How to Deter Squirrels


Squirrels can be unbelievably cute. But they can also be unbelievably crafty and persistent pests. They steal food from bird feeders, nibble on garden plants and dig holes for very little reason. They have even been known to chew their way into attics, crawl spaces and even cars to nest. But none of those are sufficient reason to poison or otherwise harm the squirrels on your property. You must have a good squirrel removal option to do this.

  • Spray coyote urine over the entire garden with a lawn sprayer. Coyote urine can be purchased from retail home and garden stores, near the lawn and garden repellents. When the squirrels smell the urine, they will assume they are being hunted and leave the treated areas.

  • Chop several cayenne peppers and place them in a blender. Puree at medium speed until the peppers become a fine powder. Combine the pepper powder with water and pour it into a lawn sprayer. Spray a fine mist over all of the plants in the garden. When the squirrels begin to eat the plants, the hot, powerful flavor will repel them and keep them from eating more.
  • Install a motion-activated water sprayer. These devices use a sensor to detect heat and movement in the garden. When it picks up a lead, the device sprays a large amount of water up to 35 feet. The water not only scares squirrels away, but it also hydrates your garden and lawn.
  • Drop mothballs all around the garden. Squirrels are naturally repelled by the smell of mothballs, so they will avoid them at all costs. Place them around the perimeter and space them intermittently throughout the garden.
  • Use blood meal to fertilize the garden. Blood meal is a high source of nitrogen that can also activate compost. It is available for purchase at retail lawn and garden stores, usually near the fertilizers. Excess blood gathered from slaughterhouses is gathered and dried into a powder to create blood meal. The smell indicates to squirrels that other animals have recently died in the area, and thus it will repel them.
  • Hang peppermint oiled cotton balls from old sheer panty hose around the area where squirrels are being destructive. The smell of mint repels squirrels. Hang a Slinky around your bird feeder, too–the bouncing springs will frighten the squirrels for a while.
  • Plug all entrances to your house, gables, chimneys and attics with fine 1/2 inch hardware cloth or 26-inch gauge metal screen. Squirrels can be discouraged from climbing trees if you put a band of 2-foot wide sheet metal around the trunk of a tree. Trim all branches far away from the house so squirrels can’t leap from a branch to the roof.

Filed Under: Pets & Animals

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About the Author: Fred Goodson has a passion for pets and animals. He has 4 dogs and is planning to have another one. He is also a blogger who writes about pets and animals. Currently, he is living in New Jersey.

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