Ground squirrels can damage many food-bearing and ornamental plants. They will enter gardens and devour vegetables in the seedling stage, gnaw on plastic sprinkler heads and irrigation lines, eat the eggs of ground-nesting birds and can be quite destructive. This humane DIY squirrel trap can help you eliminate those pesky little varmints!
Step 1: Gather the required materials and tools.
– Three pieces of PVC plastic drain pipe, 4 inch diameter, 2 feet long each (total of 6 feet)
– One PVC 45 degree elbow, 4 inch diameter
– One PVC clean out plug, 4 inch diameter
– One PVC adapter fitting, 4 inch diameter (threaded on one end for the clean out plug above)
– One PVC coupling fitting, 4 inch diameter
– One PVC pipe cap, 4 inch diameter
– Two machine screws, zinc or stainless steel, 1/4 inch diameter, 1 inch long
– Four nuts to match the screws above
– Two washers to match the screws above
– Two wing nuts to match the screws above
– One adjustable 2 foot bungee cord
– One can of spray cooking oil
– One small jar of peanut butter
Tools:
– Power drill with 1/4 inch bit
Step 2: Drill holes in pipe.
Using the power drill, drill multiple 1/4 inch diameter holes in one of the 2 foot long pieces of PVC pipe. Do not drill holes in the last 6 inches of each end of the pipe. This pipe will be the BASE of the trap.
Select a different 2 foot long piece of PVC pipe. Drill two 1/4 inch diameter holes approximately 2 inches from one end of the pipe.
The holes should be directly across from each other on opposite sides of the pipe. This pipe will be the TOP of the trap and the end with the two holes will point up, when assembling the final trap.
Step 3: Assemble the trap base
Attach the PVC adapter fitting to one end of the BASE pipe and carefully screw the clean out plug into the threaded section of the adapter fitting.
Attach the PVC 45 degree elbow to the other end of the BASE pipe. (Do not use PVC adhesive or glue to attach any of the PVC pipes or fittings.)
Step 4: Assemble the top of the squirrel trap
On the end of the TOP pipe with the two holes, reach inside the pipe and push one machine screw through each of the holes.
The head of each screw should be inside the pipe with the threaded part outside of the pipe. On the outside of the pipe, place a washer on each of the screws, screw two nuts on each screw, and screw one wing nut on each screw.
Attach the PVC coupling fitting to the end of the TOP pipe without the holes. (Do not use PVC adhesive or glue to attach the fitting.)
Step 5: Assemble and bait the trap
The remaining pipe is the MIDDLE of the trap. Insert one end of the MIDDLE pipe into the open end of the PVC coupling fitting on the TOP pipe.
Insert the other end of the MIDDLE pipe into the open end of the PVC 45 degree elbow on the BASE pipe. (Do not use PVC adhesive or glue to attach the fitting.)
The fully assembled trap will look like a big hockey stick.
Spray a light coating of cooking oil on the inside of the TOP and MIDDLE pipes. This will keep the squirrels from escaping when trapped.
Using your fingers or a long spoon, smear peanut butter on the inside of the TOP pipe about 8-10 inches from the open end of the pipe. The peanut butter is the bait. You can also place peanuts or something similar in the BASE pipe, if you wish.
Step 6: Select a location and place the trap.
Look for a sturdy tree in an area with squirrels. Be sure you can easily see and get to the base of the tree trunk. Place the trap next to the tree with the BASE on the ground and the TOP touching the tree trunk.
Secure the TOP to the tree trunk with the bungee cord.
You can also place bricks or rocks around the BASE to help keep it in from moving.
Step 7: Catch some squirrels.
Wait for a squirrel to sniff out the bait and slide down into the BASE.
Once you have one trapped, it’s up to you as to what to do with the squirrel.
If you choose to relocate the squirrel, place the pipe cap on the open end of the trap before moving the squirrel to its new home.
NOTE: You may wish to vary the length or diameter of the plastic pipe depending on the size of your squirrels or available materials. I chose to use schedule 40, foam core DWV (drain, waste, and vent) pipe because it will stand up to periodic bumps and drops without much problem. Materials for the 4 inch diameter trap cost about $50.
About the author:
James Hammond is a disabled veteran and has done landscaping and home renovation projects for over 25 years.
In many states they are nuisance pests along with possums and racoon. They destroy cars engine compartments, tear up homes costing too much to repair. They cause fires and water pipe damage. So re locating them is unlawful. They must be killed by hand or with no larger than a .22 cal bullet. They must then be buried at least 6 ft. deep. They carry disease and fleas and destroy plants. I lean a 4″ pipe against a tree with slippery stuff and water at the bottom and bait with peanut butter near the top. 8 or 10 ft. pipe works.
This is excellent comedy. As both an avid hunter and one who loves the outdoors and all animals I understand there are many sides to this argument. Some need to eat, some need to kill/relocate due to overpopulation, and some need to enjoy and just watch squirrels. But we all can agree there is nothing nuttier than squirrel turds!
Havahart easy set trap works for great squirrels has a sensitivity screw you can set. In Massachusetts it’s illegal to relocate squirrels- If u trap a squirrel they must be killed. As for chipmunks the best way to take them out is to put a tomcat rat snap trap in a high traveled area. Just set it with your foot. I only had to bait it once. One trap took out 15 chippies before it got stuck on a squirrels paw and disappeared. Pest rodents are the worst. They serve no purpose. My neighbors thank me daily for doing the dirty work.
