Ways of getting rid of Squirrels

Squirrels are veracious eaters and are in the habit of turning private gardens and yards to a snack bar. This annoying set of critters dig up bulbs in a garden, eat up tender shoots, without feeling remorse whenever they hit a garden. To them, those ornamental flowers that beautify your landscape are just an irresistible deli. Left unchecked, squirrels can completely ruin your garden and yard. So, taking proactive steps to keep away this creature is not an option but a necessity.

How then can you keep them away? The good news is that there are several deterring technique you can use right now to wade them off. The problem, however, is that some technique are dependent on location, and so will not work in certain places. While deterring technique like trapping and shooting may be allowed in the country, they are both unacceptable in the cities. Also, some deterring technique are breed dependent; for instance, natural repellent like human hair only works on certain species of squirrels. Additionally, flooding the burrows of ground squirrels is an effective repelling technique which is completely ineffective on gray squirrels.

Natural repelling technique like using chili pepper and predator urine works well on squirrels. The drawback, however, is that natural repellents only last for a short while and will need to be reapplied frequently. Furthermore, mixing your garden plants with plant bulbs is a good strategy for keeping squirrels at bay.

If chili pepper or predator urine is somewhat beyond your reach, try using peppermint or pepper spice. Better still, use cayenne pepper, reason being that cayenne pepper produces a scent which is too strong for squirrels to stand. An alternative to cayenne pepper is Jalapeno pepper which when mixed with vinegar becomes a fatal combo. Veteran gardeners all agree that squirrels are repulsed at the smell of cider vinegar. To use, get a clean cloth and dip it in a solution of cider vinegar. Then place the soaked cloth at strategic points in your home like the attic. Since the scent of cider vinegar easily fades away, you will have to replace the soaked cloth as often as possible.

It’s been said that squirrels can’t stand hot and spicy smells. While every food item with strong spicy scent may work, chili and cayenne pepper are most effective when it comes to repelling squirrels with spicy scents. To use, get some cayenne pepper and grind them till a fine powder is produced, then sprinkle the powder on the soil in your garden. For better results, add mix the cayenne powder with garlic powder; squirrels as well as raccoons find the smell of garlic unbearable. Since this powdered mixture can be easily blown away by the winds, water should first be sprayed on your plants before the powder is applied. Most importantly, the powdered mix should be reapplied as soon as it rains.

Squirrel MACE, a commercial form of squirrel repellent works well, and is very safe. Squirrel MACE is made using natural ingredients like garlic, hence making it safe. Sprinkling some of it on your plants will send a “no trespass” signal to squirrels.

Sometimes, natural repellents are completely ineffective on squirrels due to their aggressive nature. For this reason, it makes sense to place feeders at strategic points in your yard and garden. If possible, place some food item in the feeder as doing so will make squirrels steer clear.