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What is the best way to get rid of squirrels


How to Get Rid of Squirrels

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Don’t let the bushy tails fool you. They may be cute and and bright-eyed, but if left unchecked, squirrels can do an impressive amount of damage, not only to your garden, but also to your home (particularly the attic and eaves). While there’s no quick and easy way to get rid of squirrels, you can do a number of things to slowly shoo away these mischievous creatures. Whether you’re responding to an existing squirrel problem or seeking to prevent one, read on for a five-step action plan.

Photo: fotosearch.com

1. Focus on food.

If the neighborhood squirrels seem to be more interested in your house than in the one next door, it only makes sense to investigate the reason why.

First things first, scan your property for an obvious food source, such as a bird feeder. Even if mounted on a tree or atop a pole, bird feeders are well within reach of squirrels, agile animals capable of jumping eight to ten feet with relative ease.

If not going to go great heights in search of food, squirrels are just as likely to dig for it. Garden bulbs, in particular, are vulnerable. In lieu of protecting your flower beds with chicken wire, consider planting strategically placed daffodils. Since these perennials are poisonous to squirrels, they act as effective deterrents.

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2. Prevent passage.

Everyone knows that squirrels are expert climbers. What you may not have realized is that, by banding tree trunks with plastic or metal collars (sometimes known as baffles), you can prevent squirrels from progressing along those routes that afford access to vulnerable areas, such as the overhang of your roof.

3. Opt for odors.

To augment your other efforts, hang ammonia-soaked rags on the branches squirrels seem to favor. Doing so has proven moderately successful for Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, CA. Alternatively, you can purchase and spread predator urine, available for sale at garden supply stores, home centers, and online retailers (view example on Amazon). Bear in mind that such treatments must be reapplied after every rainfall.

4. Count on chemicals.

There are many chemical repellents on the market that work well to get rid of squirrels. Look for products containing the active ingredient capsaicin (view example on Amazon). While some homeowners choose to spray repellent near entry points to the attic, others go a step further and apply it directly to bulbs before planting.

5. Trap and relocate.

A last option—perhaps a futile one—is the use of live-catch traps. Even when baiting the trap with a squirrel favorite like peanuts, expect to wait a few days for the trap to become a familiar part of the environment, something the squirrels feel comfortable investigating. Once that introductory period has passed, be sure to check the trap twice daily. If you trap a squirrel, act quickly to relocate it from your property to a suitable location at least three miles away, preferably across a major highway or large body of water.

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Before doing anything else, the wise course is to check in with your local fish and game department, since various municipal and/or state laws may govern the treatment of squirrels where you live. In California, for example, it’s illegal to trap gray squirrels without a permit. Note that some of the heaviest regulations pertain to the use of rodenticides. For that reason alone, putting aside all ethical questions, it’s recommended that you rely solely on nontoxic control methods.

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How to get rid of squirrels

(Image credit: Yuriy Mayatnikov/Unsplash)

While it’s always a treat to see mischievous bushy-tailed squirrels romping in parks and forest glades, they’re a real nuisance in the garden, happily ordering appetizers of growing vegetables and fruit, followed by your prized bulbs for dessert.  

Nuts and berries make for delicious squirrel ready-meals, and they will strip the bark from trees, too, interfering with your most prized garden ideas.

Getting rid of squirrels in the attic is vital as they can wreak havoc if they get inside your home and here are the best natural ways to get rid of squirrels from the backyard – try a combination for best results.

How to get rid of squirrels – naturally

There are many ways to get rid of squirrels in the garden naturally – from using odors they hate to water sprays to ultrasound. None of these methods will kill or harm squirrels but a combination of the methods will deter them. The best way to get rid of squirrels naturally? Get a dog or a big, lively cat.

What is the best way to repel squirrels?

Strong smells are a great way to repel squirrels (just as they can be handy to get rid of raccoons and deter pigeons) – certain odors make squirrels wrinkle their noses. They’re said to dislike the scent of coffee grounds and peppermint, or you could make up your own recipe with vinegar, garlic and onions or peppermint oil to spray in the garden.  

Chilli flakes and pepper might put them off, so try a sprinkling of these. When you come to plant up your borders, consider the scented plants squirrels dislike, such as oniony-smelling members of the allium family, strongly-scented hyacinths and lily of the valley.

Can you buy squirrel repellent?

Yes, you can purchase a squirrel repellent spray , which are made of (often natural) ingredients that squirrels hate. Some of these repellent sprays work on deterring other rodents, too.

What do squirrels hate the most?

Squirrels hate their natural predators – or perceived predators – the most, so if you can encourage owls to your yard, get a dog or a cat that loves hunting, they are much less likely to come in. 

