How to scare a squirrel

Keep Squirrels At Bay With These 20 Tips

1. Apple cider vinegar spray

The pungent smell of pure apple cider vinegar repels the squirrels. ACV is readily available and can be sprayed directly on the plants and flower pots without harming them. Spray it as often as needed to keep the little creatures at bay.

2. Strobe lights

If the squirrels intrude your home and are living in your attic, you may use a strobe light to deter them. The regular flashes of light irritate the pest while being harmless. The squirrels will definitely not hide in places where these lights are installed.

3. Motion sensor sprinklers

Squirrels get extremely scared with this type of sprinklers that start to function as they sense motion on your lawn. It protects your garden from the tiny pests while watering your plants in an effortless way.

4. Keep your yard clean

Keeping your yard clean is extremely important not just to keep squirrels away but to prevent the invasion of other pests and deadly animals such as snakes.

Clean away the fallen nuts and fruits that squirrels like eating.

Regular cleaning makes your garden free from pests as well as augment its beauty.

5. Mulching

If the squirrels tend to dig up the planted bulbs, consider adding mulch to the soil. Squirrels find mulch unattractive and stay away from it.

If the problem still exists, put some decorative stones that are heavy for them to remove or just use a mulch which is heavy in weight.

6. Animal repellents

There are specific repellents on the market that can be purchased to help keep squirrels and other wildlife away. This is a humane method to deter squirrels because they do not like the taste or smell of the repellent and will stay away from the area.

7. Jalapeño pepper-vinegar spray

Jalapeño pepper irritates the squirrels. When mixed with vinegar, it produces a pungent smell that is disliked by them.

Make a spray solution by mixing jalapeno pepper and vinegar. Spray it in your attic to check their entry.

8. Safflower seeds

If the squirrels are destroying the bird feeder, consider mixing the seeds with some safflower seeds. The bitter taste of the seed will not bother the birds but will angst the squirrels, keeping them away in a natural way.

9. Fox urine

Foxes are natural predators of squirrels and the little creatures will always stay away from places frequently traversed by a fox.

You can use fox urine if you find it in an online store or from the zoo to prevent the entry of squirrels in your garden and house.

Fill a spray bottle with the fox urine and spray it in the attic and near the plant beds to deter squirrels.

10. A dog

If you own a dog who likes to play in the garden, it could help you to scare away the naughty pests, such as squirrel, from your home. They can easily hunt for squirrels and scare them far away from your place.

11. Create a greenhouse

If you like growing a lot of veggies that get damaged by squirrels, consider creating a separate greenhouse that prevents the entry of the squirrels into it.

Make sure you keep the greenhouse locked at all times. It will also protect your plants from many other pests and birds.

12. Gravel

If the squirrels are digging up the soil near the plants, consider laying gravel. This will make digging difficult and discouraging.

Also plant bulbs that squirrels do not like such as daffodils, allium, and snowdrops. Daffodils are toxic to them and they will not cause any damage to them.

13. Live trapping

Live trap is one of the best home remedies to catch live squirrels and relocate them to another place. It is a more humane way to get rid of the pests without killing and harming them.

Buy a squirrel trap from a local store and put some food such as nuts and seeds that squirrels can’t resist.

As they come into the trap to eat the food, they get trapped. Keep a watch over the traps for any trapped squirrel. If you are planning to relocate it later, provide enough food and water for it to survive. It is best to relocate them as soon as they fall into the trap.

14. Grow mint

The strong smell of mint discourages the squirrels from intruding into your garden or home. Place a few pots with the fresh mint plant to deter them naturally.

15. Use human hair

Collect human hair or dog hair (if you have one) and put them in places where the squirrel mostly visit. This will scare them, as they would think a human is closeby, and make them leave your place.

You can also get human hair from a nearby salon. Put them in a bird feeder and at the base of plants to prevent the damage caused by them.

16. Ultrasonic devices

When squirrels are causing a nuisance in your attic, nothing works better than an ultrasonic repellent.

This device creates an ultrasonic wave that is not audible to the human ear but can highly irritate the squirrels deterring them from your house.

17. Remove Food Sources

It is important to remove food sources that attract squirrels and to keep bird seed properly stored. Additionally, you can cover plants with chicken wire to ensure that squirrels cannot eat the plants in the garden.

18. Keep trash sealed

Squirrels may get attracted to your home to find leftover food in the trash bin. Keeping the trash bin sealed will prevent attracting squirrels and other pests.

19. Cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper is known to repel squirrels in an effective way. Just sprinkle some of it on the bird seed to prevent them from damaging the bird food.

You may also sprinkle it everywhere else to deter them from your home and garden.

20. Build a fence

Building a fence will help you get rid of the squirrels for a long time. You may use netting to protect your plants from them or create a fence over the entire plant bed to prevent them from reaching your plants.

The fence should be 8-12 inches below the ground or the squirrels will come digging through the soil.

Squirrels: How to Get Rid of Squirrels in the Home & Garden

How can you keep squirrels out of the garden? Sure, they’re entertaining to watch but if they keep eating your tomatoes and garden plants, it can be very frustrating. So what’s a gardener to do? You can co-exist! Here are natural squirrel repellents.

Why Worry About Squirrels in the Garden?

With a fondness for fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers, the common squirrel has long spelled trouble for home gardeners. From Maine to Montana, these wily critters yank geraniums from window boxes, pluck nearly ripe tomatoes from their vines, and strip apple trees like professional pickers. Though their foraging forays can happen at any time of year, a squirrel’s raid in late summer and early autumn can drive a gardener nuts.

Squirrels are especially active in late summer and autumn, when they stock up for winter. They do not hibernate (although they may “lie low” during cold spells), so their underground pantries are vitally important winter warehouses. They have a major instinct for hoarding food, which helps them to survive. Gray squirrels stash food by burying it in a scattered fashion around their territory.

Although North America is home to several species of squirrels, it is the suburb-savvy gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, that gives gardeners (and people who feed birds) the most grief. How did the clever critters find those flower bulbs, anyway? Why do they ransack some borders and leave others alone?

The average squirrel gathers acorns, pinecones, nuts, bark, fruit, berries, fungi, and insects, but is not above stealing bird eggs and bulbs. Sometimes they will even ruin your flowers just for the fun of it! Keep an eye out for these pesky visitors and try some of our tips below.

Control and Prevention

Preventing Squirrel Damage

Try to avoid attracting squirrels to your property in the first place. Make sure you have tight-fitting trash cans and never leave food or compost scraps sitting out. Bird seed is a big one, too; keep it indoors or in a chew-proof container in a sheltered location.
Don’t bother trapping and relocating squirrels. This is a losing battle, since the population of squirrels is extremely high in most areas, and moving one will just make room for another! Also, if the animal is a female, there is a high likelihood that you will remove her from babies that depend on her for survival. Additionally, the relocation of wildlife (yes, even squirrels) may be illegal in your area.
If the season has been particularly hot and dry, squirrels may steal tomatoes, cucumbers, or other juicy produce from the vine because they’re thirsty. Some readers have reported that placing a dish of water (or bird bath) nearby commonly eaten crops can discourage snacking.
Unfortunately, growing extra vegetables to “feed” the squirrels does not usually work; squirrels will simply plow through your produce and bring their friends!
Is your yard covered in nuts and acorns from trees? If so, your place is squirrel heaven! Just accept that your yard will be party central or you’ll need to pick up and move the nuts to a different part of the yard or grow/select different types of trees.

Cover Your Garden

It’s best to use physical barriers, which can usually get the job done as long as the material is right. Squirrels and other rodents are capable of squeezing through extremely tight spaces, so holes in the fencing or netting must be very small. Look specifically for netting or fencing that’s rated for rats or squirrels.

Consider protecting your vegetable garden with a wire fence and make sure it is buried about at least 6 inches into the ground, so the squirrels can’t easily dig under it. (Look for wire meant for squirrels or rats; standard chicken wire has holes that a determined squirrel can squeeze through.)
Or, line the bottom soil with 1/4-inch hardware cloth. Pots are easy to protect with a layer of netting or hardware cloth across the top of the pot, too. A layer of gravel or stones can also discourage digging.
Another idea is to cover your garden with row covers or bird netting. Row covers made of heavier materials can also be used, depending on the season.
Or, here’s a more-expensive pantry solution: Lay aluminum foil across the top of vegetable pots, poking holes in it to allow for water exchange. The squirrels do not like the shiny reflection.

Dogs are Natural Squirrel Deterrents!

A dog is a great squirrel chaser, if that’s an option in your backyard! Squirrels can’t stand those pesky dogs! Save the dog’s hair when you brush or groom it, and use it to mulch around your garden beds. The squirrels won’t go near it!
Human hair helps a well, according to one reader who shares, “I used to have a problem with squirrels digging up my bulbs. Now, once in the spring and once in the fall, I ask my hairdresser to save a big bag of hair for me. I lightly dig this into the soil. Squirrels can not stand the smell of humans, so they leave the gardens alone.”

