Although many people have a favorable opinion of squirrels, they do tend to cause some problems for their human neighbors. Squirrels spend much of their time foraging for food—eating to survive the day, while also gathering and storing food for the future.
Because of this often frenzied search for meals, our backyards and gardens become hotspots for unwanted squirrel activity.
Squirrels are very persistent animals; they do not stop until they get what they want. Because of this behavior, squirrels are often considered pests.
They chew up fruit and vegetable gardens and dig countless little holes in landscaped yards. Not to mention, they occasionally destroy property, chewing through any object that may be in the way of their food.
When wondering how to keep squirrels away from your garden, you will find that there are, fortunately, many different options.
Remove Incentives
There are many simple steps to take when beginning to squirrel-proof your yard. A first step is to remove any incentives; you should always rake up and remove any nuts or berries that fall from trees so squirrels are not lured in by the scent or sight of food lying around the yard.
For the same reason, make sure that the lids are always sealed tightly on your trash cans. These two practices will likely deter not only squirrels, but many other pesky animals, from entering your yard.
Another way that you can prevent squirrels from choosing your yard as their hunting ground is to trim any long or hanging tree branches that are near your garden.
If you do not, squirrels that are nesting in the trees above may use the branches as access to any edible items in your garden below.
Using Repellants
When considering how to keep squirrels away from your yard, a more direct option is to use a squirrel repellant. Different critter repellants can be purchased at hardware stores or lawn and garden stores.
However, you can probably find several natural squirrel repellants in your own kitchen. Typically, squirrels do not like the scent of spicy foods. Sprinkling hot spices, such as cayenne pepper or chili powder, over affected areas should keep squirrels away.
These spices will not harm the squirrels or your plants, but they will prevent the critters from chewing on or digging up your greenery. Additionally, garlic can be used to discourage squirrels from invading your garden.
Mix either chopped jalapeno pepper or garlic with vinegar and water in a squirt bottle to create a spray that will repel any pesky squirrels. When using these particular repellants, though, it is important to reapply after every rainfall.
Another natural squirrel repellant is peppermint. Squirrels will avoid the strong scent of a live peppermint plant or the concentrated smell of peppermint oil, which can be dropped onto cotton balls and placed throughout your garden.
Mothballs can also be used to repel squirrels. While mothballs are deadly for moths, they are only a nuisance for squirrels.
Securing a few mothballs in wire mesh, or even an old pair of nylon stockings, and placing it near affected areas should keep squirrels away from any edible items in your yard.
Predator Scents
The presence of a predator is yet another natural squirrel repellant. If you are interested in getting a pet, a cat or a dog can help to deter squirrels from searching for meals in your backyard.
Cats and dogs, who love to play with anything that moves, keep squirrels away by chasing them. While your pet may not actually catch the squirrels, their presence alone will encourage the critters to dine elsewhere.
If acquiring a new pet is not an option, the scent of a predatory animal may also work to repel squirrels. Animal urine or repellant scents, which can be purchased online or in the hunting section of many sporting goods stores, will give squirrels the false impression that there is a threat in your backyard.
Much like spices and garlic, repellant scents need to be reapplied after rain or snow.
Another way to keep squirrels out of your garden is to lure them away with the promise of tastier food somewhere else. Squirrels may be munching on your flowers or vegetables out of pure hunger, not because they actually like the taste.
Place a squirrel feeder with food that is more appealing to squirrels, such as peanuts or sunflower seeds, at the edge of your property to draw them away from the areas you want them to avoid.
Electronic devices, such as motion sensitive lights and high-frequency sound emitters, can be used to frighten squirrels and deter them from invading your garden.
Motion-activated sprinkler systems are another good option, as they can scare squirrels away while simultaneously watering your grass and garden.
You can protect existing foliage, as well as newly planted bulbs, by installing a fence. Fencing, as long as it is buried deep enough, can be used to prevent squirrels from digging their way into a garden.
Mesh netting can also be used to keep squirrels away from edible items in your backyard. Squirrels cannot chew through mesh netting and they cannot squeeze through the tight-knit holes; placing the netting over flower beds or fruits and vegetables prevents squirrels from snacking on the plants underneath.
Squirrels are extremely adaptable animals and they can learn to thrive in many different environments, including our yards. Consequently, many of us are left wondering how to keep squirrels away from the flora we love.
We may not be able to keep them out of our space completely, but we can learn to control and lessen the effects of their frenzied feeding.
Whether you choose to use all, or only one, of the methods mentioned above, you should be on your way to keeping squirrels from interfering with any plans you have for your own lawn and garden.
Click HERE for a fun Squirrel trap project!
I just spent the better part of an hour reading these comments. 1. Hilarious; 2. Still no foolproof deterrent; 3. I’m at my wits end.
These fuzzy-tailed rats left us stranded in the middle of a lake in a wild thunderstorm (Florida – they pop up without warning) because unbeknownst to us, they had eaten the fuel lines on our boat. As far as I’m concerned, these rats can go straight to squirrel hell.
Now, hundreds of dollars a month later, we wet dock the boat. Doesn’t seem right when we have 6 acres that has more than enough room to store a boat!
So, I’m taking target practice on the property…..they will not win. 🎯
After they ripped apart my fourth and last patio chair, I’m ready for the pellet gun. I read somewhere that great horned owls like squirrels, etc. but alas they also kill cats and dogs, even if the cats and dogs are 20 lbs or heavier and too big for them to carry off. Since they’ve eaten anything I’ve tried to grow, I googled everything I could. Seems avocado skins, cashews, and sunflower seeds are toxic and/or make them sick. I’d think a quick shot to the head is much more “humane” toward an oversized rat with a fluffy tail? I’m rather tired of watching them commit incest in open daylight with their brothers and sisters or hopping merrily across the lawn with the last of my patio chair stuffing in their grinning mouth. I need to grow food for myself and my son, not to feed the rodents in my back yard. Since I don’t know how or if I can buy a pellet gun, I’m more inclined toward a $50 trap and a spare trash bin of water. And yes, they do carry rabies. They’re immune. Humans aren’t.
I did exactly that, bought a trap and a storage bin to hold enough water. Works great, in one season I trapped 15 .
All those afore mentioned deterrents do not work. However I haven’t tried predator urine yet so I can’t speak to that.
Squirrels love to eat sunflower seeds, I don’t know where your information came from but it’s not correct. They will tear a bird feeder apart just to get to the sunflower seeds. Doesn’t make them sick at all. Safflower seeds on the other hand they will not eat. If you want to feed birds then fill your feeder with safflower seeds.
Once had a cat who was a good mouser and he took care of our rental mouse problem. Then I realized he was going out the back door while I was at work — he had extra toes and was able to open the door. Several weeks later, a neighbor told me that the neighbors worshipped my cat — because he was taking care of the squirrels they all had in their attic! Yes! Nature takes care of nature.
I’ve book marked it for later!
Hey this may be a solution to our plastic problem
We have hundreds of barn customers; always face trouble with the squirrels. Your blog may help us to prevent our garden with these little monsters.
Dead fish. Put inside plastic liter bottle with the bottom cut off. Hang upside down on fruit tree. Problem solved. Squirrels hate the smell of rotting fish.
I hate the smell of rotting fish!
You may substitute a raccoon problem for a squirrel problem with dead fish…
Trap them and kill them. I once lived in an infested city years ago. The car wires was the last straw. 1 trap + 18 months = 56 gone never to return. Still no dent in the population. When I first put it out I got 2 or 3 a day some times. Then fewer.
Love this idea! What type of trap did you use? I got all sorts of new storage boxes this summer to keep squirrels away and the bastards chewed through it! They also chewed wires amnd plastic covers in my car. I HATE THEM!! They like the soy that is now used in palstic.
