To protect your pet, use statues and silhouette cutouts of natural predators to scare squirrels away from your home. Fake owls, foxes and hawks may deter squirrels from venturing too close to your property. You may also use motion sensor floor lights to deter squirrels from your property at night.
The owl decoy looks very realistic and will effectively scaring birds, pigeons, squirrels, snakes, sparrows, raccoons,and more without harming them.
Tangy and sweet smells can help deter squirrels, as they aren't fond of these. Scents of white pepper and garlic powder are also used to repel squirrels. Rodents are also repulsed by the scent of pepper. Spray growing crops with water and put on some pepper seasoning to keep squirrels from knocking them down.
Squirrels are afraid of owls, and having an owl statue in your yard can be very effective. The tactic mentioned is the same idea farmers used when they put scarecrows in their fields to keep birds away from their crops.
Squirrels don't like capsaicin, the chemical that gives hot peppers their heat, so sprinkle cayenne around plants you want to protect. Make a hot-pepper spray and douse your yard around trees and other places squirrels enter. It won't hurt your plants and squirrels don't want any part of it.
Squirrels are offended by many of the same scents as deer, so repellents like Plantskydd Deer Repellent work well. You can also try a thin layer of coffee grounds or tucking a small amount of dog hair around and under plants.
Bait and Trap. If you're dealing with a squirrel infestation inside your attic, basement, or crawl spaces, one of the easiest ways to get rid of them is to use baiting and trapping methods. Most squirrel traps allow you to catch and release the squirrels, but there are also spring traps that will kill them.
Adding aluminum foil to the base of your plants can scare squirrels away. Squirrels hate both the feeling and sight of aluminum foil. The shiny glare from the foil is usually enough to scare off any squirrels, but if any brave squirrels do approach your plants, don't worry!
Yes, Irish Spring soap can help to keep squirrels away. The scent of the soap is unpleasant for the animals and will prevent them from entering your home or yard. You can use either a liquid soap solution or shave bars of Irish Spring and sprinkle it around areas that squirrels are known to frequent.
Owl decoys are usually constructed of plastic or rubber. They can provide a low-cost and non-lethal method of repelling some wildlife pests, particularly birds or rodents that typically fall prey to the winged predators.
Birds are very visual animals, therefore, the sight of a fake owl will immediately cause the birds to avoid landing in their preferred spot and the birds may even scout for another nesting spot. But you shouldn't expect a fake owl to keep birds away for longer than a few days.
Maybe you've seen a scarecrow perched in a field or a plastic owl standing guard over a garden. The idea is that the decoy will scare away birds and small mammals from feasting on whatever goodies lie below.
Another possibility is a product composed of hot pepper powder that you add to the bird seed. Mammals, including squirrels, are sensitive to the perceived heat of peppers but birds are not.
There are numerous deterrents on the market, the most popular of which include an owl statue and the spread of mothballs. Owl statues will startle a squirrel initially, but just like a tree stand during hunting season; the animals will get used to it.
One of their most feared predators is the common fox. While you don't have to get a pet fox to keep squirrels out of your yard, you can create the illusion of a fox nearby. Fox urine can be purchased at almost any hunting and fishing supply store and is an excellent squirrel deterrent.
Coffee grounds will keep squirrels away from your garden because they do not like the smell. Simply sprinkle some fresh grounds on the soil surrounding your plants every two weeks. You can also try spraying your plants with a hot pepper spray for the same effect.
While squirrels don't appear to dislike one brand more than the other, we like to think the additives in the hairsprays of the '80s are probably a bit more effective! Squirrels don't like the stickiness hairspray leaves behind, so be sure to recoat the pumpkins every few days or after rain.
Most recommend using foil when growing tomatoes in pots: putting it over the pot, then poking holes for the seedling and for water. The only theory given was that squirrels don't like reflective surfaces, which is true, although most of the time the shiny object needs to be moving to achieve optimum scare factor.
Mothballs are a common home remedy for keeping squirrels away from bulbs, but there is no scientific evidence that they work. Some people believe that the strong smell of mothballs repels squirrels, but there is no guarantee that this will be effective.
“It is especially difficult to get squirrels to leave your yard,” Pearson says. Removing their food source may encourage them to find a better meal ticket. But unless you cut down all your trees and live on a parking lot, squirrels will likely persist.
Scents like white pepper, black pepper, and garlic are naturally unpleasant to a squirrel. The same goes for sweet smells such as peppermint. Try spraying your plants and flowers with water and then sprinkling on pepper or peppermint oil to deter squirrels.
Myths About Squirrel Removal
There are several so-called squirrel repellents on the market, but they are nothing more than gimmicks. Don't waste your money on some magical powder or spray claiming to be the ultimate squirrel removal solution; this product simply doesn't exist.
The sight and smell of fallen fruit, nuts and seeds lures squirrels. Rake your yard regularly to remove these items from under bird feeders and trees. Use garbage cans with tight-fitting lids to keep squirrels out of your trash. Scare them.