Natural Squirrel Repellents

There are also many natural repellents on the market:

Spread predator urine around your garden. Garden nurseries will carry repellents that are made with the urine of squirrels’ predators such as foxes or coyotes. These are meant to be sprayed around gardens to keep squirrels away, so will need to be reapplied regularly.
Try sprinkling cayenne pepper, ground chili peppers, or pepper flakes around your plants when they are ready to bloom. Peppers have “capsaicin” which squirrels hate, so it’s a natural squirrel deterrent. Or, make a pepper spray; you can mix dried pepper with apple cider vinegar. Note: Birds can’t taste capsaicin, so add some cayenne pepper to those bird feeders to deter squirrels.
Another deterrent is peppermint oil, which turns off squirrels. Pour some in a spray bottle with apple cider vinegar and spray around your plants.
One reader claims blood meal sprinkled around the garden soil works against squirrels.
Plant squirrel-repelling flowers, such as nasturtiums, marigolds, and mustard as a border around your vegetable garden; these plants have a strong aroma. Do not plant bulbs squirrels love such as tulips and crocuses.
If you’re really going crazy due to squirrels, explore the idea of installing a raptor perch or owl nest box to invite natural predators who will prey on squirrels.
Get a decoy. A fake owl may also frighten squirrels away, however, you need to move it around the garden on a regular basis so that the squirrels don’t become wise to the trick.

Protecting Bulbs from Squirrels

Bulbs that squirrels (and other rodents) do not like include daffodils, fritillaria, snowdrops (Galanthus), grape hyacinths (Muscari), and ornamental alliums. These flowers are also disliked by rabbits and deer because of their unpalatable taste and fragrant odor. You can also try these flowers in pots, planters, and containers. Check out our list of rodent-proof bulbs.
For more protection, line the planting hole itself with wire mesh (“hardware cloth”). Some gardeners have found that planting the bulbs in a handful of sharp, crushed gravel discourages the squirrels. This might help provide better drainage as well.
Gardeners lay down chicken wire if they’re planting many bulbs. Look for one-inch mesh and place below and on top of the bulbs. The plants can grow through the wires, but the squirrels can’t get to the bulbs.
As an added layer of protection, cover the surface of the bed with black plastic netting, which is invisible and inexpensive.
Don’t advertise your newly dug bulbs by leaving papery bits of bulb debris in or on the soil. Clean up your act, or better still, try not to lay your bulbs on the ground while you dig the holes to plant them—squirrels will smell their favorite and scamper over.

Image: Allium. Credit: C. Boeckmann

Keeping Squirrels Off Bird Feeders

Switch bird feed from sunflower seeds to safflower seeds. Birds are happy to eat these seeds, but squirrels find them bitter.
Keep the area under your bird feeder as clean as possible.
Install a squirrel baffle to the feeder pole, which is an inverted cone with at least a 13-inch diameter
Place birdfeeders on isolated poles (not hanging from eaves or trees) at least 5 to 6 feet off the ground and 8 to 10 feet away from your house, trees, or structures. (Squirrels can leap that far and even farther.) Some folks use a pulley system.
Protect feeders suspended from a horizontal wire by threading old records, compact discs, or plastic soda bottles on the wire on each side.
If squirrels are climbing up your bird feeder poles, try rubbing them with Crisco (the poles—not the squirrels)! It doesn’t hurt the birds, and the squirrels won’t be able to get a grip.
Also, consider the type of bird feeder. If you have the common tube feeder, metal ports around the seed dispensers will protect the feeder from nibbling squirrels and house sparrows.
If you are buying a new feeder, the most successful feeder is an all-metal feeder with adjustable springs that regulate a counter-weighted door. When birds light on the platform, the door remains open, but under the heavier weight of a squirrel, the door drops down to conceal the food supply. These tend to be pricier, but you won’t have to replace them on account of squirrel damage. Just make sure that they are hung securely and can’t be knocked down.

