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Squirrel Repelling Tips

25 18:03:06

Squirrels are a pest, though mainly just the grey variety. They breed fast and eat fast, with a population of grey squirrels consuming twenty times as much food as the red variety, driving them almost extinct in just thirty years. With such appetites it's no wonder they can demolish a supply of bird food in no time at all. Grey Squirrels are also territorial, and in the UK they've developed an annoying habit of stripping the bark off tree trunks and branches, slowing growth. Often the branch will be circle stripped resulting in the death of the branch, or sometimes the entire tree. With all this in mind it's important to find ways to reduce the damage they cause, so here are a few pieces of advice to get you started.

Take Steps with Spice

Interesting fact, birds are completely immune to the effects of chillies and peppers, whereas squirrels are hyper sensitive to the sensations. The plants evolved this way to ensure they'd spread as far as possible, keeping mammals from wasting the seed nearby, when the birds could eat the fruit and spread far further afield. Mix some chili in with bird feed and squirrels will never eat there again, or at least never more than once. Feel free to take more imaginative uses, too. Rub a chili and Vaseline mix on feeding poles and trees and squirrels will be hesitant to climb them at all.

Baffle them

A squirrel baffle is a small hollow dome placed on a feeding pole. It's mostly effective, though squirrels are intuitive and have been known to find ways around it. The essential idea is that they can't climb up the pole, and if they attempt to jump up the smooth dome will provide no footing. There are similar guards for trees, smooth plastic cones placed around the base. Less agile squirrels will be unable to jump up, and none will be able to strip the bark around the base.

For a homemade solution, consider wrapping a large spring around the pole. Squirrels will be unable to get a good grip, and be thrown off when they find it.

Distract them

The kindest way to deal with squirrels is to simply distract them with an alternative food source. Put nuts and seeds in a specialist squirrel feeder with a lid that can't be opened by birds and they'll be quick to find it. Combining this method with the chili is particularly effective, especially if you want to attract wildlife to your garden rather than scaring it away.

Bear all these tips in mind, and you'll have no trouble keeping the local squirrel population under control and your garden safe.