Ultrasonic noisemakers and motion sensor sprinklers may give squirrels a start, but rapidly decrease in effectiveness over time. This might also be a good first step until the other strategies begin to work. In particular, for killing garden birds. Prevention is better than cure, as always it’s always easier to prevent a problem than solve it. You will need to use a wire mesh so the squirrels can't nibble through them. However, this isn’t really practical in a domestic garden! Protect Trees & Shrub Bark With Spiral Tree Protectors. The cap on top and metal mesh on the sides will keep squirrels out. Homemade recipes may also include garlic or onion, vinegar, or peppermint oil. Repellants may have some success used in conjunction with other deterrents, but gardeners must be vigilant about reapplication. Same with fruit trees: rake up any fallen fruit that will have your squirrels’ names on them. When did you last see a red squirrel and where were you? Ultimately, you may have to turn your squirrel prevention methods into entertainment, Wareham suggests. Tulips and crocus are particularly vulnerable. Registration no: 10735156, Evergreen Garden Care (UK) Ltd,  You don't have to give up on feeding the birds, but switching to less palatable feed like safflower seed or seed treated with cayenne pepper can deter hungry squirrels. Werner, Scott J. et al. If you prefer to use aluminum foils, lay them across the top of your plants and make some holes for water. The easiest and cheapest way to keep squirrels out of your garden is to not plant vegetation they like to eat. United Kingdom. A bait of peanut butter or sunflower seeds can be used. To guard an individual plant, create a cage using hardware cloth or chicken wire topped with plastic bird netting; use clothespins to … She has years of experience in caring for flowers and plants. Buy a squirrel resistant bird feeder - a caged feeder restricting access to the food by squirrels but which still allows smalls birds from feeding. They don’t like the smell and they won’t cross the path of moth balls. 1 Archipelago, Lyon Way,  Pet food, in general, has a heavy aroma and attracts squirrels, raccoons, gophers and many other animals that live by gathering food. Wind, water, and sunlight will cause repellants to break down quickly. The birds don’t mind them, but the squirrels find their flavor very bitter and not very appetizing. Ensure there are no access holes into your property. Tastes that attract or repel squirrels As mentioned, squirrels love sweet corn. Here is our advice on deterring squirrels from setting up home in your garden. Why they’re not welcome The main problem caused by cats is digging in beds and borders, and fouling in them. Sprinklers activated by movement could help to deter squirrels from the garden, as well as other unwanted domestic visitors like next doors cat. Faux predators may have some limited effectiveness, but you must provide the animation they lack by moving them around every day. Get strategic with your gardening. What worked for you? The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Keep them out. Protect bulbs growing in pots by covering them with a layer of chicken wire or metal mesh. Squirrels relish many of the same plants that we do, including fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, and berries. In some areas, squirrels will hibernate in the summer during the peak heat season. Mischievous, maddening, and always poised for action, squirrels seem to always be one step ahead of gardeners when it comes to the damage they inflict on our flower and vegetable beds. Squirrels can be a complete disaster for property owners and cause thousands of pounds of damage, by nibbling through wires and woodwork or tearing into insulation and plasterboard. Whilst birds don’t mind a hint of chilli, squirrels don’t like the hot, spicy flavour and will leave the food alone. Repellants also have the disadvantage of repelling the gardener. Some squirrels are protected species and killing them may hold a fine. Do you want your rose garden to smell like coyote urine and onions? If you have a garden, you can encase it in a wire fence, or, if it's a small garden in a box, move it inside a screened area that still gets adequate sunlight. Remove it when shoots appear. After the harvest is over, remove any dropped fruits or vegetables from the ground. So the simple answer would be to remove all nuts, fruit, vegetables, fungi, insects. The Spruce / Micah Issitt and Adrienne Legault. Metal mesh cloches are ideal for young vegetable plants, especially leafy greens. That is not all, squirrel feces and urine are known to be one … Wire netting is best used for permanent structures such as fruit cages, as squirrels can quite easily bite through plastic. One of the most commonly used tricks to keep squirrels out of potted plants is to put something in the pots that the squirrels won’t like. Add a squirrel baffler, or dome to a hanging feeder to act as a blocker so that the squirrel cannot shimmy down the hanger to the feeder. The odour is repellent to squirrels but does them no harm. You can remove this after the bulbs start producing shoots. If you see fallen nuts, acorns, or berries, be extra diligent about keeping them cleaned up. This is inadvisable unless you know your species. Purchase a ‘Guardian’ which is a squirrel resistant cage that fits over the top of a regular bird feeder. Keeping the garden clean can also discourage squirrels from gathering. 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