A fast determined dog will do the trick. It took all summer for our dog to catch 5 or 6. They are either all gone, literally, or they have gone somewhere else. I think some of them just died from heart attacks. I would if I saw our dog coming at me full steam.
It is my understanding, here in New Jerey, that one may not trap ANY wild animal with the intent of relocating it. Sad fact of life, but true. Animals. it would appear, have more rights than humans.
Its probably not about “rights”, relocating, just sends the problem to someone else. Dispatch humanely.
De Santos would have no trouble relocating them. I just want them gone.
Getting stuck in the fan belt is not trapping.
Living in the city and these idiots that compost food causes a lot of problems. Down the street, a house caught fire, and two children were burned to death. Found the cause squirrels ate through a wire.. You snowflakes and tree huggers are a sick uninformed bunch.
The rude and unnecessary name calling undercuts your “argument.”
Truth hurts, doesn’t it?
Compost is good for food gardens my small minded friend. So stands to reason if you compost, having an easy squirrel trap is helpful. Plus, you get some tasty squirrel to go with your veg
Just shoot them with 177 pellet rifle like a crossman. Best solution for pest control.
A Have-a-Heart trap baited with loose dark oil sunflower seeds works very well.
Being a farm boy, right on!
We live in a small city in New Jersey. We are over run with Squirrels because there are no predators. Last year they did $300 damage to my headlight wires.. FINAL STRAW Two weeks ago they did $3200 damage to my car’s wiring harness. This past year they’ve eaten my patio furniture, golf cart cover, air conditioner insulation and deck railing.. I’m going to build Mike’s trap this week!
Best solution is to go buy a Crossman air rifle .1277 or .22…..and shoot those bastards. Best pest control product ever. I have trapped and relocated them….time consuming and some come back even after 15 miles away!!!
Shoot them, bury them or bag them and throw in trash!!!!
Not something we can do legally in City limits here
I am right there with you!
Amen to that! We traped over 18 & rehomed them & my cat killed 5 just in the month of July. Pellet gun it is.
OMG, I have chickens and am overrun in So Cal., I must have shot 100 of them last summer and this spring they have returned, it appears, stronger than ever, I am going to use all methods available, traps, snap, sticky, poison (homemade with baking soda) and my pellet rifle. This squirrel killing hobby of mine is getting quite expensive, we even bought a tractor so I can destroy their natural habitat (I live in the desert) and all their hiding places. Depending on the numbers people are dealing with, a pellet rifle just might not be enough.
I also live in NJ. Is this a NJ thing? By the way, we call them tree rats because that is where they should be building their nests/homes. I have a balcony and from the time I bought the unit (17 years ago), I noticed the squirrels try to build nests on my balcony all the time. I am in a corner unit and it is more protected than some of the other units. These squirrels are amazing. they wait until they are ready to have their little ones, and then build the nests very quickly; they are very industrious. I would get rid of the nests as quickly as I noticed them. You have to really keep checking that no nests are cropping up unless you want them to take up residence on your balcony. They build nests from everything and anything they can get their paws on including plastics which they gnaw on and incorporate into the material they make their nests from. After all these years of me cleaning up their nests before they can have babies, they started to building nests made out of simply leaves. I am now always cleaning a ton of leaves off my balcony. Besides that, they have begun to go to MY car and hop on the tires and up onto the engine and build nests on my carburetor. I forgot to shut the light off in my car one day and when I went out the next day my battery needed a jump so I could get my day started. My friend came and was going to jump it and when he opened the hood of my car, he said, “don’t you drive this car”. I said, I drive it every day. He told me to come and look at what was under the hood of my car. There was a huge nest which was as big as my carburetor. I got rid of the nest and now they are clipping pieces up to 8-10 inches from bushes and going under my hood and jamming them into any holes they can jam them into. Not one of my neighbors has this problem. Is this what they might call squirrel revenge? I now have to regularly check under my hood. So far, so good. These tree rats are a menace. But in New Jersey, you cannot kill squirrels or you can go to jail. YES, really. I live in central Jersey.. For the people who love to feed animals, PLEASE STOP. you encourage them to build nests in places they should not. They belong in the trees which is where they get their acorns. If you have never noticed it before, you may start to notice large nests high up in large trees like oaks. This is where they belong. If you encourage them to be close to your home, they will become accustomed,to your hospitality and guaranteed you will have other problems besides what Just Done said. They will get into your home and get into the walls and start gnawing on the electricity in your house and do a lot of other damage there too.
I have been trying to get rid of them in my attic . By using live traps they take the bait and never trip the trap. I don’t have room to set up the pipe trap, Anyone have a good idea for getting rid of them. I shoot some with my air gun,but there are just so many!!
Between the squirrels and the woodpeckers, our siding looks like swiss cheese with patches on top. We currently have a raccoon with babies that are being evicted. Many animals are cute, but when they get inside your house you risk a lot of destruction. We’re up to $460 with the pest control company and they aren’t finished yet. I’m pricing steel siding and roofing.
If you want to kill squirrels in the house, a rat trap might do the trick. The problem with the regular rat traps is that the spring arm has to travel 180 degrees before it finishes. There is a trap called the black cat rat trap and the bail only has to go 90 degrees, decreasing the time the squirrel has to run. Check on ebay.
Use a rat trap made as a plastic clamp. I have several i bought from my exterminator. Fasten with a rope to anchor it so when the squirells head goes after the peanut butter it will activate and not be carryed off with the squirel. I have nursery and they are digging out soil from my potted camellias. I have bought rodent traps from Tractor supply and have caught several. But the problem is getting back to the traps each day to deal with the squirels. Hope this helps. Also have bought 10 pounds of granular ant poison and sprinkled in my pots. Seems to work.
