How to Keep Squirrels Away

No matter where you live in our world, there is likely to be some squirrel species that reside there. As harmless as they look, squirrels wreak havoc on your house and yard. Learning how to keep squirrels away is essential information for a lot of homeowners.

Finding natural ways to keep squirrels away isn’t a problem. The most significant issues arise when you only try one strategy, and it doesn’t work, so you give up. Much like squirrels, persistence is a critical factor to your success.

Finding the best way to keep squirrels away takes a lot of effort. It’s also impossible to get rid of squirrels completely.

Your best bet is to stay on top of prevention and incorporate scheduled actions around your property that are going to repel them for years to come.

Check out these home remedies for keeping squirrels out of your yard and protect your property from significant damage in the future.

Information on Squirrels

Knowing what keeps squirrels away is dependent on what you know about their living habits. Squirrels are small, tree-climbing animals that are closely related to chipmunks, prairie dogs, and groundhogs.

There are three classifications of squirrels, including large tree squirrels, pine squirrels, and flying squirrels. Most of these small critters reach eight to 20 inches in length and weigh up to a pound and a half.

The average lifespan of a squirrel is six years in the wild. Squirrels reside on every continent except Antarctica, and there are now over 100 species. They live in both urban and rural sites and create leaf nests inside trees and bushes.

Their diet consists mainly of tree nuts like walnuts and acorns, but they also feed on berries, fruits, veggies, birdseed, sunflower seeds, and mushrooms. Learning how to get rid of squirrels is vital because they cause a lot of damage to our homes and yards.

Natural Ways to Keep Squirrels Away

Keeping squirrels away from your garden and house is imperative to the upkeep and quality of your property.

Squirrels are dangerous to our trees because they eat the fruits and buds, gnaw on the bark, and create damage that kills younger trees and plants. Because they love to chew, they often put holes in our siding and eaves.

They also love to gnaw on wires and destroy insulation in our attics. Aside from that, squirrels are known to carry diseases like typhus and ringworm and spread them to humans.

Using a repellent to keep squirrels and chipmunks away is important for your home structure and knowing what to use to keep chipmunks away is the best place to start. Try these tips for learning how to keep squirrels away and watch your yard flourish.

How to Keep Squirrels Away

The most straightforward option for keeping squirrels at a distance is by cutting off their primary food source.

Bird feeders, compost, and open trash cans are all food sources for pests, and rodents like raccoons and squirrels are attracted to this food as well. For bird feeder squirrel protection, purchase a squirrel baffle to put on the top or bottom of your bird feeders for how to keep squirrels out of bird feeders.

Squirrel baffles are shaped like a dome and don’t allow the critters to grab onto the feeders for an easy meal. Consider mixing safflower seeds into the mix to create a bitter flavor that squirrels don’t enjoy.

Make sure to have secured trash can lids, and don’t spread food in your garden if possible. Removing fallen fruits and nuts from the ground is also important because the less food there is, the less likely they are to hang around.

Scare the Squirrels

Squirrels are skittish animals and won’t stick about if they feel that danger is always lurking around the corner. Having pet dogs or cats are excellent natural deterrents for squirrels.

If you don’t have or want a pet, set up a plastic owl decoy around elevated areas to keep squirrels out of my yard. Owls are natural predators to squirrels and quickly slow a squirrel problem.

Use Sprinklers and Other Motion Activated Products

Technology is impressive and has come out with motion-activated sprinklers that scare away squirrels and get rid of chipmunks in yard and garden. The second a small animal runs by, the sprinklers turn on and scare the squirrels from your property.

Another motion-activated tool to use when learning how to keep squirrels away is a strobe light. Set up these lights in attics where squirrels tend to build nests and live. The strobe lights go off, and flashes of bright white lights scare the squirrels away.

Deter Squirrels with Chicken Wire

Chicken wire is an excellent tool for keeping pests away from our trees and garden beds. Wrap some chicken wire or plastic bird netting around the base of a tree or the perimeter of your garden.

Make sure the wire is buried under the ground far enough so they won’t dig under it. The squirrels won’t squeeze their bodies through the small holes and make their way into areas you want to keep them away from.

Using Capsaicin to Deter Squirrels

Capsaicin is a component found inside chile peppers. Treat plants, bulbs, and flowers with this compound. When the squirrel munches on the food source, they get an unpleasant bite that keeps them from returning. Use cayenne pepper to keep squirrels away from planters by sprinkling the soil with the spice.

Don’t put capsaicin products on the fruits and veggies that you plan to eat. Some of the best products available for purchase are Cole’s Flaming Squirrels and Bonide hot pepper wax, but cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes are a great substitute.

Create a Homemade Squirrel Repellent

There are many natural ways to keep squirrels away, and purchasing sprays isn’t necessary when you can make one at home cheaper.