Yeah Right: This is not possible in a lot of places. I live, in NJ and you will go to jail if you are caught killing those precious animals (they have more rights than we do.) Don’t tell your neighbors because they will rat on you and goodbye, there you go. I have a terrible problem with squirrels and I have tried everything. They constantly destroy my plants, literally clipping the branches off and ruining theplant; sometimes leaving a ragged specimen. They are vicious. Not only that, they buld nests on the carburetors of cars, stuff bits of branches in holes in your car. We have to check our cars all the time. I wish I still had the pictures to show you, but they chewed out, yes chewed out, a three inch section of the siding on the building I live in. One morning, I heard noise, it woke me up. I looked toward the window where the noise was coming from, and I saw a long strip hanging. I could not imagine what it could be. Went outside. took a picture and here the entire strip of that piece of siding had 3″ missing. This went all along the entire side of the building just above the 2nd floor which is what I saw hanging. They could not take care of this right away. It was fall, in the Spring they came and replaced that one piece of siding. In the meantime, it gave way to squirrel hotel. Need I say more.
Moth balls, high frequency motion detector electrical device, and Spray for repelling squirrels (available in hardware stores) – used all three and it works. Need to keep replacing the device every 6 mos to a year, and other two every 3 months.
Hello! We have a huge squirrel problem, with eating all the birdseed our of our feeders and now chewing our screens and getting inside our covered deck and trying to chew other things on our deck. I would say we would just remove the bird feeder but my young children love all the birds that come and so do I. So I coated the bird feeder last night in peppermint oil and put several cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil on the ground around the bird feeder where the squirrels eat all the drippings. This morning there are no birds but 4 squirrels on the ground eating around he cotton balls. If this doesn’t work I have no other options. For me and my family, A gun is not an option and neither is trapping them. Suggestions?
Anna, a squirrel keeps biting thru a huge screen on our porch, originally to get some peanuts – the peanuts are now all gone but it came back a few times to eat peanuts it hid! We finally left open one of the holes it made so it doesn’t make anymore – what did you find that worked to keep it from biting thru your screen?
Change your bird seed to safflower. The birds will eat it but the squirrels will not.
Just wanted to say that in Florida it’s against the law to kill squirrels. They are a protected species. Don’t ask me why, they just are. — There are so many squirrels in our neighborhood and they run and chase each other all over, including on my roof and backyard. I’ve just put in a vegetable garden and I’m sure that I’ve just planted a nice restaurant for them. So I’m on the lookout for ways to keep them away from my garden. After reading these comments, I think I’ll try the peppermint and hot pepper sprays and see how those work.
Many thanks for everyone’s comments. They are much appreciated.
I put live peppermint plants and cotton balls with peppermint oil in my raised vegetable bed. It didn’t work at all. The next day everything was dug up and a squirrel was sitting right in the bed!
These squirrels in my backyard are savage! Ive tried everything, I possibly could to keep them away….nothing worked. I finally went out and bought a few bars of Irish Spring Soap and cut peices up and put it around my garden….so far so good, but it’s only been 2 days.
My neighbor has a squirrel that keeps getting into the garage. She put Irish Spring soap around. The squirrel ATE THE SOAP and didn’t go away. Good freaking luck!
WOW! It is interesting to hear the problems with squirrels.
Yay!! 🤞
I’ll try the Irish soap. Thanks for the tip.
How did the soap work? I just have all of my corn eaten ( just sprouted) and a young pepper bush decimated by the furry beasties here in Florida…
Next door there is a tribe of squirrels. In order to grow tomatoes, I basically cage off the area. I put in poles (about 6 feet tall) at each corner, and every 3-5 feet between the corners. I put two poles about 30 inches apart to frame a doorway.
I attach horizontal braces about halfway up and along the top; also across the braces for the doorway. Across the top I make a cris-cross lattice to support bird netting. Around the sides I use green-colored chicken wire, attached to the poles with strands of light-guage wire. The door itself I make with miniature bamboo, threaded through the chicken wire. Best to make it oversized. Near the ground I leave an ecess curl of mesh, and secure it with angled stakes.
The entire point is easy access for you, no access for squirrels or birds. Rabbits often do much of the pillaging (though the squirrels are not without sin), so securing the bottom two feet or so is crucial.
If I had a large property, I would plant more than enough and no bother with any of the above.
That is not true.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: “a landowner may lawfully live-trap or humanely destroy nuisance gray squirrels without a special license or permit.
Be careful with scent. Some years ago on an evening, we tried fox urine on our fence posts to keep rabbits and feral cats out of our yard – the smell was inconceivably strong and unpleasant, and carried a distance. The next morning, it also attracted into our yard a pair of very aggressive large dogs, who threatened me as I was working in the yard. They apparently did not know how to behave – their human was not trained to be dog owner, obviously – and were after the animal that laid that scent, and I was the only thing standing within this scent in their field of view. I had nothing to defend myself with, and my voice was an incitement to them to growl and position together for action. I had a broom in hand and waved it at them, telling them to leave in as calm and determined a voice as my concern would allow. They backed off and finally left, since I continued my movements and speaking. Then I went around washing off the urine from the fence posts as best as I could. No further problem with the dogs after that, and it took a while for the residual smells to wear off. Just fyi. be careful with this stuff.
When you yell at dogs, they think you’re barking at them! Makes it worse. My dog attacks a broom! Very hard to sweep with a dog attached!
Cut up old lemons. As you refresh your old lemons with new cut up the old ones and distribute then in and around your flower bed. Works for me
Lemons? LOL, I saw a squirrel eating the inside rind of a lemon as it was resting on the fence. They will eat anything when hangry.
” methods that work high powered Air Rifle or 5Kv DC i hate the darn things with vengance i woulod loe to get hold of the idiot that brought them to the UK and hang him by hid nuts from the top empire state building
My Mother was teased by family and friends because of her battles with the squirrels in the large oak tree in the front of the house.. Mom was right those blasted squirrels are destructive little critters! Squirrels have decided that the acorns and neighborhood bird feeders are not nearly as tasty as the wiring harnesses in a 2006 Dodge Charger. We are on the 3rd wiring repair and the little darlings hardly wait for the engine to cool before they check out wiring. I know the wiring in the car contains a soy-oil coating, but really??? So… how do I encourage the squirrels to stop? Are squirrels like ants and follow their scent back to a food source? I’m hesitant to put peppermint oil, peppers or anything that they would consider an appetizer before going to the mail course. The insurance company is tired of paying and I’m tired of the co-pays!
Any suggestions to deter squirrels from the car are welcome.
Thank you very much. Very helpful.
we put sacks of moth balls on the tire wheel to deter them from chewing wires and building nest
I put moth balls in my planter and the squirrels threw all of them out of the planter. They are aggressive.
I’m having the same issue & I want them gone! Trying different tactics now, had exchanged my eco friendly soy wiring vehicle because the trips to the dealership were often & expensive. It started from one day to the next & it was multiple days in a row! I got an owl decoy that sits next to my car. We used ammonia soaked rags and tucked them under the front bumper. 2 Large rat traps near the cars. They managed to escape both of them. Mothballs did nothing. They destroyed all the wires even with them stored under the hood! Suggestions?
I don’t know if this will work but if they like wiring so much what about buying some kind of wire and creating a diversion (easier than climbing into the car maybe)?
