martens mark their territory permanently with secretions from their anal glands and urine and faeces.
• Marten droppings – like a cat, marten droppings are as thick as a finger with a twisted tip and often contain leftover food, e.g. fruit pits.
• Damage – martens bite through electrical cables and are responsible for several house fires.
• Marten bites on ignition cables, brake, fuel and hydraulic lines – martens have got used to parked cars as constantly available, dry and safe places to stay.
• Prey remains – e.g. eggshells, bird feathers and carcasses of birds, mice and other small mammals.