This DIY squirrel repellent spray is the best way to keep squirrels away from your home and garden. The hot pepper and vinegar irritate the squirrels by both taste and smell.

Mix equal parts cold water and white vinegar in a pot. Add a sliced jalapeno to the solution and bring it to a boil.

Once the spray is boiling, remove it from the heat and cool to room temperature before pouring the repellent into a spray bottle. For squirrels in the attic, spray the deterrent in your attic and around areas where you suspect squirrel activity.

The Best Way to Keep Squirrels Away

Even though squirrels make their way into our gardens, it’s easy to combat their entry by planting things that squirrels hate.

Allium, hyacinths, daffodils, peppermint, geranium, and lily of the valley are all plants that squirrels don’t like. Planting these in your flower and garden beds is a natural solution and brings extra beauty to your home.

Use Essential Oil

Just like how peppermint plants repel squirrels, essential oils also work to keep them at bay. Add a few hefty drops of peppermint oil to a spray bottle full of water. Shake the water and spray the mixture around your home and trees to keep pests and insects away.

Remove their Hiding Places

If you continue to remove the places where squirrels hide their food stash, then they’ll look for somewhere else to keep it. Pick up brush and wood piles around your house.

Remove flower pots if necessary because the soil is loose and easy for the squirrels to dig up and hide nuts in. Discard piles of leaves or other organic matter whenever possible.

Mulching Your Beds

One of the most annoying squirrel damage sources is when they dig up planted bulbs from our beds. Mulching around your home in all your beds is a great way to prevent this damage from happening.

Squirrels don’t like the feel of heavy mulch because it makes the process more difficult. Gravel is another wonderful alternative to mulch because it is far heavier. Rocks also look great and prevent too much evaporation from your soil.

Keep Squirrels Away with Mothballs

Mothballs create a strong, musky smell, and squirrels can’t stand it. These are great for placing around your attic if you have an infestation. The attic is the most likely place that squirrels live, so scope out the area and place the balls near their point of entry.

Set up a Squirrel Trap

Using a live trap is a humane way of catching squirrels and releasing them in a better-suited environment that is not near you. Havahart is a famous brand, and the squirrel trap lures the animals in with food.

The door shuts behind the squirrels after they enter and stops them from escaping. Take the trapped squirrel to an empty field that is at least five miles away from your home.

Be careful when releasing the squirrel so it doesn’t feel threatened. Open the trap door and allow the squirrel to leave peacefully and start searching for their new home and food sources.

Use Your Personal Scent

One of the simplest, most natural ways to keep squirrels away is by using your own scent. Collect a bundle of your hair from the bathroom or your hairbrush. If you can’t find any, brush your dog or cat and save their hair.

When you have a fair amount, spread the hair around the areas of your home and yard that receive the most squirrel activity.

These sites could include your attic, around your bird feeders, at the base of trees or on the branches, and around the eaves of your home. The second the squirrel smells your scent, they’re going to think twice about coming any closer.

How to Poison Squirrels

Although poison isn’t the most friendly way to get rid of squirrels, it is sometimes necessary if the problem gets too crazy. Pest control uses similar methods for keeping squirrels away, and this recipe uses ingredients you already have on hand.

Take a few generic aspirin pills and crush them into a fine powder using the back of a metal spoon. Put a big scoop of whatever peanut butter that you have on hand into several paper bowls.

Sprinkle an even amount of aspirin powder over the peanut butter and use the spoon to stir each pile. Place the paper bowls around areas of your home with squirrel activity like the attic, around flower pots, and near garden beds.

The squirrels won’t be able to help themselves from sneaking a bite, and the aspirin will poison them, eventually killing them and stopping them from returning.

Purchase Predator Urine

Believe it or not, predator urine is available for purchase at most garden centers. Foxes are a natural predator to squirrels, and ensure that they stay away from your house and yard.

Fill a yard sprayer with the fox urine and walk around the perimeter of your home so that it creates a border. If you cannot find predator urine, your house cat might be the solution to the problem. Remove the clumps of cat urine from your cat’s litter box.

Strategically place the urine clumps around your garden and trees. The squirrels can’t’ miss the strong scent, and they’ll know danger is nearby.

Squirrels seem like harmless animals because they aren’t aggressive and often don’t look like they’re doing anything suspicious.

These small, fluffy animals are deceiving because they can cause homeowners thousands of dollars in damages and hours of preventable labor.

Calling animal control is undoubtedly an option, but the easiest alternative is taking the situation into your own hands and trying some of these natural ways to keep squirrels away for good.

If you want to keep up on squirrel prevention, walk around your house every six months to ensure there are no signs of damage. Keep an eye out for activity as the year goes by, and keep this list of strategies on hand when you’re having issues.

If this brief article helped you learn how to keep squirrels away from your property, share these humane ways to deter squirrels and other small pests on Facebook and Pinterest.