I had the same problem with my chevy sonic. I called the Dealer and GM and kept on complaing . finally I was give a new car. I had 4 encouters with the critters. I even had my daughter take the car fo r a week She came over for dinner parked my car 3 blocks away and the still found my car!!Keep screaming don’t stop the person who screams the loudest and longest always wins…. I am now driving a chevy cruise no soy based…
Good Luck
been there done tat
I’m using peppermint oil mixed with water
I beg to differ but hot peppers,chili flakes, capsicum does burn the squirrels and is just cruel. They’re only doing what comes naturally and looking for a meal. I’ve worked in the greenhouse growing field for many years and there’s a much simpler humane way to go about it. All you have to do is go to your local salon or two and ask them if you can have their hair trimmingstyle, you might need to provide a bag to them and also its not necessary but if you are lucky enough to have friends who brush their cats and dogs, or even an animal groomer close by collect the hair cuttings and fur and spread that in and amongst your plants squirrels hate the smell of humans and our dogs and cats.!!!!!! They’re natural enemies!!!
Guaranteed they’ll stay away but even to go the extra step netting helps but not completely necessary.
Forgot to mention but you can also use the animal hair when you empty out your vacuum (of course don’t forget to wash your produce before consuming) But I can’t stress enough how much better the fur and hair is) Squirrelso are a rodent whom are afraid of the smell of cats dogs and humans
Well, I beg to differ too. II used cayenne pepper one year and the squirrels got used to it. At first they were rubbing their noses and then they seemed ok, because the came back every day and tore up my flower pots.
Chipmunks will get into your flower pots and gardens and window boxes and everything they can get into and they eat the roots and flowers and whatever needs there. I saw them myself !
Did you find a better solution? They keep getting in my potted flowers and eating the roots.
I did exactly the same iv tried chilli-garlic-ceyane pepper im slowly losing my mind as theve managed to get into my loft and have damaged inside. I literally dont no what more i can do. Iv spent over £1000 on pest control which did get rid once but nothing after then the little arseholes came back. (Sorry language) i just want an air rifle but no idea how or where or legalitys.
Thanks, I will try this
We are rural and have two large Australian Shepherd dogs. The squirrels collect the fur they shed and make nests so I can tell you for a fact that does NOT work. Our neighbor shoots them. That DOES work. They destroy everything, eat our car wires and tunnel under our road. Yes, they are trying to survive but so are WE.
I agree Raelene. The squirrels collect anything to make their nests. They have clipped off the cotton strings on my neighbors mop, they collect and chew at plastic, it helps to reinforce their nests. They have even made a nest of leaves.
They seem to have gone to a PhD school to learn how to be very vicious. For 16 years I have been catching them making nests to have their babies. I clean everything off my balcony as soon as I find them. I also spray ammonia where they created the nest; it does not help. I think they have created a revenge theme on me, because they are now going for my car, have built nests on the carburetor a couple of times. People say, don’t you drive your car. I do. They don’t care. Now that I have removed nests on my carburetor a couple of times, it is like they are trying to get back at me. Neighbors have no problem with them. They are snipping off dead pieces of bushes and jamming them into any holes they can find under my hood of my car. It is mind boggling. Don’t know what else to do.
Ha! In the animal fur. I have squirrels that will come right up on my patio table while the cats and I are sitting right there. We chase them and they come right back!!!
The squirrels at
my place tear up my patio cushions. They made a nest out of the stuffings. I didn’t go on the balcony for 2 weeks and in that time a nest was built and babies were born. Good grief.
Rhonda: I think they are evolving into little monsters.
Maybe we should not swat files because it might hurt them? Squirrels are bad and killing them if required is ok. They are not endangered and thriving in modern society. IT IS NOT INHUMANE TO KILL THE CREATURES THAT INVADE AND DESTROY YOUR HOME.
Live near downtown in the city and still have them eating my potted plants as fast as I can plant them.
Driving me crazy . Have found squirrel proof bird feeders but now they are eating everything I plant.
Why can’t they be happy with the spilled seed under the bird feeders!
Think I will try the Orange spray.,& garlic.
We have lots of rabbits too so it’s not just country folk who have a problem with critters.
Well I’m having the same issue, tried countless peppers etc, so off for the drastic apporoach. Broken glass YEP I went to second hand store and bought colored glasses broken them up and put it in my garden they don’t come near my place now. The only thing I’ve had to purchase was thicker garden gloves. They are a pain in the butt I’m an animal lover but they have to go.
This is massively inhumane and cruel! Spray garlic water and have compassion
Yes is is, but why don’t you come to an infested property and test your fool proof remedies. Better yet come and relocate them near your more humane property and you deal with them.
😂
Right on Don! Good advise for these bleeding hearts
Thank you!!!!
HI, Your original post was in 2017. Now in 2019 is glass still working for you?
Deborah: My dad used to do that years ago. The rats were destroying the 4X4 supporting wood for the garage. He would put the glass in the area they were going at. But, if he saw one, he would get a broom or shovel and give them a good whack till they were dead. But, don’t tell anyone you did it, because where I live you go to jail. I hear other states also have such laws. NJ, FL, etc.
I’M DEFINITELY GONNA TRY THIS!!!!
Glass seems like a good idea. I may try that – Thanks
If you take a long piece of foil and fold in half long length and fringe cut the foil and put it where the bird Or critters it will stop them cause they do not like it…… and not harm to our Mother Nature critters
Squirrels don’t like rock beds. Try any type of small rocks (shot rocks, pebbled sized rocks) to deter squirrels. Worked for my flower beds that they destroyed in the past years. My guess is either they don’t like the smell or it’s too much trouble for them to fig through it. It covers the soil, and my flower beds were left untouched this year. It can get expensive and a bit more work when replanting
I came to this site because I am having issues with the squirrels digging in rocks! I have a squirrel proof bird feeder and the ground squirrels don’t bother most of the plants in my yard so that isn’t an issue. Under the birdfeeder I have large natural looking stepping stones and the smaller river rock covering the ground between them. The river rock is much larger than gravel or regular garden rock. The squirrels toss the river rock around digging for the sunflower seeds the birds knock to the ground. The stepping stones are constantly covered by the river rock! I am thinking about getting larger rock to cover the area but was hoping to see if anyone had commented about squirrels and rock. I tried putting smaller gravel under the river rock and that just made a bigger mess.
A plague of squirrels on Silas. To teach him empathy.
I’ll double that
I’ll third that!
Bird brain. They are a game species where I live. As a problem fur bearer they can be trapped and humanely killed. They also taste very good!
What state is this. The animals have more right than we do here. These squirrels actually pull all kinds of things off my balcony, some things I can’t imagine what they are going to do with. They actually took one of the brackets that hold a window box, it disappeared and then I saw that they could not get the other one because the railing had blocked them from getting it off. Can you imagine what they were going to do with it.
Squirrels have wrecked my patio garden. Killed strawberry plants, blueberry bushes, and tomato plants. Screw empathy. The only good squirrel is a DEAD squirrel!
If you kill it you have to eat it…..
Ditto!
Agree!
I agree with Bill!
I have had constant battles with squirrels around my bird feeders. I agree with Bill!
I agreed!!!
Useless. Squirrels can and will chew through netting. Dogs and cats might chase one up a tree, but they’ll be back as soon as they turn their back. Scents are useless. Don’t work. And I live in a freaking hickory woods near a cornfield. There’s no removing “incentives.”
What I don’t get, is why when they have so much food available, they have to eat my garden too.
I agree Anonymous. Their Creator has given them so, so much food. We have lots of oak trees where I live, which is one of their main staples. We constantly hear the acorns falling. I can pull out 100 of these trees from the ground during a summer because they would create chaos if they all grew. These are acorns that the squirrels buried and forgot where they buried them. They also bury them in our flower pots and that is why they are always digging in our plants. What I don’t like is why they are so vicious and destroy our plants.
Because some people feed them they think everyone should. Stop feeding squirrlls.