I had flying squirrels in my attic winter before last. They are somewhat smaller than grey squirrels but I think the rat traps I used will work on grey’s too. I bought 4 Tomcat Rat traps which can be baited through a screw off little cup (i used peanut butter) and the traps can be set by stepping or pressing on the back end of it, no need to ever stick your fingers in the business end of the trap. It caught and killed NINE of the little buggers before the scurrying in the ceiling stopped. I hated to kill them but they are a pest and more than one found it’s way downstairs. Try sleeping with a squirrel lose in your room. Nah, they had to go and the Tomcats worked.
Plug up all holes in attic except one. Buy a strobe lite, Walmart sells them. Place it in about the middle of attic, turn it on. They will leave in a few days. Patch up the last exit when the last squirrel leaves.
When our cat got in the attic and didn’t want to leave, I took a smoke alarm up there and held the test button down while I moved around to get the cat between me and the exit. It didn’t take long before she hi-tailed it out of there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vYV21fJCwY
Lonnie, try peanut butter.
Rat traps baited with Peanut Butter work well . You might drill a hole in the end of the trap base opposite the hammer, and use wire to tie the trap so the squirrel can’t drag it away before it dies.
I had a similar problem, stole my bait as well, until I sealed the A/C raceway, they don’t like moth balls. I just read on another site to wrap some string around the trip tray of the trap then rub some peanut butter on the string that is tied to the tray. Supposedly they will yank the string and set off the trap. Otherwise they manage to lick off the peanut butter without tripping the trap. Same for the skinny tails. I tried the soda can suspended over and open 40 gal trash can with water. They licked off the peanut butter without falling in, go figure. A screw to told down the trap is also recommended. Good hunting.
Rural King has a deal right now where you can get two haveaheart similar large traps for $20. They are closed at one end. Unfortunately the triggering mechanism is not very sensitive. I solved this by drilling a hole in the bottom of a large pill bottle and bolting it about halfway up on the closed end of the trap. I then drilled a small hole at the 6 and 12 positions on the open end. I filled the pill bottle about a quarter full of peanut butter and jammed popcorn down on top of it to keep it in place. Then I simply tied a cotton string directly below the two holes and passed it up through the bottle and the top of the cage and across the top of the cage and tied it to the end of the spring-loaded trap door on the other end. So the squirrel will chew through the string to get to the peanut butter which will cause the trap to slam shut. I have a couple squirrels which run around above my ceiling which drives my cat crazy. The larger of the two traps is even big enough to catch baby raccoons which I also have. I keep the traps locked in my garage because I am not trying to catch feral cats. so if you have an old trap that has a malfunctioning trigger mechanism this is a perfect fix. Of course you have to rethread the string after every squirrel you catch, but that is a small price to pay. and I don’t have to worry about the squirrels chewing through any electrical wiring and causing a fire.
I’ll have to try that. I have a squirrel trap that is probably the same as yours. Birds, chipmunks, squirrels and who knows what else have been in and ate the bait without tripping the mechanism. It is a tray that is pivoted in the center. It works ok until it reaches a point where the galvanizing is so rough the friction is just too high. I quit using it, but will try this and think of other ways I can trip it.
Damn…I really hope this will work. A squirell from backyard decided to chew thru a soffit board in front of my home, bend some construction sheet of metal and chew a hole about 2×3 inches. Called several Pest Control companies and none was less than $800. !!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Do you live in NJ
To catch a squirrel, oh some fine reading
Indeed. How An article about “ how to CATCH a squirrel” is perceived as killing the squirrel, is a perfect example of liberalism. Mike is not responsible for what you heard but only for what he said. He gave you the freedom to do with what you wanted with your catch. If you enjoy watching the little fury creatures biting into pecans, mulberries, and Christmas lights, why just move closer to the zoo. Then you can watch the cute animals in cages and nets or glass pens all day long. Oh no! Now I gave you some more ideas to rant about. America is free, hunting licenses are not. I have a lifetime hunting license. And I intend on using it to maintain the populations of animals in my environment. It’s called an ecosystem. Without checks and balances, diseases are spread that could cause mother nature’s animals to go extinct. Excuse me a minute, I have to go let my Sabre tooth tiger out to do it’s duty. Notice I said it’s, not his nor hers. Didn’t want to offend anyone.
The most enjoyable times I had growing up was opening day of squirrel season. My dad and some of his friends would hunt at their favorite spots and bring their bounty to our camp to be prepared for a meal. What’s it going to be this year? Squirrel stew or squirrel and dumpling. Didn’t matter it was fine! I’m sorry if tender hearts prevent you from believing in an animal being taken for consumption. It is however, how your great grandfather or maybe ma deadeye provided food for their families. Cities grew and concrete replaced woods and meadows. Then people such as butchers came and slaughtered your foul,poultry, and beef so that you were able to go buy it at your local supermarket. If that doesn’t offend you then I shouldn’t. I respect your opinion on being a vegetarian if you are. Give me equal respect for being what I am. Live in harmony. I don’t want to change you. So I don’t need a PETA sign and a person screaming at me to only make my opinions stronger. As the late Paul Harvey would say….and that’s the end of the story, good day.
This is an article about catching squirrels and you managed to turn it political..
Exactly what I thought as well.
Curmudgeon with an axe to grind.
