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.
Use Strong Odors
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.
You can mix apple cider vinegar with its equivalent in water and a few drops of lemon-scented soap to create a squirrel spray for your plants and flowers. This spray won't harm them, but you might need a lot of it and must re-apply concurrently to maintain deterrence.
They're said to dislike the scent of coffee grounds and peppermint, or you could make up your own recipe with vinegar, garlic and onions or peppermint oil to spray in the garden. Chilli flakes and pepper might put them off, so try a sprinkling of these – it's often used to keep squirrels off bird feeders.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Aluminum foil is a good way to keep squirrels away from your roof. Cut the aluminum foil into pieces, and then affix them to the areas you do not want them to climb onto. Make sure that they are placed in areas that are easy for you to access so you can remove them when the time comes.
According to experts, squirrels are repelled by the smell and texture of vapor rub! Do you have a Who Knew You Could suggestion?
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.
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.
Mix 1 quart of water with 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of paprika, and 2 chopped jalapeño peppers.
A study published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health found that Pine Sol did not have any significant effect on squirrel behavior. The study concluded that Pine Sol may not be an effective method for keeping squirrels away.
Scare them away.
Rodent-chasing dogs and motion-activated noisemakers, such as garden spinners, pinwheels, and aluminum pie tins, all make good squirrel deterrents. In addition, if you're watering your lawn anyway, consider using a motion-detecting sprinkler to increase the scare factor.
Squirrel bait poison is made from chemicals called rodenticides. It kills everything from rats and squirrels to woodchucks. These chemicals are toxic for pets, children, and other small animals, so be sure that you keep poison for squirrels out of reach of children.
When you use ammonia — putting it down as soaked rags — you have absolutely zero control over what animals (or people) go near it. We do not recommend using ammonia as a repellent for any wild animal, particularly squirrels.
Now that we know more about them, we'll discuss the scents they hate! The scents on this list are: Peppermint Oil, Capsaicin, Coffee Grounds, White Vinegar, Garlic, Cinnamon, Predator Urine, Irish Springs Soap, Dryer Sheets, and Rosemary.
Mothballs should not be used inside attics, crawl spaces, gardens, trash cans or vehicles. "Often, mothballs are used in these locations to control pests other than clothes moths," Stone said. They include squirrels, skunks, deer, mice, rats, dogs, cats, raccoons, moles, snakes, pigeons and a variety of other animals.
Most people rush for chemicals when they're trying to get rid of pests. So they might use mothballs, bleach, or poison. These are all smells that squirrels hate, but they can also be toxic for kids, pets, and the environment.
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.”
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.
To prevent squirrels from entering your greenhouse, garage, or garden shed, try soaking a few rags in undiluted cider vinegar and place them close to areas where squirrels could try to gain access.