Beyond Enough-
Anyone, there are literally six seperate colonies (mobs) of squirrel in residence encircling my house. Complete havoc in the flower beds, fruit patch, and veggie/potato patch. I have planted lavender, they could care less, pepper flakes and spray matter less than nill, they perch on the mothball stuffed scarecrows… my mastiffs and apbt have run them down regularly (while i retrive them concened about some filthy disease) . Saying all that and yes searching for bb repellant at the moment, also considering planting rue and pennyroyale . Does it work and can i plant with fruits/veggies? In what concentration? Ex- 2 plants per what number of sq ft??
Any help appreciated….(must i really perch in the oak out back!!….neighbors cats also a problem, although the dogs have solved the feline roaming in the back)
I have 4 cats and lots of cat fur. I tried putting little bits of cat fur around the soil of the emerging plants. Just poked bits into the soil in about 3 places around each plant. It’s been 3 weeks now and no squirrel foraging. They decimated a pot on my back step that had bulbs in it that wasn’t protected by the cat fur. Prior to me putting the cat fur down they had started foraging so I know that it is something they were doing and the fur seems to be what stopped it. I am feeling cautiously optimistic about this. Try it with the fur you comb from your mastiff.
Squirrel(s) have taken up residence on the roof (metal) of my lanai. Now it/they are marking it/their territory by peeing on my lanai windows (heavy plastic) – doesn’t smell too good! Any thoughts on what can be done?
Joe,
There are ton of suggestions in this post. Beyond that I really can’t offer much else.
If this is all that can be done, than I am screwed. We do not have an occasional squirrel, we have dozens every where. They cleaned my 4 apple trees, my plum and my two peach trees. They just went under or through the netting. We have two dogs that are chasing them with no result. There are also plenty of feral and stray cats. Main problem is that our neighbors have 4 – 5 pecan trees each and never pick up. I have tried Ghost pepper, peppermint plants, niess wort, all failed. Does that mean I can not have fruits or vegetables? I am getting rabbits this spring, which I have to totally fence in the area with wire mesh or those squirrels will empty the feeder etc. I really need help, They even jump onto me when I am out in my garden
As of this morning, I have gone to war with a family of squirrels. I am essentially a live and let live kind of person, but lines were crossed this morning. War is not a gentle thing. I will relate a story on how we got rid of rats. It is not a pleasant story, nor anything I am proud of. It was different times as a Marine in Vietnam in 1969. Rats (at least in the RVN) are bigger and just as smart as squirrels. I was fortunate to live in a hardback hooch for about half my time there. Unfortunately, rats would run across you at night, eat anything you had and the worst was when they would slip and fall from a rafter. We tried traditional rat traps, L-shape ambushs with kabars and jerry cans, and throwing all manner of things at them. All this activity was mildly diversionary, but it did not accomplish the mission.
Then we got live capture cages from the Corpsmen. RVN rats turned out to be very clean as rodents go, and the cages were distributed to the local indigenous personnel to use to capture a new protein source. We, on the other hand, being competitive in nature, caught rats and held a contest. The contest was how to dispatch a rat in the most imaginative way. I will not go into details. Suffice it to say, 19-21 year old Marines, living in a very hostile place with truly bizarre rules of engagement, had vivid imaginations. I will say that rats can scream. A byproduct of the contest was that the rats apparently held a meeting and collectively said, “These Marines are crazy, let’s go somewhere else”. As distasteful as that sounds now, the mission was accomplished. I assume that squirrels (tree rats) can scream, too. Think about how much you want to disappear your squirrels, then use you imagination.
Cruel as hell. I don’t even want to know what you people did. Horror.
well- that was a little rough — no need for torture to be successful. here’s a couple of more “de-militarized” alternatives for “relocating a trapped squrrel:
1. take a small supply of nuts and other food the squirrel may enjoy, take the squirrel and food to relocation site; place food on ground outside cage. release squirrel. Important note – the release site is the median of a very busy interstate highway
2. relocate squirrel, still in the cage of course, to a near-by 30-gallon trash can filled with water for about 5 to 10 minutes.
That’s crazy! But I have to say, my Daddy did 2 tours in Vietnam and I think you kinda had to be at least a little crazy in order to survive. Sure, what y’all did to the rats may seem cruel to some folks, but what is kind/gentle/peaceful when you’re fighting a war? At least you were able to get rid of them and keep your gear (for those of you who seem to live in some kind of Utopia where we ‘don’t need soldiers or war’, their gear is the stuff that’s vital to their survival) and weapons (also kinda important to a soldier at war, FYI) and letters from home safe.
Squirrels and rats are in the same family. Both are good to eat. People in other areas of the world eat either or both as a matter of choice. If you haven’t tried them, don’t knock them for food.
Did you really need to share that? *SMH*
I agree with you! I only threw my slippers on a few of the squirrels and they left my yard for a few days now .
Scare them away and show them you’re tougher and bigger than them.
They’re not humans, so treating them “humanely” is not the right way
Dan: Being a female, I don’t think my imagination goes anywhere near that of these marines. I can’t imagine how you did it. But it worked. Great!
1. trap
2. submerge in water 10 – 20 minutes
3. discard
You got it — there’s even a professional squirrel trap that comes with a tank. You fill the tank with water and when you’ve caught a squirrel in the trap, you deposit the trap into the water tank. Leave it for 10-15 min. Remove squirrel and place in plastic bag — put it in the trash and set out for trash pick-up. Check your local hardware or garden supply shops for the squirrel traps. THEY WORK!
Do that to yohrself as well!
Just bought a Rugged Ranch Squirrelinator Trap that includes the basin to either euthanize (Place trap in basin and fill with water) or use the basin to transport if you don’t want squirrel pee all over your car. I will be using the basin to kill them. They have destroyed so much – good reason to just kill the rat bastards
Just bought a Rugged Ranch Squirrelinator Trap that includes the basin to either euthanize (Place trap in basin and fill with water) or use the basin to transport if you don’t want squirrel pee all over your car. I will be using the basin to kill them. They have destroyed so much – good reason to just kill the rats
I truly know what your going through..
I have a plum, peach, pear , apricot and 2 apples. The squirrels have eaton everything for the past 4 years.. I have no idea what to do..
Same problem here, but the previous owner was able to harvest all their fruits when they had a dog, but after the dog died, the squirrels took over the garden and they never had the luxury of home grown fruits.
Jackie Kreuzer: Now this is when I look to the Good Book, which tells us that we are master over the animals, insects, non-humans. If this is so, then I believe that our Creator has given us permission to rid ourselves of a scourge in this rat family and any other, If they are destroying what we need, then we have to deal with them accordingly. It has nothing to do with whether you like them or not. They have gotten out of hand.
Cool 😎 is your day to be a better person
I;ve tried many things that haven’t worked permanently….plastic forks facing up in the soil, garlic powder (just gets sticky and stinks), moth balls definitely don’t work….am trying peppermint oil now…..2nd day….it needs to be reapplied every morning by spray in water I added a little dish detergent to emulsify it….seemed to work yesterday, this morning they had dug up a pot again….so sprayed again…. the mouse trap had been tripped too….they are so fast even a mouse trap doesn’t catch them, so don’t worry about hurting them…..but they’re loud and may scare them temporarily…..I also keep a can of wasp spray handy when I am sitting out on the patio…..can’t usually hit them, but they run….and its a game… get mouse traps at the dollar store. Also get Cheyenne pepper at the dollar store…lots of it….but it just makes everything red…..I’m putting my hopes now on peppermint and mouse traps….
Buy a pellet gun. Bait locations that are best for shooting. Wait for your targets to arrive. KILL THEM ALL! Leaving the corpses around for a few days will discourage other vermin from moving into the neighborhood!