TN Steve : Thanks for your political spiel. What you just wrote makes no sense. By killing animals, you are not maintaining the populations you are decreasing the populations. The word you should have used is: CONTROL the populations. When you use weapons animals have no chance and that is a behavior demonstrating “control” And sorry, but you don’t seem to know what the word ecosystem means. An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. That means nature/natural environment. When you use weapons to control you are not creating an ecosystem, but rather interfering with it. I am assuming you feel the human race needs to be in your words “maintained” because they too spread disease, Afterall; there is a pandemic going on.
I have a problem with piney squirrels. I love my fox squirrels and don’t want to catch them. What do you think about me making this same trap out of 2″” pvc? Would that keep the fox squirrels out?
just kill the fox and squirrel
Those are Fox Squirrels, not a Fox and a Squirrel
This trap designed worked really well. I had to resort to this design because the normal traps weren’t being triggered by the ultra light flying squirrels I’m trying to catch in my attic. I simplified the design by making one cut in the PVC pipe, adding a 45 elbow and capping the short end. A bit bulky but it works. After the first night, to see what I caught, I capped the open top end and hauled it outside. What surprised me was that when I uncapped it and slid them out, they were dead. Can’t tell if they killed each other or just died trying to get up the slippery piece of pipe. They were in the trap no longer than 7 hours. Note that I did not drill holes in the short end. I can’t imaging them running out of air since the pipe is so large and open at one end. Will drill the holes as shown to see if that keeps them alive. Recommended design!!
Yes they suffocated.
Excellent design improvement. Blueprints should be changed. 0 x 1/4” hole
Here in Massachusetts it is illegal to trap and remove squirrels. I had to pay $200 to a licensed pest expert. Wish I’d seen this first.
I live on a farm and both squirrels and rabbits tear up my property, garden and newly planted trees. I give my kids a dollar for each one they shoot with their 22. Win-win for all of us. Kids earn money while improving their shooting skills and our garden and buildings aren’t demolished. I plant our garden to provide for us to eat. Squirrels and rabbits can eat what ever is in the sixty acres of woods, but they don’t .
A neighbor was having a lot of problems with whole Hostas disappearing overnight. What drew in the little critters were the sunflower seed bird feeders. I did research and there wasn’t a lot of success until she started planting garlic cloves all around and in among her plants. AMAZINGLY the ground squirrels are moving out in droves. You do have to keep planting or strewing the cloves around to maintain the yard.
Greta: Bird feeders are a draw for squirrels. I have heard about planting garlic, but this is even easier. Does it leave a bad odor for people to have to enjoy?
I can’t even put a started sunflower plant in my year, the squirrels eat the entire plant. They have eatten countless tulip bulbs. When they started in on my chickens’ feed, I got red pepper flakes and mixed it in with the feed. They stay away now. My house was over run with mice. I tried every kind option and it was a joke. I resorted to corn meal mixed with plaster of paris and chocolate chips. I know, horrible, but it worked.
I have a real problem with chipmunks! They have tunneled throughout my whole yard! Any suggestions about getting rid of them? I’ve tried the “sonic” tubes that you drive into the ground – it’s supposed to “disturb” their systems and drive them away – doesn’t work – one tunneled into the ground right next to a tube! I just need to get rid of them – they’re eating my flower bulbs.
Cheri,
Besides poison or live traps I don’t know. I have a lot of them at the nursery but they really don’t bother me.
Cheri
I use a simple trap and have rid my yard of chipmunks and mice and now keep them under control . Take a 5 gallon bucket fill 3/4 ths way with water take a piece of wax paper cut it to fit inside the bucket on top of the water sprinkle enough sunflower seeds to completely cover the wax paper next make some type of ramp leading to the top of the bucket sprinkle a few seeds on the ramp , Have caught as many as 13 in a single day but remember this does kill the mice and chipmunks that go in after the seeds.
This is a very interesting subject. I am enjoying reading all the ways people have developed to rid themselves of menacing animals.
Get a 5 gallon bucket and fill it about 3/4 full. Find a piece of board or plywood to use as a runway from the ground to the top lip of the bucket. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on the runway/plank and fill the top portion of the water in the bucket with some more seeds, enough to cover the top. They will get the bait on the plank and see the mother load in the bucket. They will fall in and drown! It works quite nicely. You might have a problem with this method but if you are having the kind of problem I was, it is worth it.
This works great…….My neighbor and I eliminated about 35 two summers ago…I did see another chipmunk yesterday. My 5 gal bucket was cleaned up this afternoon, My giant sunflower head will be used tomorrow…….
I find the birds clean up the seed on the ramp before the chippies can find it. Any other ideas for bait?
You don’t need a ramp. They just hop up on the rim and jump right in. With a 30 gallon trash can, you can do the same for squirrels. Fill half way with water, no higher,, fill the top of the water with sunflower seeds and watch the squirrels take a dive.
This pipe trap is good but all that you need is a large rat trap . It is a mouse trap, only larger. A six penny nail , to nail it to a tree, and a little peanut butter smeared on the bait pan. I have been using this method for years to keep squirrels out of my pecan trees. It works.
Ray: Sometimes all you need is the mouse/rat trap and peanut butter.
A rabbit box trap works good to catch squirrels All you need is four boards about fourteen inches long and four inches wide, two small boards for the front and back A piece of string and a twig from a tree for the trigger. Drill a hole in the top board near the back of the trap for the trigger and build a support to hold the trigger in place. The front small board is part of the trigger. When the squirrel goes into the box he trips the trigger and the front small board drops down and closes the trap. This trap cost practically nothing, can be made from scrap boards laying around the house. A little special whittling to make the trigger and front drop down door.is the most complicated part.