Reader Suggestions

Here are a couple more squirrel repellent suggestions that readers sent in:

Try motion-activated sprinklers, primarily designed to keep cats and rabbits out of gardens, to help scare away squirrels which are very skittish and will avoid the area. However, the presence of numerous squirrels, stray animals, or children may result in overwatering and high water bills if they continually trigger this device.
Get some mousetraps. Anchor them solidly to the ground in the area where the squirrels have been digging. Cover them with newspaper, and sprinkle a little dirt on top. When a squirrel comes to dig, it will set off the traps. As the mechanism snaps, it will scare and throw dirt at the squirrel. Once it’s scared enough times, it will find another digging area. Be sure to anchor the traps just in case the wind blows the newspaper off of them. If the trap is anchored, the squirrel will not get hurt.

Dealing with Squirrels Inside the Home

In the autumn, many squirrels try to find shelter and may come inside your home. Make this more difficult for them to do by trimming branches that hang near your roof and placing a mesh guard on your chimney. Close up all holes into your home.

If a squirrel does become trapped in your chimney or attic, you don’t want it to die inside. Make sure it has a way to get out. Hang a rope down through your chimney so it can climb back up to the roof. Or, buy a live trap to get the squirrel out of your house.

Call an animal control specialist if you’re desperate. Once a squirrel lives in your house for a few weeks, they and all their relatives will be attracted to your attic for at least a couple of years.

Do you have any tips for keeping squirrels away? Let us know below!

How to get rid of squirrels in the country | With your own hands

Contents ✓

✓ Squirrels eat and spoil everything
✓ Farewell, dacha!
✓ Repellents
✓ Watch out for poisons!
✓ Precautions

Last summer, the walnuts on my two trees in the country house were eaten by a squirrel. I saw her once on the branches and even drove her away. But you won't be on guard all the time! And having arrived once again for the weekend, I found that not a single nut was left on the trees, and empty shells were lying below. Tell us how to get rid of this animal or at least protect the crop. nine0003

Oleg Ivanovich DENISENKO, Brest region, Malorita

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THIS ARTICLE IS HERE >>>

Squirrels eat and spoil everything in a row

These are just funny animals that look quite good-natured in the pictures. Despite their external attractiveness, they have long gained a reputation as malicious pests that spoil literally everything that comes their way. The main part of the diet of squirrels is made up of various nuts - hazelnuts, cedar and walnuts, peach pits. There is a known case when a squirrel plucked the most beautiful fruits of a pear and gnawed seeds out of them. It was also noted that in the absence of their favorite food, they are not averse to feasting on bulbs of vegetable and flower crops (especially tulips), berries, buds and bark of fruit and berry crops. nine0003

They can also be predators: squirrels often eat nestlings and eggs of useful birds, lizards and frogs. Titmouse, which are expelled from their houses, suffer the most from them. There are cases when squirrels "sharpened" their teeth on wooden furniture and electrical wires.

Read also: How to get rid of mole rats and voles - my way

Farewell, cottage!

Animals with sharp teeth feel great in foreign territory all year round. Not only do they manage the garden, but they turn everything upside down in the attic if they get there. nine0003

A pair of squirrels in love is able to “equip” an entire army of rodents and occupy your home for a long time. In a year, a squirrel brings a couple of litters of

3-10 squirrels, and a year later the squirrel population is enough for a whole fur coat, but earlier the rodents will eat everything that is in the country, along with a wooden house.

Therefore, let's face it: such a cute little animal has no place in summer cottages and household plots. It follows from this that keeping them in the garden, or at least feeding them, is by no means worth it. nine0003

Sound and light

Fighting squirrels is not a one-day task, it takes time and patience. These creatures are quite smart, and it is very difficult to beat them. High intelligence and agility allow them to reach any feeder or get deep-planted bulbs out of the ground. The insidious plans of the animal are brought to life with the help of strong paws: they easily jump from branch to branch, cling to wires and dig entire holes.

The simplest way to fight is the method of avoidance. Instead of feeding animals, you need to remove everything that a squirrel can eat: collect nuts, acorns, fruits from the ground, buy airtight trash cans with tight lids and always keep them closed. Get special bird feeders - they come in a variety of models and types. Do not put them close to trees and the house, keep the area under them clean. nine0003

If nothing stops the jumpers and they continue to visit guests, try to scare them away with a sound, leaving the radio or music player on the roof. Squirrels will constantly hear human voices, and they are unlikely to like it. Leave flashing lights right on the site and attic. They can make the animal run away and leave the venture to settle there.

See also: How to get rid of mice in the vineyard and orchard

note

Constant light in the attic can cause squirrels to leave. In especially difficult situations, a pulsating light beam can scare away rodents. For this, flashing strobe lights are used.

