Squirrels can be incredibly bothersome, especially in the fall, when they are most active. You will find them anywhere they believe they will find something to eat. These tips will help you keep the pesky critters off your bird feeders and vegetable garden as well you can call our squirrel removal Kitchener services:
Why you want squirrels out of your vegetable garden
Squirrels enjoy fresh vegetables, fruit, and flowers. They will have no trouble reducing your lovely vegetable garden into a complete shambles, pulling tomatoes off their vibes and stripping your apple trees. Squirrels will ruin your vegetable garden at any time of year, but in the fall, things can get terrible as they come out to stock up for winter. Their instinct to store food will help them survive the winter, where they lay low waiting for the cold to pass.
How to know if there is a squirrel in your vegetable garden:
- Your spring bulbs have snack marks on them
- Attacks on your bird feeders. If your bird food is disappearing faster than it normally would, then you have a grey squirrel problem.
How to repel squirrels
Secure your garden
If your vegetable garden or yard has plenty of nuts, berries, and acorns, you can be sure that squirrels will find heaven in it. Rake up these food items to ensure they do not find any food if they come by. You also want to have tight trash cans that the pesky creatures will not easily open up. Also, avoid leaving any food sitting outside the house. Also, have a robust wire fence to secure your garden or yard’s perimeter. Bury the fence up to a foot below the ground so that the squirrels do not dig under it.
Try some natural repellents
The market has plenty of natural solutions that you can try. Some contain the urine of common squirrel predators, and you can sprinkle them around your gardens to keep them out. Also, sprinkle some cayenne pepper, garlic pepper, or pepper flakes on and around your plants when they are about to bloom. Squirrels cannot eat anything with the strong taste of pepper. You can try this solution on your bird feeders, as birds do not mind the taste. Another solution you can try is sprinkling blood meal in the garden soil.
You can also get a dog or cat. Squirrels do not like cats and dogs, and they will help chase them off your property. A simple netting will act as a physical barrier to keep the squirrels away from the fruits and vegetables they seek.
Planting Mexican marigold, mustard, and nasturtiums around your garden and at the perimeter will also help as these plants have an unpleasant smell. If your dog sheds a lot of fur or you have a stash of human hair, you can also try digging the hair into the soil. Squirrels get scared by the smell of humans and will run off and stay away from the garden.
Conclusion:
Do not try to trap and relocate squirrels in the garden as their population is extremely high. Instead, try these natural repellents and physical barriers to keep squirrel of the garden and bird feeders.