I have caught many rabbits with this trap. I will say fried rabbit or squirrel are very tasty. .
My father in Lakewood, -CO, used to use a Hav-A-Hart (Medium) to trap squirrels. He would then transport them to a local park about two miles away. Foxes, owls and hawks seem to have taken care of them in the park.
I have seen hawks swoop down and get the squirrels too. Now there is the natural food chain.
You forgot to include relocating those squirrels to a big ol’ pot for squirl stew!!!
Interesting plans; scaled up or down they could help with a lot of invasive species (do they make plastic pipe big enough for deer and bears?). I have a problem with both squirrels and mice inside my house, but don’t want to use poison baits since the next step up in the food chain could also be poisoned. Think how tuna & swordfish accumulate mercury. Outside, shooting is OK if you live in a rural area with no neighbors, but to me, it would be unproductive unless you have absolutely nothing else to do with your time. Let the squirrels harvest themselves.
Trapping them is only half the solution; if you’re not going to consume them, then you’ve got to find the most effective use for them. To me, that would be releasing them where they can supplement nature’s food chain (like a non-park rural forested area, not your neighbor’s yard) and keep those predators safe in non-populated areas. If you’re feeling guilty and have access to oaks or other nut trees, take a bucket of nuts along with you when you release them and pitch them into the woods along with the squirrels.
I’m going to try a couple of different variations and I’ll report back. This looks like a great project for Scouts or the disabled; I’ll bet you could find a lot of plumbers and building supply places with pipe scraps and cracked fittings.
Squirrels are tree rats an their population needs to be.kept under control. They are consider pests! You’ll never have a successful vegetable or flower garden and they may gnaw your house down, Costing you thousands of dollars in electrical repair and home repair.
If.you people have such big hearts for all animals, heres an idea for you. Give to save the children, adopt a child, feed the children. How about that? Geez!
Great post! My dogs are controlling the problem right now, but I will file this for future reference.
Do you have something for capturing snapping turtles. They are a very mean group!
Thanks!
I too am interested in snapping turtle trapping. They are eating the ends of our cows tails off.
There is literally a sea of squirrels in the suburbs. I had 3 dogs and when the last one died, my tomatos were immediatly decimated. I’ve been growing tomatos for 60 years.
T0matos sustain me on many levels. They are beautiful, a joy to grow, so many types to experiment with, a healthy food source and preparing the ground for planting restores my physical strength after a fairly sedintary winter.
I was very angry as I was enjoying them in countless recipes and canning 40 to 90 quarts a year.
I went berserk and killed over 1400 of them. It made no difference, as they jusy kept coming. It was like a Chinese attack on a small unit during the Korean war. Endless…
I took no pleasure in destroying these animals and tried EVERY possible solution first exceptfor one. Total exclusion,
I put in a 12 inch concrete footing, framed it out 7.5 ft tall all completely coverd with galvanized wire. It cost a few thousand dollars but problem solved. There is one problem though. Some of the plants get to 8+ feet tall.
Now the squirrels can frolick all they want.
.
Should have ate them
Funniest thread I’ve read in years. Thank you. Brought tears of laughter to me. My vote for the winner of this high brow debate goes to the trappers (stew makers) not the tree huggers.
Seriously please be careful out there when shooting squirrels to remember a .22 bullet can travel a long distance and to be sure something is behind the squirrel if you miss… granted from this audience a miss will seldom happen.
– Robert
If you can, tell James Hammond that I said thank him for his service to our country.
I would probably amend this to a smaller pipe. I have a cat that likes peanut butter, and our squirrels seem to be quite small around here. The man across the street hunts them too, but it doesn’t seem to help dwindle the population any.
squirrels eat all my pears before they are ripe my dog used to take care of them but she died guess I will have to kill them now. They ate 20 bushels of pears this spring
Your comment has nothing to do with the article.
The webmaster did not like my comment, so I will just say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
mike I thought the subject of this discussion was squirrels.
I completely understand. They eat all of ours too. That’s why Im on this site to learn more and I’m sure that’s why you were on it also.
@Mike, thanks for the innovative squirrel trap idea–I would relocate them to another part of my property and hope the experience would scare them from coming back.
@Lynn–I, too, have SOMETHING in my attic–maybe flying squirrels–and I hear them every night chewing, gnawing, and am so afraid they are going to start an electrical fire. I also have evidence of mice in my attic, so the pest control people set out a heavy duty poison bait trap and the mice have disappeared. But to complicate things, a stray cat has taken up nightly residence in my attic and I hear him every night, chasing “something” so I’m assuming it’s a flying squirrel or ground squirrel. I found their entrance to the cabin, and have sealed it off, just waiting for the cat to eradicate their existence. I feed this poor cat and am trying to coax him to stay off the roof, but in the meantime, he rids me of pests in my attic.
I love all animals too, and am a rescuer (not an animal hoarder) but when pests get into MY domain and begin to destruct, I have to take action before my house is destroyed.
I am less concerned with the fruit damage that squirrels do. My real problem is that they will infest your yard with fleas. Took me about two weeks to rid my yard and house of fleas and cost about $70.00 or more.