Unfortunately squirrels will walk across the recently deceased cohorts on their way to the food source. When they stop to sniff they are still enough for a head shot. Cheap Daisy pump with even cheaper scope does quite nicely. My cat is not much larger than a squirrel yet can eat a whole one in a sitting. After a couple of weeks all it takes is for the blinds to be open and the rest steer clear. For us country folk, they’re pretty good fried with biscuits and gravy. Bon Appétit.
For those of you who are not a good shot I have heard of people who make special treats for squirrels- a little rat poison mixed with peanut butter on a tray. Supposedly they like peanut butter.
Do not use rat poison!! It kills everything, including beloved pets, in the most agonizing way possible. Those animals that didn’t eat from tray will be able to catch the slow-moving squirrels.
I agree with KR, rodent poisons are deadly to all creatures. Live traps are far more humane.
KR: The only natural way to eradicate squirrels that I have seen is when the hawks swoop down and get them for food. Maybe we need more hawks.
These comments from the squirrel-scat! community are so much more enjoyable to read than the morning news online (or anywhere)!! Suirrels and stars–studying them is how I plan to survive the next 4 (hopefully 2!) years of the political tragedy into which we are sinking. You think squirrels are destructive??? Wait till you see what Fascists do to our beloved democracy!! Thanks to all for the lovable comments and conversations…you can tell I was a Civics teacher, who mourns the loss of our Constitutional freedoms and protections. Blessings to all–even the squirrels; and Happy Groundhog day!
This is a gardening website not a political forum,
You could not be more right. More political comments will be removed.
Yeah but what she said is true neverthelss
All too true smh
Ask a few fascists to come to my house if squirrels don’t like them.
Hilarious!Lol lol lol
I cannot understand how full grown people like to hurt and kill little creatures!Sounds like some actually enjoy killing them like drowning them. I have seen what happens when a squirrel is in a cage they batter themselves to death.You know people are the real problem.animals deserve to live.why are people so cruel?Many animals are so much nicer to have around than people.
To: Grace o’malley: No political comments please! We have been so inundated with political sense and nonsense, we are all sick of it. This is a backyard growing community, so let us keep it that way. Thank you.
Please do not encourage people to feed peanuts to the squirrels. The squirrels end up dropping the nuts and/or discard the shells in other people’s yards. This can be a big problem for people who have curious toddlers with peanut allergies who find them while playing in their own back yards.
To Concerned Momma: Very good points about the peanuts and allergies and not feeding squirrels peanuts. God gave these squirrels plenty of trees of all kinds for food. They don’t need humans to feed them and cause great problems because they become too familiar and comfortable being around humans. There may not be problems for the feeders, but it may be for your neighors. Squrrels are destructive. They are wild. Wake up.
Put Bounce dryer sheets under the hood of your car. Keeps them away but you need to change sheets once a week
anyone know if that will work for mice? I had them in my car last winter. It’s just getting cold, I see evidence again.
I used to put the Decon bait feeders on my front tires when I got home every night. They are the triangular boxes you open & they eat the bait. Worked…they were taking insulation from under the house & building nests in my car filters!
Put the mice traps with peanut butter on top of your carburetor. That should work.
Thanks for the suggestions. I need to find something that works to get rid of the squirrel in my yard. He use to sunbathe in the tree near my deck and when the tree died he used the deck. Nothing seems to scare him away. He’s chewed my car wires at least 2 times. When I leave for work, he runs from under the car. I’m so done!!!
.177 single shot pellet rifle. Develop your marksmanship and rid yourself of the problem with certainty. Head/chest cavity shots only, please, for quick humane termination.
Traps are fine for the ones that make it into your building(s). But you still need to “finalize” the solution; they will return. Distasteful for some but definitely effective, especially if it’s the females that are caught. The problem will soon become minimal.
For the Trapper mindset, dumping the “captive” critter into a large plastic barrel contains it for easy disposal.
Spoken as one who finally got fed up with it all and took action.
just add water
I am pro-life for all living however I am with some of the writer’s on this forum. I have had enough! I got home from work yesterday to find 1 of the squirrels ate away at the cushion on a $200 outdoor chair! I was horrified! Suffice to say my husband began feeding ‘1’ squirrel peanuts a year ago but now there are as many as 6 sometimes! I can’t deal w/destruction of the property I work so hard to afford. The .177 pellet gun is what I will be asking my husband to do w/them. It’s very unfortunate because the first ‘one’ that we fed for almost 1 year before the others came around, ‘never’ ruined anything. She would come, eat and then leave. Never touched my property in any way. It’s sad for her, too but sometimes there is only 1 choice for a problem.
Do not feed wild animals, ever. Period.
No it was destroying someone else’s property. We have e a few of these people in our neigh ourhood. Dogs pick up the shells and choke on them to.
LSD?
That could work. Studies done on animals showed they had no desire to trip after one experience. Whereas with cocaine, they went back again and again. I’m sure it probably comes in spray bottles at Agway.
I recently purchased 3 sets of solar powered fairy lights and put them on the limbs of my large lilac bush, Each set had 30 round bulbs that went bright, dull and then blinked. They were sooooo gorgeous at nite by my patio, I went on a short vacation and when I returned, my patio and grassy area were full of chewed up wires and bulbs AND then I discovered the dumb squirrels are burying the bulbs in my grass. I had 60 bulbs and have recovered 31—29 more to find buried in my glass and mulch areas. Do the silly squirrels think they are nuts !!!! $45.00 later and I have absolutely nothing but pieces of wires and cut off bulbs !!!!!
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
Daisy 880s – $35.00
Sandy says chuckle, chuckle, chuckle. The squirrels in our yard eat the pine cones, hickory nuts, pecans, eat through to the attic and room around. I am glad the squirrels only ate your solar power floral lights!
Well, I just got a call from my service technician about my car and guess what, the squirrels have chewed my wiring under my car….don’t know what the damage is but at this point, I will try anything to get rid of those rodents. I used to think they were cute little animals, but when they became aggressive and almost broke our sliding glass door to get in for food, that’s when I realized, hey these creatures don’t care about me so right now (even before I get the damage assessment from the dealership), IT’S WAR ON SQUIRRELS!!!!!! I cannot afford to continue to replace all the wiring under my car because some manufacturer decided to put soy (idiots) on the hoses. HELLO….what were they thinking or were they. Maybe the hoses were made in China and it’s a trick for them (China, that is) to wreck havoc on Americans….just sayin….
What does your message mean “awaiting moderation?”
Leave hood up when parked at all times in that area
Same thing happened to me. Sucks!!!
Woah slow down there, paranoia!
Mothballs help when they like to get in engines. Trap and relocate if necessary. Good luck! They can really be a nuisance sometimes!
These ” solutions” were halarious! !! My mom and I were cracking up!! She battles these creatures on her patio….thanks for the laughs…ps she’s tried them all!! As we speak…they love new marigold blossoms!!
lol and other sights will tell you to plant them as a deterrent…….I hate the little so and so’s
I have two dogs and yes the squirrels and chipmunks run from them but still manage to torment all the birds. How about placing dog hair around the feeders, any idea of this scent will deter them
We tried everything. Cheyenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cooking oil, and sunbathing oil to keep the squirrels away from our bird feeder. I then decided to use shortening. Miracle. Not only is is keeping the squirrels away, they are not even venturing close to the feeders anymore.
How did you use the shortening excuse my ignorance but it sounds messy do you just open a can or spread it lol thanks
Shortening is dangerous for squirrels because of the way their fur works to keep them warm etc. I understand your frustrations though.
Shortening is also dangerous for birds in the event they step in it or brush against it… also has a way of spreading disease…
I would like to know what kind of shortening did you use and hoew did you use it to deter the squirrels?