Failing that, a decoy predator, such as a decoy owl , can be effective, although be aware that these will scare off some birds, too. You will have to move it around the garden now and then since once squirrels get used to it, they won’t be fooled.  

Get rid of squirrels with motion-detector water sprays

If you spot a squirrel up to no good while you’re out watering the plants, direct the nozzle of the garden hose in its direction and watch it scarper. The children’s water blaster toy can be put to the same use. 

But the best way to catch squirrels unawares is with a motion-activated sprinkler . The sensor unit will detect when an animal – including cats, yours or the neighbors – is near and can be angled to the correct height to give an unsuspecting squirrel a drenching.

Get rid of squirrels with ultrasound 

Rock concerts are testament to the pain-inducing power of sound for humans, but how about ultrasound as a squirrel deterrent?  Squirrels are also susceptible to noise, particularly to high-pitched frequencies, so it’s worth checking out a sonic squirrel repellent that’s designed to ward them off. 

These devices emit a sound at a higher frequency than humans can hear when the motion sensor detects a squirrel or other animal. Be aware that your pets may be affected by the sound, too.

How to keep squirrels away from bird feeders

To keep squirrels away from bird feeders takes a combination of strategies.

Picture the scene: the bird feeder is filled with juicy treats and you settle back to enjoy your feathered friends flitting to and fro, only to find that squirrels are harvesting the goods. 

Time to look out for a squirrel-proof bird feeder. These have a surrounding cage that squirrels can’t get around, or cone-shaped baffles to deter the squirrels. The birds can still get their dinner but the squirrels will have to look elsewhere for a meal. 

Position feeders carefully to ensure these champion leapers and tightrope walkers can’t get at them. Bird-feeder poles can be smeared with petroleum jelly to discourage squirrels from climbing up them. If the feeder is suspended, placing plastic pipe around the supporting wire will prevent squirrels climbing down to the feeder.

What's the best way to keep fruit and vegetables safe from squirrels?

The best way to protect fruit and vegetables from squirrels is to invest in a fruit cage. These can be purchased in varying sizes or if you’re handy, you can construct your own. 

You’ll need to cover it with metal mesh or chicken wire rather than the usual plastic mesh, which squirrels can bite their way through. For lower-growing vegetables and young plants, invest in cloches and tunnels.

How do to protect container plants from squirrels

Think of these creatures as canny investors, collecting a bank of nuts that they can retrieve when hunger calls. Always on the lookout for a safe place to stash their store of nuts, they spy a container and discover it’s already prepared with nice, soft compost. Even better from their point of view, they might come across a few prize bulbs, just right for a tasty snack. 

To stop them digging, arrange large pebbles around the topsoil, which has the bonus of preventing moisture evaporating from the pot, so you might thankfully have to water less often, too.

How to get rid of squirrels in the roof

If scampering sounds are coming from bedroom ceilings, it could be that squirrels have got into the roof above, where they can chomp their way through wiring cables, chew on wood, build themselves a nest and cause no end of damage.

Squirrels will be looking for an easy leg-up into the roof, so it makes sense to cut down any overhanging branches. Climbing plants growing up the wall of the house can also provide a framework for squirrels to climb. Inspect the roof both from inside and out, to check whether any gaps under the eaves might be giving squirrels an easy way in. Fix metal mesh firmly in place to seal them up.

Lola Houlton is H&G's long-term intern. Currently student of Psychology at the University of Sussex, she began writing content for Real Homes around the subjects of children's and teenagers' bedroom, in particular covering the psychology of teens and their approach to tidiness. From there, Lola expanded her knowledge of a broad range of subjects and now writes about everything from organization through to house plants while continuing her studies. 

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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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mechanical traps, ultrasonic traps and chemicals

When meeting this furry animal in the forest, many look at him with affection. Funny squirrels sometimes even take a treat from their hands.

A squirrel on a tree

But if these fluffy robbers have settled in your area and started destroying the planted nuts, spoiling the fruits, tenderness disappears and irritation appears.

It is even worse when the animal settles in the house, in the attic or in another secluded corner. Then he chews on everything.

We have to figure out how to get rid of proteins on our own: we will present the most effective ways to fight in our article.

Article content

If earlier the squirrel could only be found in the forest, now it increasingly lives next to a person, living in parks or city gardens.

Hand-feeding squirrel

This is a small animal, the length of which does not exceed 32 cm, most of it falls on its tail.

This baby does not weigh more than a kilogram, but usually up to 400 g, and less during the active period. In summer it is painted in a classic red color, in winter it is noticeably darker.

Lifestyle

In the wild, squirrels are solitary except during the rut.

Squirrel's nest in a tree

But sometimes in winter you can meet up to 6 individuals in the nest - this way they get less cold, warming each other.

