Squirrel Prevention - How to Keep Squirrels Away
How To Keep Squirrels Away - Having dealt with a squirrel infestation in your property, one of the most frustrating things of all is to find that a few months or years later, more of those pesky critters have found their way into your attic and are causing carnage all over again. While squirrels may appear to be cute when they are scampering up and down a tree trunk, or picking up fallen nuts on the ground, when they are making a nest in your attic this certainly doesn't have the same level of cuteness. There are a number of things that you can do to try and keep those animals away, and this can help you to prevent an infestation or at least prevent the recurrence of a previous squirrel infestation.
There are many features that makes domestic properties attractive to squirrels, and while the availability of nearby food sources is important, the biggest factor will usually be the presence of a warm and dark cavity that can be used for nesting, usually an attic space or a wall cavity. These are ideal for squirrels as they not only provide a dark area where they can sleep, but they will also often have soft insulation material that can be used for nests, and are also very safe. By knowing why the squirrels are coming to a particular area, it is then possible to try and change the area to reduce the chances of a squirrel infestation.
Reducing The Availability Of Food Sources
While squirrels generally live on a diet of nuts, berries and fruit, many urban squirrels have adapted their diet to include many of the foods cast off by people, and also pet food if it is available. As they are opportunistic feeders, trying to reduce the availability of food such as having fewer trees near the house can help to reduce the chances of a squirrel infestation, and particularly chopping back any trees that bear nuts so they are not overhanging your home. Squirrels will not usually like covering a long distance of open ground without a tree or tall feature that they can climb, so trimming back any trees is also useful in this regard too.
Protecting Your Attic And Roof Cavity
Making sure that you keep your property in good repair is also a good idea, and checking fairly regularly on natural weak points such as the underside of soffits and wooden vents will help you to identify any problems quickly. Squirrels can be quite determined once they have a desire to get in, so look for any wood that has been gnawed or chewed, and act quickly if you do see any signs of such squirrel activity.
Should You Use A Squirrel Repellent?
There is no doubt that the idea of being able to spray a substance in your attic or around your property and that it will make any pest animals go away is a nice one, but unfortunately the reality is likely not to meet the bold claims found on the packaging of these repellents. The attractiveness of a warm attic with its plentiful nesting material is more than enough incentive for most squirrels to be able to put up with an unpleasant smell or scent coming from the repellent. You can also purchase audio repellents, but these tend to be equally ineffective.
Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders
One of the most common sights that will frustrate gardeners is that of a squirrel scampering up the stem of a bird feeder, and making the most of the fine selection of nuts and seeds that you have placed inside. Because squirrels are so clever and agile, even hanging the bird feeder is not necessarily going to keep them away, as they will be able to find a way to get to that food. There are certain types of feeders that are designed to prevent the squirrels from being able to get to the bird feed, so if you do live in an area with a lot of squirrels, using these types of feeders will help remove one food source being used by the squirrels.
Alternative Methods Of Keeping Squirrels Away
Like many other pest animals, there are a fair few myths around what can be done to drive squirrels away, and this includes a variety of different measures. It is said that planting marigolds in the garden can make the area less pleasant for the squirrels, while another measure is said to be placing plastic toy snakes around the garden to make them think that there are predators present. In most cases, these measures are likely to be ineffective, and you will usually find yourself once again dealing with an infestation if you rely on those squirrel repelling techniques.
Go back to the main Squirrel Removal page for more information about squirrel prevention, and more information about how to keep squirrels away.