That’s a cute squirrel trap, Mike, but my squirrels are in the attic. There were baby squirrels, but one of my cats likes to have the run of the attic, and he took care of the untutored young’ uns, but the smart adult squirrel is still up there. It (they) have already chewed through an electric cable, and put out all my hall lights, and some of my room outlets. I tried a havahart – all that happened was the damned thing ate all the bait and left – trap still untriggered. I hate to try the chewing gum (not because I’ve any problem with killing a squirrel, but I think killing should be done as quickly as possible, not by starvation, which is what gum probably does. But if I can’t get rid of the the unwelcome guest, Bazooka Joe here I come.
Why Gum?
Tree Rats live up to their name.
I have the parts and will build the unit after church.
Thank you :” EX” for your story/thoughts
And Great Job Mike!!!
What can you do to get rid of rabbits?? One chewed off 3 of my clematis vines this year. Very strange, never had this happen before??
Gather the following:
A good quality spray bottle (because you will be spraying a quart of liquid each evening, you’ll want to invest in a commercial spray bottle from the hardware store. They cost around $4.)
A large bottle of Tabasco sauce from the grocery store (it doesn’t have to be an expensive brand name, but buy the hottest, cheapest Tabasco you can find!)
An empty gallon water or milk container.
A gallon of warm water.
next
Mix 1 Tablespoon of Tabasco in one gallon of water and shake well. This will give you 4 quarts of what I call ‘Bad Bunny’ spray. In fact, label your gallon of mixed solution clearly so no one gets a surprise – this stuff is HOT, even at a tablespoon per gallon dilution!
Spray in early evening before the rabbits arrive to feed. Spray the entire grass area around your garden, especially any area where you’ve seen them enter your garden (they tend to be creatures of habit. If you let the grass grow a little higher, they’ll stop and feed before entering your garden. Bunnies do NOT like the taste of hot pepper on their breakfast! They run away from the area, and if you spray over several evenings (especially important if rain or dew has washed away the spray) you will discourage them from returning.
Rabbits are even better eating than squirrels, more meat per shot.
LIMB CHICKEN! YUM!
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 or waiting for some nice young and tender miscovy ducklings.
At least most people do have sense of…..sorrow, no, um appreciation….maybe, or respect for animals that they hunt and kill. It is unlike the raptor, cats big and small or any other non scavanger animal. They have no sense of thankfulness or what ever emotion humans have after killing a game animal, at least a person without mental defect will have some sense of ( can’t think of the word). My dad always told me; if you shoot it, you have to eat it. Paper targets are lousey without tomatoe sauce or something:)
SOILENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!
Good luck!
I like em fried. I Like em boiled. I like em grilled. I like em baked!! Yummy:)
Squirrels are not the problem! We are the problem! As long as we continue to view animals primarily as a food source, and as pests that get in the way of human progress, things will never change. Animals are not pests. They have always lived in balance with each other until we came along and destroyed that balance. Humans are greedy and won’t admit it. They destroy everything in their path and then move on to a different location. Like a virus. Instead of viewing nature as a beautiful and awesome place, they seek only to exploit it, to satisfy their hunger or well being at the expense of everything else. The well is running dry. At 7 billion and counting the population will double in approx. 10 years. The squirrels will all be eaten by then. Animals are innocent that’s what makes them so special. We on the other hand know the difference between right and wrong, but we choose incorrectly most of the time.
Palmface
If a critter smaller then a squirrel gets in the squirrel home the squirrel will kill it, its just the way things work
REALLY Paul??!! You’ve gone off the balance scale.
Well Paul, since you, as a human are the worst critter on the planet, maybe you should end your miserable existence so the squirrels and other perfect mammals can live in peace!
That is the most awesome reply I’ve seen.
My opinion about squirrels, they are like rats but have a fur coat!
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
God also made Adam & Eve and they had two sons. And the rest of humankind was populated how exactly? Was it incest? So many holes in the story. I could go on.
Let’s keep your favor fairy tale out of this. That retarded book also says you should stone your neighbor’s children and keep slaves. Hardly reference material for a sound mind.
Harold:
Amen!
Amen.
Hey Paul, look up in your bible “ACTS 11-7 ARISE PETER KILL AND EAT”. THESE ANIMALS WERE PUT HERE FOR US TO EAT, SAYS GOD.
Oh puh-leeze. Is there no site anywhere where someone doesn’t feel the need to bring their imaginary friend into it??? I respect your right to believe in whatever you want. I will just say listen to the comedian Tim minchin’s song titled ‘the good book’.
Animals in NO way live in balance in nature..
Squirrels are scourge on this earth, at least ground ones are and lots of animals are carnivores, it is the treatment of the animals while alive and factory farming that is the problem, of course as well as the crap that goes on with the fur trade in Asia that needs to stop. These squirrels will even kill baby chicks, the spend their entire days stuffing their cheeks full of my chicken feed if they can, running out to their hiding places to store it and turn around repeat that crap all day, they are nasty, destructive, filthy, disease carrying rodents that will overpopulate in nature if their population isn’t managed one way or another.
I grew up on Squirrel Stew at least once a week from the time I could hunt them at age 8 or 9.. I got my first .22 at the age of eight so it wasn’t long after the Squirrels were in my sights. They are a pest and very edible, and they breed the year around, often having 2 or 3 litters like rabbets.
If a pest gets in my garden or it does any kind of harm to my Orchard or livestock, it Gets Shot or trapped, and then eaten by either Me, My Dogs, Cats, Chickens or Pigs,, It don’t go to waste.!! That’s just life as it is,, That goes for Bear, Deer, Rabbits, Squirrels, Pheasant, Snakes, Raccoons, Wild Pigs or Opossum .. Burp!! All have ended up on a plate of mine on more than one occasion.. They are all eaten without regards for PETA, Vegetarians, or the Silly Stupid People that think I Shouldn’t eat them. I’m sure you know what they can do to themselves in a Hot NY Minute,,, and so be it..!!