Habitats of wood squirrels are diverse:

  1. Nest built from branches independently, usually spherical;
  2. hollow - the former dwelling of a woodpecker;
  3. empty nest of a large bird.

The squirrel's strong paws, equipped with sharp claws, are perfectly adapted by nature for climbing trees. No worse than a squirrel and jumps, flying along a curve up to 10 m.

Squirrel in a jump

When there is no snow, the animal often moves along the ground, making huge jumps up to 1 m in length.

In winter it prefers to climb trees, sometimes not leaving the nest for a long time in bad weather. If this interval is long, it can fall into half-sleep, but not into hibernation.

Diet

It is very diverse in squirrels and can include up to 130 different types of food, but the main component is seeds obtained from cones of coniferous trees, which are dictated by the habitat:

If the squirrel does not have enough food to eat, it switches to hazelnuts, fresh and dried mushrooms, occasionally acorns.

Nut-eating squirrel

Can eat berries, tubers, bulbs, rhizomes. It can gnaw buds and shoots of trees, severely damaging the bark.

In the mating season and in spring, it can switch to animal food, destroying bird nests and eating their eggs, and sometimes chicks.

In addition to insects and their larvae, it can also attack small vertebrates. The amount of feed that a squirrel needs per day is small - during the mating season about 80 g, and in winter only 35.

The squirrel is very active during the day. She does not eat all the food she finds, she hides some of it in secluded corners: these are stocks for the winter.

True, she forgets about their whereabouts very quickly, in winter she finds them only by chance. Most of the stock is eaten by other animals and birds.

Harmful to humans

Squirrel teeth are designed in such a way that they grow constantly and require grinding. This forces the animals to gnaw on everything they meet.

Such a feature is dangerous for humans:

  1. once settled in a house, they can gnaw through the wires, which will lead to a short circuit and a fire;
  2. the noise they make annoys the inhabitants of the house and interferes with peaceful sleep;
  3. excrement, and they can be seen in animal habitats, make you think about how to get rid of squirrels;
  4. Parasites and diseases that can be transmitted from furry robbers to humans pose a significant health hazard.

Squirrels do a lot of harm in their dacha:

All this makes you think about how to drive the squirrels from the site to their natural habitat.

How to get rid of squirrels with your own hands

You need to start the fight with humane methods. The easiest way is to simply not allow animals to enter the site.

To do this, it should not have anything attractive to them.

  1. We'll have to remove all the branches of the trees, through which the animals can get into the attic.
  2. Do not leave acorns and fruits on the ground.
  3. Waste bins must be sealed.
  4. Bird feeders must prevent squirrels from reaching their contents.

To prevent the animals from getting into the house, certain measures must be taken:

If all this does not help, the fight against proteins continues with radical methods.

Mechanical traps

They are a bit like a mousetrap, but larger. The principle of operation is the same - the animal is caught on the bait.

The cage can be made of metal, plastic or other materials, as long as they are strong enough.

Trapped squirrel

Size - 15x15x45 cm. It is better to take a trapped squirrel to the forest away from home so that it does not find its way to it.

Ultrasonic repellers

They can be either simple or combined.

GX-033 Ultrasonic Repeller

The former are capable of emitting only ultrasound. Secondly, in addition to it, there is a sound signal and flashes of light. They are more efficient.

Stationary dog ​​and squirrel repeller Tornado 115

The devices differ in both power and price.

  1. Model Tornado 115. Actually, this device is designed to scare away dogs and cats. But with a problem with proteins, it will also help very effectively. This squirrel repeller uses 115 dB ultrasonic waves emitted from two speakers to drive the squirrel away. If the squirrels settled somewhere in your attic or shed, then you will need to find out how they get inside there. Having found out this point, the device must be placed at the beginning of the passage of the dwelling where the squirrels settled. And it is important that this facility has access to a 220 V network. Then Tornado 115 must be connected to a 220 V network and it will start dispersing unwanted squirrels.
  2. Model GX-033. Emits ultrasound, runs on batteries. Equipped with a motion sensor that activates the action of bright light flashes. Hang it at a height of approximately 1.2 m.
  3. EcoSniper Model. It operates at a distance of up to 10 m. In addition to the functions that the previous model has, it can turn on a sound siren.
  4. "Defender of the yards" model. The motion sensor is designed for 16 m. It protects an area of ​​200 square meters and is able to work both from the mains and from batteries.

If furry pests cannot be repelled in this way, less humane chemical methods are used.

Video: Stationary dog, cat and squirrel repeller Tornado 115
Chemicals

Of course, no one is going to poison animals. It is enough just to apply chemical agents that have a deterrent effect - repellents.

They are available in various forms:

Means are non-toxic, repel animals by smell.

Gel repellent from the manufacturer Trixie

The composition is usually complex: extracts of hot pepper and mint, extracts of secretions of predators.

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