Squirrels

Squirrels can cause many problems in your garden. Here are tips how to identify and control squirrels.

These furry creatures tend to snack on young seedlings, berries, fruits, and vegetables. Sometimes they will even ruin your flowers just for the fun of it! Keep an eye out for these pesky visitors and try some of our tips below for getting rid of them.

How to Identify Squirrels in your Garden

Squirrels will not only attack your gardens, but your bird feeders as well. If you notice your bird food disappearing rather quickly, you may have a squirrel problem.

How to Get Rid of Squirrels

• Try saving orange and lemon rinds and storing them in the freezer during the winter. When you start your garden in the spring, bury the rinds just under the surface of the soil. The rinds will discourage squirrels from digging.
• Plant one or two cloves of garlic near your spring bulbs. You can also try sprinkling garlic powder or cayenne pepper on the soil when plants are ready to bloom. The smells should keep the squirrels away.
• You can also scatter dog or human hair around your garden. One readers shares, "I used o have a problem with squirrels digging up my bulbs. Now, once in the spring and once in the fall, I ask my hairdresser to save a big bag of hair for me. I lightly dig this into the soil. Squirrels can not stand the smell of humans, so they leave the gardens alone."
• You can sprinkle blood meal around your garden as well.
• If you have a persistent squirrel problem, the best solution may be trapping.

Reader Suggestions

Here are a couple of suggeestions that readers sent in:

• A newly developed motion-activated sprinkler, primarily designed to keep cats and rabbits out of gardens, may help scare away squirrels, especially in small yards or at corners of front yards where damage is most likely to occur. However, the presence of numerous squirrels, stray animals, or children may result in overwatering and high water bills if they continually trigger this device.
• Get some mousetraps. Anchor them solidly to the ground in the area where the squirrels have been digging. Cover them with newspaper, and sprinkle a little dirt on top. When a squirrel comes to dig, it will set off the traps. As the mechanism snaps, it will scare and throw dirt at the squirrel. Once it's scared enough times, it will find another digging area. Be sure to anchor the traps just in case the wind blows the newspaper off of them. If the trap is anchored, the squirrel will not get hurt.