Did you just spread shortening around on things? What is it about the shortening they did not like? This is 2020 now so I don’t know if you will respond. It has been on the better part of a musing just reading everyone’s comments. What I have found to be effective to some degree to keep them away from my birdfeeders are small bags of kitty scat. They are very offended by the smell of kitties cat and it’s bagged so you and I can’t smell it but they certainly can’t and it’s near the feeder I have a condo and a patio. The one thing he has done is tried to mark the rail near the scat. However, he is leaving my feeder alone that is hanging
I found out by accident that squirrels don’t like the smell of fish emulsion. I was using it on my garden plants while the squirrels were tearing up my wife’s flowers. I decided to give the emulsion to the flowers also and so far this week no flowers or garden plants have been molested by squirrels or any other animals. Not only does it keep animals out but the plants will love it.
So do you spread it on the plant?
Pinwheels!!!! Its a miracle!!!!! Try it guys!
How did you use the pin wheels? On the fence?
Great idea!
They are tree rats with fluffy tails that eat everything. If you had rats you would kill them and not feed them. Feeding squirrels even to attract them away from your garden, wires, roofs, etc. just makes them reproduce more than once a year with larger litters. I had 15 running around my yard at one time and they chewed holes to get into my attic, ate bark and unripened fruit, have nearly killed my 30 ft. elm tree by stripping bark off it. Hungry, perhaps, but the more there are the worse it will get. Stop feeding them.
I used mothballs They don’t like the smell
Aren’t mothballs poisonous? I would hate to kill our cats while trying to repel squirrels.
I have found if you put a box of mothballs with just a hole in them under your grill lid it deters mice completely. I have not had mice or bear bothering my grill in years. I live in the Rocky Mountains and bears really like your food grills also known as BBQ. The mothballs work for mice and bears I don’t think I want to lay them out for squirrels because they are very pungent and I live in a condo it could offend my neighbors
gonna try it
hope it works
If you put moth balls around your plants that the squirrels are digging in, will it take the hummingbirds away??
Vickie,
Plants that are close to the ground? Yeah, I think it could. That would not be good.
Wow, so many interesting and impassioned comments. And we have not even gotten around to including chipmunks
..
Mike, Pepper and vinegar and water in a squirt bottle. I woulld like to try that but would it not kill the foliage?
all the comments have been helpful………..some really funny…………..hope I can deter the squirrels by providing them with some food they’ll like………….i don’t like the idea of killing them………….it’s their world too…………
I guess you do not live in the country. We are plagued with the in our county acreage. Have tried traps but they are getting too smart.
Try having them invade your attic & chew your wires. Half my ceiling lights don’t work now. The access panel is inaccessible so I have no way to fix the lighting. It has permanently devalued my home. I also have to listen to them scurry around …and bang on the ceiling to get them to shut up. I can’t afford to repair the hole they made bigger so they could get in. They also ate MY food. Why should they get to eat what I spent my entire summer tending so that I could afford fresh produce only to have them take every-single-vegetable I grew before it was ripe enough to pick. I caught them on video (dodgy neighborhood – cameras are a necessity).. They had an entire tree of apples to eat – and they did, on a regular basis – so why shouldn’t I get to have something to eat too?
Thank you.
If you truly care about squirrels, you wouldn’t feed them. Increasing their food will increase larger litters who will starve, because there’s not enough food. Nature has an equilibrium for a reason. STOP feeding them if you care!
If you’re that neighbor that increases their population by feeding them, then you are responsible for wreaking havoc for your neighbors trying to grow fruit trees and edible gardens. So, here’s a solution.
Get with an indigenous garden center or look up indigenous plants in your area and grow those kinds of plants that attract the birds and bees that are slowly going extinct due to urbanization. Grow those plants. Maybe the squirrels foraging for food can eat acorns and pine nuts, which is their natural foraging food.
They are nasty, nasty and will eat up your ceilings and cause problems wire chewing monsters.
Take it easy
My adjoining neighbor has a squirrel feeder with seed in it and then 3 ears of corn on stakes at the end.. I have just put in a new shade plant garden and the grasses have been almost eaten level with the ground. It has also brought the dear which I have on camera. I have seen rabbits also so had not really thought about squirrels eating the grasses. I have spotted a big nest in the live oK above which I assume is a squirrel nest. Any suggestions!
Pot shots with a pump bb/pellet rifle. 4 pumps works well. stings good but does not penetrate skin. 2 of mine have moved across the street.. one left to go . If you want more permanent solutions pump more and /or add pellets.. I also taped a small flashlight on the barrel and take a couple of shots at the nest at dusk or dark.. Haven’t killed any yet but they will leave when they get the idea the trouble is not going away.
Squirrels here are well fed, unfortunately. That’s why they reproduce so well. They chew & dig here for exercise & curiosity, even after finding the acorns they’ve buried all over the yard. They even chewed up my tulip buds because they looked interesting, not to mention ALL my carrots & beets. I have a humane squirrel trap that works very well, but there are hundreds of squirrels & the trap only catches one at a time, of course…and then I have to relocate them…one at a time. I’d rather prevent them from approaching, but they laugh at cayenne pepper…and mothballs. I guess they got used to it.
Will king snakes kill the squirrels?
Yes, bigger ing snakes will but the snakes can move very quickly and are pretty creepy. I thought the same thing until I encountered a couple of snakes close to the door to the house. Fortunately the went in the other direction but I was amazed at the way they could move – not like anything I’d ever seen.
I love all this talk about mesh. These demons have bitten holes in my screen porch so mesh didn’t. help. I am now trying the methods mentioned here. I do know that moth balls work on mice so I’ll try it with the squirrels. Has anyone else noticed how aggressive they have become?
It’s not your imagination. My screen door has long scratches on it from the squirrels trying to enter to get to my indoor window garden. If you’re thinking it’s my dog, you will have to explain the scratches on the screens that are high up. The squirrels are not afraid of my terrier. One of them is as large as she is.
A squirrel chewed a hole through the screen of my parents kitchen window! If you feed birds, they will come or have anything edible in your yard. Even bones! I feel for you all as I have battled and still are with them myself. I know they are a nuisance, but please do not use shortening or cooking oil. Please try to be as humane as possible dealing with them. They are smart and adaptive buggers, but just trying to survive like the rest of us. Please educate yourselves and use common sense dealing with them. I wish you all the best of luck! Cheers!
” … just trying to survive like the rest of us”. I believe that the operant rule is “survival of the fittest”. And I just fittest a 4x by 32 scope on my pellet gun. That seems to be one of the most commonest census around.
Yes one almost jumped on me after i opened my Garbage can out side they are every where in my back yard they even chew up my Telephone line like almost every 3 to 4 months
they are amazing kind funny and intelligent< respect them please
Yeah, riiiiight- as soon as they show mutual respect by staying out of my garden. Until then, war it is!
Hahaha
Exactly!!Bring it on Sammy!!!!
When they make damages in your home that cost you above $10K you will talk again about respecting those destroyer creatures!!!
I wouldn’t harm them. But “respect” them? Please, give me a break. They are causing a lot of damage as evidenced in all these comments.
Yes, a squirrel gnawed and clawed through the screen of my open kitchen window. The squirrel went into the basement pooped all over and exited through the same hole after hearing me moving around. The cleanup was a nightmare.
A nightmare? Lol. A pain in the you know what, maybe but lets not exaggerate too much. Squirrel poop is like the size if a rice grain.
I’m reading all these posts and now fear the squirrels will get into my porch. They play in my yard to antagonize my dog and even crawl up the porch screens. He will chase them away when I let him out – but his barking is driving me crazy and the squirrels enjoy running on the wooden fence and climbing the huge oak trees. They run in packs – usually 3 or 4 – but I’ve had as many as 6 running thru the trees. I can’t enjoy my porch and have had to cover my windows with sheets to keep the dog quiet. I know human hair and animal hair along with pet poo will deter wild animals. I’m going to try the peppermint oil and pinwheels – least offensive and easiest to find. Hubby is bald, I have short hair and my miniature poodle mix doesn’t shed. When I lived in a neighborhood with chipmunks, one neighbor used traps and executed them. I’m not worried about a garden or car wires – just my sanity.
