Contents
Intro
Mischievous, frantic and ready for action, squirrels always seem to be one step ahead of the gardener when it comes to causing damage to flower beds and vegetables.
How to keep squirrels out of garden? It’s rare that any one method can completely control squirrels, but with some persistence and a multi-pronged approach, you can curb the damage these rodents can cause to your landscape.
What plants do squirrels eat?
Squirrels love many of the same plants we do, including fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts and berries. They will also make quick work of tulip bulbs and even tulip flowers. However, there are many plants that find squirrels distasteful or even toxic to them.
Some plants have developed a defense mechanism of bitter or toxic sap to discourage animals from eating them, so keep them in your beds, edges and hanging baskets.
Common Squirrel Prevention
How can I prevent squirrels from entering my garden? Like all wildlife, squirrels are opportunists and will take advantage of the notoriously low-lying fruit in your landscape. Bird feeders are one of the biggest squirrel decoys, whether yours is a Fort Knox squirrel-proof feeder or not, because the seeds will always spill onto the ground. You don’t have to give up feeding the birds, but switching to less tasty foods such as safflower seeds or chili seeds can deter hungry squirrels.
Keeping your garden clean will also deter squirrels from parties. How to keep squirrels out of garden? After the harvest is over, remove any fallen fruit or vegetables from the ground. Don’t forget to remove other squirrel-attracting foods, such as leftover pet food and acorns or black walnuts dropped in the landscape.
What about pet cats and dogs? The sight of a predator may deter squirrels for a while, but all pets must sleep, and fast rodents will continue to suffer during these cat meals. Plus, cats and small dogs can create their own nibbling and digging damage in the garden.
Squirrel Repellent
How to keep squirrels out of garden? There are many squirrel repellents on the market, but most are based on predator urine or cayenne pepper. Homemade recipes may also include garlic or onions, vinegar or peppermint oil. Repellents may have some success when used in combination with other deterrents, but gardeners must be vigilant about reapplication. Wind, water and sunlight can cause Roundup to break down quickly. Insect repellents also have the disadvantage of repelling gardeners. Do you want a rose garden that smells like coyote urine and onions?
Squirrel Fencing
Fencing has great use as a pest exclusion device for any animal, but it can also be expensive and unsightly for larger areas. Cages are more accurate than fences because there are no fences to keep out agile squirrels. How to keep squirrels out of garden? Although squirrels have the ability to overcome very solid barriers by digging and biting, floating row covers are surprisingly effective for use as barriers in vegetable gardens. Squirrels don’t like the feeling of being enclosed, which can stop them from sprinting away from predators.
Squirrel bait, noise generators and sprinkler heads
Fierce resin owls and wriggling black rubber snakes seem to walk the garden aisles every spring, giving the gardener a promise of getting rid of his wits. How to keep squirrels out of garden? Artificial predators may have limited efficacy, but you must move them daily to provide the animation they lack. Ultrasonic sounders and motion sensor sprinklers may give squirrels a head start, but effectiveness declines rapidly as time passes. As urban animals, squirrels have adapted to coexist with a variety of noises and other stimuli.
Plant, Bulb and Tree Protection
It is not possible to exclude squirrels from areas near woodlands or parks where it makes more sense to protect individual plants from squirrels. This may seem like a lot of work, but as a bonus you can also keep out mice, voles, groundhogs, birds, rabbits and deer.
Metal netting is ideal for young, tender vegetables, especially leafy greens. You can buy beautiful antique reproductions or make a simple homemade bell-shaped cover from wire mesh. Place extra wire mesh over newly planted bulbs to prevent digging. Aluminum flashing wraps nicely around the trunk and also prevents squirrels from climbing the tree. Paper bags allow sunflowers to fully mature undisturbed. Old socks or burlap will prevent one of squirrels’ most infuriating behaviors: taking a bite out of a ripe tomato and then abandoning the spoiled fruit.
How to prevent a squirrel invasion
Seal the holes, you should never assume that squirrels only move around inside the yard, and if you’re not careful, they’ll come into the house. And they love to appear in the dead center of the hole, including the old garage or shed. The places they choose are basically closer to trees, because these places are the best holes for them. So, we need to notice these dead ends as early as possible and seal up the holes.
In addition to outdoor sheds and old garages, squirrels are also prone to running into homes along the roof or roof loopholes, which can be a real headache for us, because these guys not only make it difficult for us to eat and sleep, but also love to gnaw on wires, which can also jeopardize the safety of the family. By the way, if there are holes on the top floor or roof, it is more dangerous to fix them by yourself, so it is recommended to hire a professional company to deal with them.
Repair the branches of the trees in your yard. In addition to sealing off the entrances and exits that they like to enter, you should also repair the branches of those trees in your backyard on a regular basis. Squirrels love to make their homes in trees, and most of the time they come into your home by following the branches and forks. Try to keep the branches 1.8 meters away from the house, roof, and shed so that they can’t easily get in.