Squirrels have strong noses and are not fans of pungent aromas like coffee, peppermint, apple cider vinegar, and soap. For an easy, low-cost solution, sprinkle leftover grounds in your garden, spritz vinegar on your vegetation, place soap shavings around your patio, and rub peppermint oil on your furniture.
Try sprinkling cayenne pepper, ground chili peppers, or pepper flakes around your plants when they are ready to bloom. Peppers have “capsaicin” which squirrels hate, so it's a natural squirrel deterrent. Or, make a pepper spray; you can mix dried pepper with apple cider vinegar.
Most squirrels are repelled by the smell of peppermint and peppermint oil. Pleasing for our human noses, squirrels hate the smell of it. The strong scent of peppermint overwhelms their sensitive sense of smell so most squirrels and other rodents like mice give it a wide berth.
Try spraying your plants and flowers with water and then sprinkling on pepper or peppermint oil to deter squirrels. If this technique seems to be keeping your yard or garden safe, reapply as frequently as needed! Don't forget to sprinkle these scents on again after storms too.
Attics, chimneys and under your porch or deck provides squirrels with a secure location to raise their young, near to food and water. Although squirrels prefer nuts seeds and fruits they are perfectly happy to make a meal from your trash can or your pet's unattended food bowl.
Chilli flakes and pepper might put them off, so try a sprinkling of these – it's often used to keep squirrels off bird feeders. When you come to plant up your borders, consider the scented plants squirrels dislike, such as oniony-smelling members of the allium family, strongly-scented hyacinths and lily of the valley.
Use repellents.
Chili peppers and mint are common home remedies for keeping squirrels at bay, since they detest the taste and smell of both. You can whip up a spray concoction using one of the many recipes found online.
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.
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.
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 smell of mothballs, which bring back memories of visits to grandmother's house for so many people, is repulsive for squirrels. If you have a squirrel issue within and around your home, you can place mothballs around your flowers or even in areas around the yard, including the attic.
One solution is to put vinegar into a spray bottle and spray on the areas squirrels most commonly visit. Another option is to soak rags or cloths in the vinegar of your choosing and place them throughout your garden.
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!
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.
Use a taste repellent: Spraying a squirrel repellent composed of garlic, water, and vinegar around the perimeter of your home can discourage squirrels from entering. Use a motion-activated sprinkler system: A motion-activated sprinkler system will spray animals any time they come close to your yard.
Epsom salt
Sprinkle Epsom salts onto your trash can lid or around the areas that pests like to burrow into or dig around. Epsom salts will deter most any pests, including raccoons, mice, and squirrels among others.”
Squirrels hate the smell of peppermint oil and will stay away from areas where it is used. You can use peppermint essential oils in a number of ways - you can add it to water in a spray bottle and spray it around your property, or apply it to cotton balls and position them in areas where squirrels are active.
“regularly used patches, usually located under branches or in root hollows, often acquire a dark, strong-smelling stain below the gnawed area.” It seems that the squirrels must spray a jet of urine at right-angles to the body in order to mark these sites on the underside of branches and tree protuberances.
Generally, it is very rare situation that you will hear or see squirrel during the night because squirrels aren't active after the night falls-they tend to sleep over night. Squirrels are active during the day, especially in the morning and in the late afternoon. This is when they run around and look for food.
Galanthus or other types of bulbs that have a strong scent may keep squirrels from eating plants in your garden. Lily-of-the-Valley, a dainty bell-shaped flower with long leaves. It makes for a great addition to any garden and is generally not favored by squirrels.