—30—
Squrriels have been on dinner table for over a 100 years! But every body forgets Squrriels is natures tree planter thay burry nuts for winter food supply. But forget where thay plant 40 percent so new growth I plant enough for me & all of the Animals thay are hungry too. Because a lot of there natural food is nonexistent!
There’s a large pecan tree in the yard behind my yard. Not a single nut from that tree falls into my yard, but I have dozens of pecan seedlings sprout in my yard every year. When I use dirt from my compost pile to pot plants, pecan seedlings sprout in the pots. The closest oak tree is five yards away, but I have oak seedlings sprout in my yard every year. There aren’t a lot of squirrels in my area, but there’s enough! I just ignore them, and keep digging up tree seedlings. One squirrel gets within four feet of me while I’m working in my yard. I just ignore him. I’m afraid he’ll go rabid one day, and attack me. But still, I just ignore him.
It’s good to see something a little controversial once in a while. I thank you profusely for “stirring the pot” Mike. Squirrels can be a big problem in gardens, of this there is no doubt. There is also no doubt that they are not an endangered species. When I still lived with my parents next to an 80 acre park we never had any problems with squirrels until people started live trapping them on the other side of town and then dropped them off in the park. The resident squirrel population was already saturated and the transplanted animals would end up in the neighborhood yards and gardens because there wasn’t enough food/territory for them in the park. Consequently many of the transplants were run over by automobiles, or preyed upon by the neighborhood cats. Live trapping these animals is mostly a waste of time and effort and just passes the problem of over population to some other poor souls yard/garden. They are very good to eat, but remember to take the scent glands out from their armpit before you cook them. Brown them in butter with onoins. Then, put them in a pot with the onions and some carrots and celery, salt, and pepper to taste, and wild mushrooms in season of course and bake them in an oven at 350 degrees until done usually about 45 minutes to an hour. This old tree hugger respects all life, and knows that when animal populations get too big that nature steps in and diseases reduce these populations to numbers much smaller than if people were to utilize the problem animals for food. We need to do these things because we have upset the balance of nature by removing natural predators that would otherwise control over population and creating artificial environments that encourage such things.You have to “hug” a tree with your tape measure to get its circumference, my fellow tree inspectors know what I’m talking about. Again, thanks Mike for all that you do for us out here.
Black squirrel’s were recently introduced onto my island and are now rapidly increasing in number, and doing great damage to our gardens and bird populations etc. They are extremely successful and have few predators here other than man. Should we now increase our predators, jail the person who foolishly introduced them , leave then to destroy our environment or try to humanely reduce their numbers? We expect our predators ie cougars etc to be killed on sight. It may not be right since they were here first but those animal rights people are often the loudest in there demands for humane trapping and removal of cougars and even bears knowing full well that many need to be killed as repeat offenders. Black rats were introduced too. Should they have immunity from predation too? Why not use logic rather than emotion to address problems?
Thanks for the trap plans.
We have brown squirrels and their young are black with scrawny tails. We use Havahart to keep the population down. Bait it with peanuts and take the trapped animals far far away!
I have noticed over the years that when squirrels over populate themselves that they get a disease that will wipe them out for about 1.5 -2 years then they reappear from somewhere else and start over.
I have always trapped using have a heart traps but I have a mole problem, any suggestions?
I have heard that if you put one of those silly spinning ornaments that are on a pole/stick into the ground the vibration/spinning of the ornament will rid the area of moles… I have seen some pretty cool looking ones… so as long as they have movement, your yard should be rid of those pesky moles !!
As for the squirrels… My neighbor has a ’65 classic mustang convertible that he keeps garaged.
He has had squirrels get in through the roof Chewers !!) and totally destroyed the wires under the hood, the seats (To make nests, I assume) and have put holes through the convertible. He uses a have a heart trap and relocates them into the city where there are no trees or grass for that matter..,So killing these squirrels would be better off then letting them get hit by cars or shot out in Camden, NJ…. So Now he doesn’t just have to fix the garage roof but put thousands into a car that was already in mint condition ! They came to my house and killed two Bonsai trees I had been working with foe almost 10 years now.. I will probably not be around for another 10 years to fi what those pesky squirrels have done to my bonsai !! Starting from scratch is harder than one may believe !!
Mike, can you take this post off of fb….I know some people will hurt/kill the squirrels. I’m surprised you have posted info like this.
again ..your reality is not our own…. animals are “harmed” everyday to feed America. get over it.I think his post rocks. and any animal that gets in my garden is a food source itself. rock on MIKE rock on buddy .
Amen!!!!
To Bryce &mike
go Bryce
No reason to waste all that plastic pipe and peanut butter when you can just shoot them like the pests they are. Not only do they muck up all the bird feederes but they have been known to ghaw up electical wires and cause short circuits and fires in homes and even their own environment. Get your self a good air gun and you can reduce the hairy tailed rat population in short order. As has been stated, they are pretty good eating if properly prepared so harvest them and keep them from dying of some of the natural sicknesses that kill them anyway.
Where do you live so we can trap them and bring them to you? you can keep them in your house for pets so we don,t have to deal with them.
Having once had squirrels in our attic solved any issues I might have had regarding relocating or otherwise ridding myself of squirrels. They have damaged the 20 birdhouses I put on my property and birds will no longer use the houses. Good riddance to the squirrels I say
Squirrels are good to eat. Batter and fry then make a gravy. Very good.
