If you live in a house with a yard, you probably have squirrels. They can be a nuisance when they dig holes to bury acorns and chew on plants in a garden. Fortunately, there are several simple strategies you can use to make your yard an unattractive place for squirrels so they will stay away.
Remove Food Sources
One way to keep squirrels out of your yard is to remove things that can attract them. Rake up any nuts or berries that fall from trees to the ground so squirrels will not be tempted. You should also make sure your trash cans are tightly covered so squirrels will not go digging through them. Trim any tree branches near your garden so squirrels will not use them to get to your plants.
Offer Alternative Food Sources
You can encourage squirrels to stay out of your plants by offering them food somewhere else. You can set up a squirrel feeder with peanuts or sunflower seeds at the edge of your yard to encourage squirrels to stay out of areas where you don’t want them.
Try Repellents
A more direct approach to get rid of squirrels in your yard is to use a repellent. You can buy a repellent at a hardware or lawn and garden store. You will need to reapply a repellent after it rains.
You can also use something you already have in your kitchen. You can sprinkle hot spices, such as chili powder or cayenne pepper, on your plants. The spices will not hurt squirrels or your plants, but they can be effective at keeping the animals away. You can mix pieces of jalapeno pepper or garlic with vinegar and water.
Peppermint can also be an effective squirrel repellent. You can plant a peppermint plant or put peppermint oil on cotton balls and place them in your garden.
Mothballs can also keep squirrels out of your yard. Put a few in wire mesh and put it in an area where you want to get rid of squirrels.
Use the Fear of Predators
The presence or threat of other animals can keep squirrels out of your yard. A dog or cat can chase squirrels away. If you don’t have a pet, you can use the scent of a predatory animal to scare away squirrels. You can buy animal urine or repellent scents in a hunting or sporting goods store to make squirrels think there is a predator in your yard. Repellent scents need to be reapplied after it rains.
Technological Solutions
You can also use technology to get rid of squirrels. You can try motion-activated lights and devices that emit high-frequency sounds or set up motion-activated sprinklers.
Exclusion
Another option is to set up a fence around areas where you want to keep squirrels out. Bury the fence deep enough to keep squirrels from digging and getting to your plants. You can also set up mesh netting to keep squirrels away from plants in your backyard.
Professional Squirrel Removal
Some of these strategies may be effective at getting rid of the squirrels in your backyard. You may need to try more than one approach before you find one that works.
If you have tried these strategies but they didn’t work, or if you are impatient and want to get rid of the squirrels in your backyard as soon as possible, call Anderson Wildlife Control. We will humanely live-trap and relocate the squirrels to another location where they will not cause a nuisance. Contact us today to get an estimate.