Repellents

Squirrels can be repelled with repellents. Today, the market offers many such drugs to choose from. All of them have a deterrent and are available in any form: sprays, liquids, oil, granules or powder.

Repellents are easy to use and economical. They allow you to protect bird feeders, flower beds, shrubs, ornamental plants from destruction by proteins. It is enough to spray a spray, sprinkle granules, powder or oil a place around the perimeter - and the smell will scare away the animals for up to 30 days. nine0003

Electronics

Electronic squirrel repellers are environmentally friendly and safe devices. They come in different types: ultrasonic, light, water, etc.

Ultrasonic devices emit sound vibrations to which only animals are sensitive. They make the squirrels uncomfortable and force them to stay away from the device. The high decibels of ultrasonic repellant noise can make an area of interest unbearable for individuals who only plan to occupy it. nine0003

Traps

If the previous methods turned out to be powerless, and predators made a real mess - they gnaw wires and multiply uncontrollably, then use traps for squirrels. Outwitting and catching a squirrel is not as easy as it seems, because you are dealing with an intelligent creature. There are several types of traps on the market that are used according to the instructions.

One-man automatic trap cage (pictured) is the most common squirrel trap. It is a solid metal trap cage with a special door slamming mechanism. When an animal comes in to feast on something tasty, the mechanism works, and the squirrel is inside - closed, alive and unharmed. A number of cages are made from hard plastic, metal rods and other materials. Squirrel cages should be large enough and strong enough to hold a rodent. As practice has shown, the optimal size is 15.25 × 15.25 × 45.75 cm.

Make sure that the bait is far inside so that the squirrel cannot reach it from the side. Ideal bait are nuts, crackers, apple slices, peanut butter, bread crusts.

It is best to take the caught squirrel to the forest, located 20-25 km from its habitat. It is believed that in this case she will not find her way home.

Be careful with poisons!

It is undesirable to use poisons for squirrels, after all, they are living creatures that have their own life, flowing according to rules different from those of humans. This is probably why there are no officially registered squirrel poisons on the market. In addition, it is unlikely that such a smart animal can be "persuaded" to eat poison. So it is better not to experiment in this direction. nine0003

Precautions

Squirrels still belong to the wild, they can scratch and bite a person, especially if he is aggressive against them. At the same time, there is a risk of contracting rabies and some other infectious diseases. Therefore, you need to be careful, and if the animal nevertheless attacked you, you should immediately contact a medical facility.

Candidate of Agricultural Sciences Aleksandr Vladimirovich GORNY answered the reader's question

TOOLS FOR MASTERS AND WOMEN, AND HOUSEHOLD GOODS VERY CHEAP. FREE SHIPPING. THERE ARE REVIEWS.

Below are other entries on the topic "How to do it yourself - for a householder!"

Subscribe to updates in our groups and share.

Let's be friends!

How I defeated squirrels: almondd — LiveJournal

Then I bought a bag of oranges. Where they wrote about sneezing squirrels, they also mentioned a certain orange oil, which squirrels are afraid of like fire. I didn’t have any oil, but I decided to put a slide of orange peels in each pot. Experience has shown that for two days the crusts really hold the defense, and on the third they run out of steam, shrink and are buried much deeper by the same proteins. nine0003

For the first two weeks I thought I could consistently produce enough bark for all of our plants. To do this, I had to eat a dozen oranges daily. On the fifteenth day, bursting with sweet, juicy Louisianan citruses, I realized that if I eat at least one more, I will turn into a diathetic toddler, as in childhood: everything itches, my cheeks are ruddy, my stomach swells, and you yourself don’t know where in run first.

I stopped eating oranges and started watching the rodents, thinking of making a noise attack on them. At first, tracking down at least one, I began to shout loudly, stomp and clap. After a couple of days, all the neighbors already recognized the timbre of my voice and looked around knowingly at me on the streets, whispering something to each other. Protein hasn't gone down. nine0003

Then, finally, I decided to shoot the squirrels out of something. This is what all the experienced gardeners on the Louisiana forums strongly advised. I must say that, at the same time, I am a staunch opponent of any weapon, including slingshots, as well as those that shoot with plastic bullets. So I had a strange idea. When I caught another squirrel embarrassingly digging in my pot, I approached with what I thought was a confident, assertive step. She clapped her hands loudly. The squirrel did not even budge in response, allowing me to see how fat she was - her chubby cheeks hung almost to the squirrel's knees.