Our cats keep the many critters that destroy gardens down to a minimum. They are great hunters. We are in a very rural area.. I like all animals, but ones who destroy our garden, which we rely on for much of our food, need to either eat somewhere else or become food for our cats. If you disagree with this, that’s fine, But predators eating other animals is natural . If you are a true vegetarian and don’t use leather at all, fine, but if you use plastics the toll on our environment is worse than our cats eating animals that eat our garden. Pesticides kill living organisms. Squishing them kills them. That is just the way the cycle of life is.
Plants feed on decaying life. It is the natural cycle of things.. I was a vegetarian who didn’t use leather or eat even fish for many years. I studied nature and decided that life and death are natural. Respecting all life is good. Animals that eat plants kill, and people who eat plants kill. Is their life less important than that of animals? Ethics is a difficult subject, akin to religion. If nothing dies, all will die as there will be no food. Life feeding life is natural.
I agree with you Bob, Good thing someone wasnt around in the early years when you had to hack out a living from the land. And had to kill and animal of any kind to servive. and eat berries or what ever you could find. Evolution is a wonderfull thing isnt it.. Servival of the fittest I have been a hunter and only took what game I knew I could us. It was a holiday and a chance to forage for food for my family. Squirrel isnt one I would kill but moose or deer is a worth while hunt. It sure cut down on the grocery bill.
The trap Mike built is a little to much of a effort. But if it works go for it. I only hope that the person who doesnt like killing doesnt eat, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey. or doesnt wear leather on there feet. or any fish.
Shame on anyone who would harm an animal! Squirrels are God’s creatures and are only looking for something to eat.
I don’t like this advice at all because some people will utilize this info to trap and then kill the squirrel/s. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out! FYI…squirrels have their babies in the fall…so relocating a squirrel can leave the babies motherless and they will then perish. Shame on all who will do harm to any squirrel let alone to any creature. Such potentially harmful info for the heartless who do not care about a precious life!!!!!!!!!!!
tree hugger hate to break yer heart. but animals are harmed everyday to feed America and any who come to my garden to harm my plants to prevent me from feeding my 4 kids are on the menu.
Amen!
Where do you live? I have a squirrel that is eating the window sills and the siding on my house. If I can catch the rascal I would love to relocate him/her to your house.
hahhahahaha Good one!!! The squirrels have been getting into my attic, under my shed, eating my plants, making a tunnel system in my yards that would make the Mexican border tunnels pale in comparison. When it rains or Im walking around the yard, the ground collapses under me. tried spice, didn’t work.
you must be a vegetarian then. if you have ever eaten meat then your a hypocrite. grew up on the farm where all animals were food .plenty of animals are “harmed” to feed millions of americans every day .
BJ…am I not one of God’s creatures? Am I not looking for something to eat?
BJ? Own any leather shoes or gloves? Thought so…
I’m really sorry to see that anyone thinks killing squirrels is an ok thing to do…it is not…
I personally LOVE squirrels and I feed them all the time, hoping they will not be afraid of me. I don’t have a garden so they are no bother to me!
squirrel is tastey grew up on the farm eating all sorts of things…. don’t be a tree huggin sissy
dear tree hugger I grew up raising meat for America …millions eat meat every day. killing squirrel is a wonderful food source and should such a creature look to my garden and thus deny my 4 kids food is itself then a food source. MIke you keep it comin bud .
Everyone has their own opinion and if they choose to live trap and release them I have no problem with that. However, I totally agree with Bryce and it only costs about a dime to shoot them.
If they are eating your garden, your chicken food, your duck food, and your goat food, then it’s easy!
dear athena, what is your address and i will gladly mail the freshly caged quarrels to you, i love them also, but and i repeat but, they are a big very big problem, i live in southern texas and believe me i dont mind getting rid of them
“I’m really sorry to see that anyone thinks killing squirrels is an ok thing to do…it is not…”
Why not?
you are just ignorant…they are rodents….they damage buildings, chew wires, breed like crazy…
Okay Athena until the little b*st*rds eat into your home, urinate into your linens to make a nest ruining them and have babies running all over your home. They ar RODENTS. I’m fine with squirrels “outside” of my home but once you step indoors, all bets are off and it’s time to “kill” them. And no I’m not killing them to eat either as I could care less about that nonsense. I just want them gone out of my home.
Squirrels are tree rodents and can be very destructive, but they are quite tasty
Hi Mike,
No squirrel traps ever needed again. I used to trap too until I got a new neighbor whose family farmed for years. The old timers had a trick for disposing of squirrels simply by buying Bazooka bubblegum, cutting it into chunks, and placing it down the squirrel holes. Squirrels love it but it is very bad for them and they expire. We had a hideous problem and my neighbor placed the gum all around and now there is not one squirrel to be found on our farms. Hope this helps you and all your readers out there.
Linda
HOW DO YOU FIND A SQUIRREL HOLE?
How do you find Bazooka gum anymore? Where?
You just lift his little tail.
No squirrels were injured in the writing of this project.
I have used Havahart traps for years. The little fluffy tailed rats can see and smell the bait, and are easily moved to a park or wilderness area. Peanuts work great, except for the bluejays. They are smart enough to grab the goodies without springing the trap!
I bought 2 cheap small birdcages from a thrift store. Put a little peanut butter and pinch of birdseed inside, prop open door with a twig, set on the ground and wait. Doesn’t take long. Squirrels go inside for goodies, tail knocks twig down and the squirrel is caught. So easy.