Squirrels, as cute as they are, can be a complete nuisance if they reproduce and grow in number. From damaging your plants in the backyard to affecting the quality of the flowers and fruits you are growing, they can effectively do a lot more damage than you can imagine. However, are you here sitting and wondering how to get rid of squirrels? Well, don’t worry because we have got your back through it.
Also read: 10 Best Indoor Plants to Turn Your Home Lively
We have several tips and tricks from natural remedies to some of the easy prevention methods that we’d like to share with you.
Table of Contents
List of Ways to Get Rid of Squirrels
1. Don’t Feed Them
The first and possibly the most common reason squirrels hog down in your backyard is due to your empathy. While it is true that you’d have a hard time skipping out on them and not offering them some food and water, you need to realize that is what lures them in. If you feed them nuts and scraps here and there, they will start relying on you for food and come back expecting more. And, trust us; if you feed them once, you will not be able to stop it anytime soon.
2. Sprinkle Some Cayenne Pepper
Although we wouldn’t suggest doing this because it can prove to be torture for them, if the infestation is out of control, this is a constructive method that you can try out. Since cayenne pepper is hot, if the squirrels accidentally lick it, they will treat that area as a danger zone and not come back. Most of the time, gardeners make a diluted solution of cayenne and chill pepper powder and spray it around the plants in the backyard. Doing so gives the squirrels the notion that the plants don’t contain good produce and won’t attack and damage them in the future.
3. Try Setting Up a Sacrifice Garden
Just because you want to get rid of the squirrels in your garden doesn’t mean that you have to be mean or rude to them. Alternatively, there is a constructive way to keep them out and still not scare them away for life. This is a form of bribing by setting up a sacrifice garden far away from the actual garden, so the squirrels get their feed for the day and don’t have to go on and attack your plants and trees in the garden.
4. Get Rid of The Lure
Sometimes, some triggers lure in the squirrels. It can be something as small as a fallen and damaged piece of fruit. If that is the case, the best way to eliminate the squirrel infestation is to keep an eye on those fruits and get rid of them out of your garden. Always ensure that you avoid doing unnecessary digging around the garden. Instead, just pick them out and throw them out of the garden so the squirrels don’t come running in due to the smell.
5. Try Mulching
Another constructive and effective way to get rid of the squirrels is by mulching the top of the pots or the soil in which you have the plants. Since squirrels are like rats and rodents with an affinity for digging holes into the soil and pots, heavyweight mulching can effectively help in reducing the risks of damage inflicted to the plants and the trees around in your backyard. However, when choosing the kind of mulch, stick to heavyweight much-like stones and rocks instead of smaller gravels and sand.
6. Install Sprinklers
Okay, this might seem like an expensive affair; however, it works like magic, especially if you are tired of a lot of squirrels infesting your garden all at once. However, make sure that you have the sprinklers installed in areas with plants and trees around because the last thing you want is to install sprinkles where you don’t even need to water the grass or the plants around in your backyard. It will end up being a complete waste of time and money. Also, when installing sprinklers, stick to the motion-activated sprinklers so when the squirrels move around, they get sprayed on.
7. Opt For Netting
Although not a foolproof technique, this does help eliminate at least 50% of the issue for good. This is primarily good when you have the squirrels coming through the small holes around your fence or the soil nearby. Putting wired fences and barbed nets can effectively prevent them from entering the space and creating a ruckus. However, we’d recommend getting the fine mesh netting or wiring to prevent these small creatures from getting into your garden.
8. Block The Possible Entry Points
Squirrels are highly flexible creatures, which means they are entering from anywhere without any restrictions. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t protect and shield them from utter chaos. So, your safest bet is to opt for preventive measures. And, by that, we mean that you need to block out all the possible entry points that you can witness around. It could mean all your broken sites around the fence or even the areas around the bottom of the garden where burrows are hidden.
9. Avoid Large Trees
If you are tired of the squirrel infestation in your home and backyard, the best way to get rid of them is to avoid planting big trees. This will prevent them from jumping from one tree to the other and even ensure that you don’t struggle with the feeding patterns with the fruits that grow in the tree. Sometimes, all you need to do is introduce some sacrifices in your life. If you are adamant about how to get rid of squirrels, this is your safest bet.
10. Get a Locked Greenhouse
Squirrels are attracted to plants, fruits, and trees. So, what if we told you that you could do all of this but not have to worry about squirrels? Sounds promising, right? Well, this is where greenhouses come into play. However, greenhouses are expensive. Besides buying them and maintaining them is quite expensive, which means that you need to watch out for all these consequences before you even consider investing in them. However, the upside to a greenhouse is that you can grow different kinds of plants and flowers in the garden, locked away from the wrath of the squirrels.
11. Plants Eliminators
Yes, you heard that right. There are certain flowering plants that squirrels hate and try to steer clear of. And, one of the most common ones is daffodils. These flowers, as beautiful as they are, produce a kind of toxin that makes them inedible. So, not only humans, even squirrels, absolute detest being close to these in the garden. If you do have the soil for it, go ahead and plant some daffodils around.
12. Get Some Minty Action
Like daffodils, even planting mint can keep your lawn and backyard out of the infestation of squirrels. However, keeping and maintaining mint plants is tedious. The strong smell of peppermint is not favorable by the squirrel, which makes them stay away from your garden for good. If you want the best results, plant the mint plants around the fruit and vegetable garden to keep the squirrels out.
13. Close Your Trash Cans
If you have trash cans that aren’t properly sealed and has waste food fumes coming out of them, the chances are that the squirrels will be attracted to the same. Not only should you rake the garden to catch all the excess nuts and berries, but you also need to effectively ensure that your trash can is closed if you don’t want to end up regretting attracting more squirrels throughout the night.
Still wondering how to get rid of squirrels? Well, with the list of ways that we have sorted out for you above, we sure hope that you have a good understanding of things. However, we understand that sometimes nothing works out in your favor. If that is the case with you, contact the exterminators near you to let them assess the entire backyard and entry points and then help you out with the removal.
Also read: 14 Natural Weed Killers to Kill Weeds Naturally in Your Garden
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Do Squirrels Hate The Most?
Most of the people who look at a squirrel won’t scare them away, given how cute they are. But you can repel them away for good. If you want the best advice, we’d recommend planting aromatics in your gardens like pepper and garlic.
What Kind Of Spray Will Keep Squirrels Away?
If you are tired of the squirrel infestation in your backyard, the best way to get rid of them is by spraying some apple cider vinegar around the plants. The smell and acidic taste will keep them away.
Which Foods Are Poisonous For Squirrels?
While we wouldn’t recommend feeding them poisonous foods, there are junk food and high sugar foods considered fatal for their health.