Cookie – love thy neighbor (‘s plan) – go thou and do likewise!
The squirrels do not seem to be displaying any signs of equitable gratitude for your consideration. Or said plainly, they’re playing you for a fool. Just show them they’ve fooled with the wrong person one time too many.
Yes–in our last house we had to have whole house rewired–got into attic and then things electrically started happening in house–finally found a whole in our house where an old wire had been in previous owners years!
They came from neighbors tree onto our shop and garage roofs and then across our covered porch area onto the house roof and through the whole just under eave–after seeing this my husband plugged the hole and any others he may have discovered–but wiring was to the point of “dangerous” !!
Now we live on acreage and we got them from under house–they moved in after we got rid of the orphan skunk family as parents got hit on road in front of our house(which was not pleasant for months after) now I am seeing them go under our pole building shop so will have to see if can get these methods to work! So far the rabbits have not caused a problem but we do not have a garden this year or any flowers as still improving other sites on property that take priority.
I paid $4000.00 to get the squirrels out of the attic, and repair the damaged done.I have had the contractors to come back to confirm they have not return. They are not in the attic, but they are still terrorizing the backyard. They chewed the lights on the trees, and still think the yard belongs to them.
my STUPID neighbor keeps attracting the pests to our yards! First he left out dog food for his dogs and the Magpies would grab it, fly to my yard to eat and leave dropped (cheap brand) dog food all over my yard for my dog and the squirrels to find.
Now that his dogs are dead (wonder why) he has a bird feeder out. The squirrels and mice are attracted to that and leave their plunder in my yard and check out my garden. Last year I lost all of my lettuce and tomatoes (that they didn’t even eat because they picked them all before they were ripe!) thanks to the idiot.
They ruined the wires in my moms car costing a thousand dollars. kill them all
Maybe we should just kill everything that’s hungry…be selfish..been doing wildlife rescue. 30 yrs..we’ve ripped out there nut trees… I’ve a garden fruit trees. Bulb gardens..i raise and release in my yard..i give them sunflower and they bother nothing..
no – just kill the ones that make the unfortunate choice to feed on forbidden fruit. It all started in The Garden – it continues. The wages of sin is death. For squirrels to eat things that God did not intend for them to eat is sin for squirrels – therefore death to squirrels. Death is a part of life – squirrels need to know that just as much as you and i.
Same here with my car!! And they ate through ojr brand new siding!!! I hate them and whomever says not to harm them wouldnt feel that way if they did damage to their property!! And if they would still fwel the same then please, pay for the damage they did to our stuff because we dont have disposable money!!
You’re so excited you cant even type properly. Relax! Like it or not, squirrels are a part of our world (and us theirs). If you hate them that much you could always move to the city. But roaches and rats are no fun either.
like it or not – death is just as much a part of the squirrels’ world as it is of ours. We wouldn’t want them to feel excluded from participating in the full spectrum of life that you and I experience, now would we?
This summer I used Crisco that I melted with hot pepper flakes in my microwave, it was bright orange. When it cooled I smeared it on my privacy fence (anywhere they were jumping from) that the squirrels were doing cirque du soleil type maneuvers to leap to my bird feeders 12 feet away. They did not like it and stayed away from my feeder for six months. I never saw them scratch their eyes out. In fact, after they would sit and stare at me though my picture window with angry, twitching tails and very good vision. Do not use Vaseline for this, that kills them in a very inhumane way. After 6 months a new set of juveniles appeared to enjoy my Crisco mixture and I was off to finding a new solution. Now I am using the orange cleaner from the dollar store to spray on my fence. No worries, they do not come near it to get any on them. The citrus smells so pungent they will not come within about 6 feet of it. I believe this too will only last so long until I will need to find another solution. I will be watching to make sure they stay away from it to insure they do not ingest it. That, too, would be inhumane, I gotta be smarter than a squirrel. I love the birds at my feeders enough to continue to stay ahead of the squirrels what ever it takes that is humane.
Your comments are so funny that you should write for stand up haha
I was reading this that you wrote at some time ? as I have having trouble with these Hell Raisers right now & aside from getting a rifle & blowing their destructive asses away, I have no clue how to handle them & them eating my flowered plants!!!
They not only make a mess outside on my patio but they’re munching my plants like there’s no tomorrow!!!They even ate the ONLY beautiful blossom on my favourite climbing vine. Like WTH? They have tons of trees & wild flowers around the area but they seem to take pleasure in seeing me ……Upset!! I go out there & start cleaning up their mess & I look all around and cannot see them, but I know they’re watching!!!!
The little idiots!!!I never imagined the day would come that I would actually hate the squirrels …but I do and need to know a positive way to keep them out of my yard & especially out of my life!!!Hateful Beasts!!!
I haven’t really found anything in these comments that is ‘Squirrel fool proof ‘??
but a lot of great reading.
Thank you for this entertaining.forum. ?
So violent. Why are people so excitable today?
I highly doubt the squirrels have a personal vandetta against you! Sounds a little paranoid. I think you are making the problem bigger than it is. Relax! Take some deep breaths!
People are busy with their lives and don’t have an endless amount of time, money and energy to combat these creatures. It’s not helpful telling someone who’s car wires have been eaten (again) to “relax” when they have to find a way to get to work, a way to pay for their car, fill out insurance papers (again) and think of ways to make it stop. In some situations it is a CRISIS and nothing to be taken lightly. All this, on top of the regular obstacles and perils of life.
Don’t tell people to “relax”. No progress is made by relaxing.
I will take these little furry pests over the leaf blowers and piwer mowers any Monday, Tuesday.
“Power”
can you spray it on tree bark and not harm the tree? if so Dollar Tree here I come.
What’s the name of the cleaner?
Squirrels have chewed thru the wood of my roof. No real reason to show mercy. My roof is going to be expensive to replace
I’ve found that fresh citrus peel or even better, whole or cut up citrus fruit that has gone bad and would end up in the compost anyway, works to deter squirrels. I just strew it on the ground or in the raised beds/containers and they leave it alone…racoons hate it too. You do have to put out more when the peels dry up and deteriorate. This even stopped a persistent squirrel who was digging up the plants in a container I had left out all winter . He had buried some black walnuts in there in the fall -I found them when I replanted in the spring- and he had been looking for them every night until I surrounded the pot with orange peels…he never dug there again and my lettuce and eggplant have been unmolested ever since!
hahah, I found unripe whole oranges at the opening of the squirrel holes in my yard.
I love watching all the Squirrels, and Chippies, but, they have cost me $100.00’s of dollars over the yrs., they practically ate all my very expensive flower bulbs, dug holes all over the yard to the point where if their not a bulb under the spot the plants are dying anyway. Have 5 acres here. 2 1/2 is flowers and veg. gardens, I’m at a loss and can’t afford to keep replacing all these expensive plants every year! Gotta try something, there’s dozens of these running all over the yard and ruining it form one end to the other!
Wolf pee
Okay you hold the wolf down and get the pee first.I’ll watch lol
Haha! 😀
?
How do you get it to pee in a jar?
Potty train them of course
Place a plate with almonds and nuts and they will leave your plats alone
Well, I just tried cayenne pepper on a potted peony as the squirrels are eating the buds as they appear. I sprinkled it on the buds, leaves and the dirt. About 15 minutes later, I walked by the door and saw a squirrel in the pot. I watched for his reaction and saw him Rolling around the dirt. Not just once but over and over. He didn’t stop until I opened the door. Then he stuck his head out and looked at me. I think he was thanking me for spicy up his snack!! I need another solution.
