Squirrels might be the most playful creature around but if you have a garden you would find them as the big backyard nuisance. They do not spare the bird feeder. They eat the bird seeds and also destroy growing vegetables. Here in this article, we will know about the various ways to get rid of squirrels.
Ways to Get Rid of Squirrels
1.) Remove Squirrel Food
If squirrels are overrunning your property it is only because they get things to eat in. So to keep squirrels out of your property don’t make it an attracting place for the squirrels. Keep your garden orchard or the backyard clean from their main source of food. The main sources of food for squirrel are nuts, berries and acorns. so if you have a tree on your property rake up nuts and keep them free from such sources which will welcome the squirrels. Use trashes which are sealable so that if you trash can it seal it. Use this trash cans and don’t forget to keep it close. If you have a trash can where squirrels can easily enter replace it with a sealable once.
2.) Protect your Bird Feeders from Squirrels
Squirrels never spare your bird feeders. So, for this use a squirrel guard to protect the feeders. They prevent the squirrels as they cannot get a grip on it. You can also use lubricants on the feeder pole so that the squirrels fail to get a grip on it. Place the feeders away from trees or from any other climbable things, because the squirrels can easy leap from trees or any other thing to reach the feeder. By doing this you can make your feeder squirrel proof. A squirrel proof bird feeders are available and worth too.
3.) Flood the Burrows to Get Rid of Squirrels
Ground squirrels are more difficult to get rid of. There are various techniques to help you out. Flood keeps animals away so find the burrows and flood them. As soon as you flood the burrows the squirrels in it start to search for a comfortable place and comes up to the ground. You can later fill those burrows with earth so that they do not return. They avoid flooded burrows so this is a trick which can help you to keep them away.
4.) Fencing to Get Rid of Squirrels
Fencing also helps in controlling the squirrels. You can protect your garden by fencing them. Squirrels dug burrows and dig up bulbs, they spoil the garden and tear off vegetables. You should take pleasure to protect your garden, for this, you need to wire fence the garden and make sure that it is buried about a foot into the ground. The underground fence prevents the squirrel from digging under it. For flower beds, you can cover them with fencing. You can use a hard cloth or sheet metal of 1 or 2 inches. The fence must be about 18 inches in height and 6 inches buried in the ground.
5.) Try Motion-Activated Sprinklers to Get Rid of Squirrels
The motion activator once can play the trick. They are apt with motion detectors, they detect warm moving objects such as a bird, squirrel, cats dogs and squirrels. You can use a motion detector sprinkler in your lawn, this keeps the squirrel’s away from your property. You can enjoy the benefit of watering your lawn and keeping the squirrels away. They are solar-powered with rechargeable batteries. You can use it for 24 hours or for night-time only. They have adjustable detection sensitivity for animal size and distance. The best part of it is environment-friendly and safer than chemical repellents.
6.) Clean Your Attic to Avoid Squirrels
Poisoning is the least effective method, they always look for bedding materials, shedding wallpapers and roof. To protect your home from them make sure that the attic doesn’t have food in it. You should keep the attic clean and be sure that it is free from anything that could be appetizing for the squirrels.
7.) Seal the Roof Cavity
To avoid these creatures from entering your home, you should seal the roof cavity. Be sure that there are not welcoming entries for the squirrels to evade your indoors. Seal the cracks and leave a 1-way exit. They flying squirrels just leave your property because they don’t find a way to enter your house.
8.) Place a Trap to Catch Squirrels
Trapping is an age-old technique to control squirrels You can use a trapper to trap this creature find out the one doorway and seal it to avoid their entering indoors. Again if you want to trap the squirrel place the wire cage outside the door so that the door empties directly into it. In addition, to this, you can use eatables to lure them. Later you can release them outdoors away from your property.
9.) Use a Commercial Repellent
There are many squirrel repellents available in the market to help you to get rid of squirrels. Pick a repellent from the store they can be in the form of a spray or in the form of granules. The smell of the predators can keep them away. You can use the fox urine products. The smell of the predator’s makes them believe the presence of the predators. Garlic you can just mix mashed garlic cloves in water or vinegar and store in a sprayer to use them. Hot peppers and chilli peppers are also a good option for you, grind some hot pepper and chilli peppers and sprinkle them throughout the garden to deter pest. The main advantage of this solution is that they are organic it doesn’t harm the animals and works miraculously. There are also some other chemical products available.
10.) Use gas to Get Rid of Squirrels
To determine the amount of gas that should be injected. If the materials are denser like clay materials the amount of gas injected is lesser than the one injected into the soil. Soil with lighter density needs a less amount of gas injected.
11.) Use Coffee to Get Rid of Squirrels
This is another option squirrels hate the smell of coffee. You can use coffee on your yard and flower beds to keep pest away. You can also use coffee powders, sprinkle some powders on the one-way passage, but this trick doesn’t work outdoors during the rainy seasons. As the rain washes away the coffee.
12.) Kill the Squirrels
If your state allows you to kill the pest you can use some techniques like shooting and poisoning the squirrels. However in the most states killing of squirrels is illegal. Sometimes just trapping and releasing them doesnt work effectively especially in the case of a large population of the squirrel. You can use rat poison to kill them. Other poisons used for killing this pest is anticoagulants, strychnine.
13.) Kill Squirrels Without Using Poison
You can use sugar and salt to kill squirrels they have the same effect on the pest like poison has. Sugar increases the natural blood sugar level in them leading them to face a number of problems like excessive weight. The increase in their weight can lead to clogged arteries and restrict the flow of blood. It is even easy to feed leave some on the ground. On the other hand, salt effect the heart function and raise the blood pressure and increase the pulse rate.
14.) Use an Electronic Repellent to Get Rid of Squirrels
You can get an electronic squirrel controller to get rid of the squirrels. They are safe and needs no additional efforts or reapplication. They come in various option like the
- Ultraviolet devices.
- Electrical fencing.
- Electric zapper.
The ultrasound device to generate a sound wave of high frequency and squirrels can here this sounds. This sound irritates the animals. Electric fencing is also helpful as they stop squirrels in getting into your garden and property. The zappers are simple machines which pass current when touched. It is not too harmful as it gives a tingling sensation like that of electric fencing.
15.) Guard the Chimneys
Squirrels enter your house through the slightest gap available a chimney is a comfortable entrance in your home for them so try to guard the openings of the chimney. Block them with a metallic sheet.