How to Get Rid of Squirrels
Are you having problems with squirrels invading your yard or home? Squirrels may indeed be adorable creatures to have around your property, but not when they start destroying your garden, landscaping, house or attic, vehicles, or even attacking your bird feeder. They can quickly become a terrible nuisance.
What can you do to get rid of squirrels? If squirrels are irritating you, it is always best to do a little research and see what products are out there that can aid in your problem. There are some simple squirrel control methods that you can use to take care of the problem. We’ll present some of the best options, and the choice is yours as to which way works best for you.
So what types of problems can squirrels cause? Squirrels can dig up your flowers and yard, they carry fleas and ticks which can spread to your pets, and they occasionally open up shop in your basement, garage, or attic, like bushy tailed rats.
Luckily, for those unsure of how to get rid of squirrels, there are a wide variety of safe and effective methods.
Squirrels and Bird Feeders
Many people have bird feeders around their yard and these are a prime target of squirrels, which are always looking for something to stuff in their cheeks to bring back to their burrow. If your entire problem with squirrels lies in their constant raiding of your bird feeders, consider purchasing or building a squirrel proof feeder instead. These are generally weight-based contraptions, which will do nothing under the effect of something as light as a bird, but the weight of a squirrel locks the feeder doors immediately. Some may even knock the squirrel off, or give it an electric jolt not unlike a barkless dog collar.
Alternatively, placing your feeders in a strategic manner in which the squirrel has no jumping or climbing access can prove effective, but not everyone has such a wide open space. There also exist squirrel baffles, designed to prevent a squirrel from climbing a pole and launching itself onto a feeder platform, but this method too requires you to keep your feeder in a fairly open location.
Keeping the Yard Clean
If you do not feed the birds around your property, consider keeping the area highly sanitary and free of any morsels such as nuts and seeds that squirrels may like to eat. Like raccoons, if there is nothing for a squirrel to get into, he may move on. Of course, an opposing but just as effective solution exists in simply feeding the squirrel foods he does not like. Safflower seeds are popular for bird feeders, but squirrels do not care for the bitter taste.
Live Squirrel Traps
Lastly, hardly anything can prove more effective than a live trap. Before setting your own traps, you should also research and know what your local and state ordinances are for trapping squirrels.
Peanut butter is a popular bait in such traps, and the squirrels will be unharmed as you set to relocate them. If, however, you do not mind living alongside the squirrel if he would just stay away from your bird feeders, consider setting up a squirrel feeder to entice him into playing in his own yard.
Electronic Squirrel Repellants
One product are the pest repellers which will rid squirrels from your attic or your yard. This product repels critters by a motion sensor which alarms the unit the critter is near and emits sonic and ultrasonic frequencies to scare away a large variety of pests. The pitch of these frequencies is inaudible to the human ear.
Natural Chemical Squirrel Repellants
There are natural repellents which won’t harm the squirrels, but will rid them from the area. What is nice about this is that it is not harmful to you, your family, pets, or landscape. This product uses the predator versus prey principle and uses a fox urine scent to make the critters believe that a fox is nearby which will scare the squirrels away.
Final Thoughts on Getting Rid of Squirrels
If you’re worried about the squirrel problem getting worse, start today so you can stay on top of your squirrel problems sooner rather then later.