Hahahaha
Sorry, but spicing up his snack !!!
That’s funny but I know how you feel because I am staring.to really Hate squirrels.
I have been fighting squirrels for several years. The first encounter they were chewing through the aluminum ties on the top of my fence. Then they began plunking their fuzzy rat tails in the bird feeder. I have solved that problem by greasing the bird feeder pole so they slide off. Now, they are using the ornamental decoration on the top of the gates and anything else plastic, to sharpen their teeth. I’m going to try the cayenne pepper with the hopes that they WILL scratch their eyes out!!
you’re so mean,,,,this is animal cruelty thats not an humane solution hurting squirrels they are kind and friendly.
Michaela, make a suggestion that will not encourage them to keep coming to the yard to find food. Feeding them something else in my yard besides what they destroy in my garden!!! will keep them coming to the yard. Telling people that they’re cruel isn’t actually helping them find a better solution. If it’s that they’re hungry, they can eat the whole damned tomato instead of a bite out of 10 of them.
How about offering a solution? They are “kind and friendly”? No, they are not; guessing you grew up in a metro area, well away from real nature.
Yes, and they also carry rabies and the plague.
Same here with my car!! And they ate through ojr brand new siding!!! I hate them and whomever says not to harm them wouldnt feel that way if they did damage to their property!! And if they would still fwel the same then please, pay for the damage they did to our stuff because we dont have disposable money!!
oh, goooooo awaaaaay.
I agree. All these people getting so angry are making it worse! They declare war on nature and nature fights back and they get angry when they lose. So they get more aggresive creating more negativity in their “sanctuaries” and the problem gets worse. Lighten up people. First world problems.
Why are you even on this post? It’s meant for people looking for a solution to a rodent population, not an animal rights discussion.
GOing on line to urge people to “lighten up” about their “first world problems” is not something people scrambling for the day’s food every day waste time bothering to do. If you don’t wish to live a first-world life and deal with first-world problems, no one is compelling you to do so.
Hey this may be a solution to our plastic problem
I thoroughly cleaned the litter box outside and disposed the remains (mostly water) in the woods behind my house. Do you think the scent help keep squirrels away?
Rat Poison will work!!!!!!
Rat poison? But what about mummy dogs?
My dogs
mummy dogs was funnier
Tried rat poison in. Bird feeders,, even crushed into power and put in feeders,put on sunflower seeds put on tree stumps ! The eat every thing! Glad you had good luck. Will try moth balls and garlic mixed nex
you are a cruel monster. Shame on you rat poison should not even be used on rats because kills also the rat predators eating them. i can’t believe there are still people so ignorant and heartless.Shame on you!!!!!!!
Rat posion in bird feeders! That is so inhumane. What kind of a whiney aggresive people have we become that we cant deal with a little inconvenience from mother natrue. “Git out them shotguns! Lets git them critters!” So american… First world problems.
Dig holes throughout the areas the squirrels frequent. Put pointed stakes at the bottom of the hole. Cover the hole with light grass. When the squirrel falls through and gets stabbed by one of the pointed stakes, run out with your shotgun and finish the job.
They aren’t hungry. There’s plenty for them to eat. They are rats with tails. And please explain to me how a fence helps anything? They climb…EVERYTHING.
OH YUM!!!
Pre-seasoned LIMB CHICKEN!
Mix the pepper with some butter, white wine, a pinch O’ salt and there you have it. Pre-seasoned “Limb Chicken”!
I tried some IEDs a few years ago. After them crtiiers ate all my corn plants, I never got to try and use my IEDs. An old pill vial, some cyanne pepper along with three or four fire crackers, some D size batteries or a rechargable power tool battery, 50 to 100 feet of wire, a switch and some electronic matches. Place a couple IEDs in strategic Limb Chicken areas and wait. When the critter gets a few feet away from the IED, BOOM! If the pepper doesn’t get ’em, the fire crackers will scare the fur right off of them. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! It could be illegal to set off fireworks where you live. If you live in Florida, just check the box that indicates you will use the fireworks for scariing animals away from your crops.(Really, it’s true)
I am right now watching about ten of them critters frolicking around the back yard. The osprey and hawks must be on strike.
Good luck!
Florida man. Figures.
Silas you are ok but this last comment is truer to those you are disparaging.
Enjoy Boston.
I hate squirrel, hate is a strong word I really hate them but to think of it ripping out its own eyes I mean come on that’s so mean. I’m going to put spikes on my garbage cans like the bird spikes on building. i can’t imagine a bloody squirrel running all over my property ewwwww.
I hope a rabid squirrel comes to visit you.
You are ignorant.
What a horrible thing to say to a person! And you are the ignorant one. There are no known cases of squirrels transmitting rabies to humans in the united states.
Its easy to be so hateful from behind your keyboard and computer. Do you feel superior now in the fake internet world? Go take a deep breath and maybe an advil.
I posted a strongly worded sign near my sunflowers, apparently squirrels are illiterate!! Actually, I thought it was the neighbor clipping my flowers…
Never use cayenne or hot pepper of any type because if they get it in their eyes from their paws or whatever, they will scratch their eyes out trying to get rid of it. Please use another method.
actually, hot sauce mixed wit a bit of water and sprayed on plants deters many chewing insects
A nice shot in the bud with a pellet gun does the job.. But they seem to come back for more. I used a mix of water and strong pepper worked well.
Let them get it in there eyes. They wont be able to see the plants for all the tears.
Who cares about them tearing their eyes out? Squirrels are Rats with tails. Period!
Amen
I would not, but’s it is better to kill them fast than torture them. They are rodents and pests, but no need to be pointlessly nasty. A willingness to torture of any creature is known to reveal darker traits in humans.
Poor little things their just hungry, use mesh
They are not hungry. They have destroyed my sedum plants, just because they can.
No
They are vermin, and deserve to be destroyed.
If their eyes are scratched out, isn’t the lack of sight going to make it difficult for the squirrels to perform further mayhem?
Don’t squirrels have Medicaid, or some sort of government-sponsored medical insurance to cover injuries caused by defensive homeowners attempting to protect their property? I would think surely that bleeding heart liberals would have had this coverage already in place by now – come on Silas, Michaela – get with the program already! We’ve obviously got some hurtin’ squirrels out there about to scratch their eyeballs out, and no medical treatment plan in place — what! How can you be so negligent and cruel as to overlook the increasing plight of these poor “kind and friendly” creatures being so inhumanely treated (despite their lack of judgment). After all they were born that way – they had no choice in the matter. Something most clearly needs to be done. Even if we have to spend millions of dollars to alleviate the burning eyes of just ONE suffering squirrel, it will all be worth it — right?
Best comment yet!!!
check this article about that urban myth:
https://blog.duncraft.com/2010/01/07/deter-squirrels-with-hot-pepper/
and a comment from DAWN COUTU August 31, 2015 at 9:34 am
in which she says:
Hi JBQ, thank you for your concern; however, using hot pepper to deter squirrels does not harm them or blind them. Just like us, squirrels stay away from a food source when they have a bad food experience. After one or two visits at a feeder filled with hot pepper flavored bird seed, many squirrels decide to stop visiting this “restaurant” because they can’t stand the discomfort. Again, hot peppers do not harm squirrels and if they used their paws near their face at all, then the result would be temporary discomfort and nothing more.
However, we agree with you–setting up your bird feeder 10-12 feet away from any trees, power lines or buildings (basically, anything a squirrel can jump from) and using baffles, or guards, is the best possible solution to prevent squirrels from reaching the food.