There are three main ways you can keep a squirrel away from your house
1 - Eliminate the things that attract the squirrels, such as bird feeders.
2 - Use squirrel repellents: I discuss this below.
3 - If they are getting in the house, identify and fix all open holes leading into the house.
It is my opinion that this third option is by far the most important.
1 - You can't really keep squirrels away from your property or yard by preventative techniques. The only way of keeping them away
for sure is to trap and remove them, or even shoot them, which is not something I do.
2 - As discussed below, squirrel repellents are bogus. All you can hope to do is discourage them from
chewing on the house with hot sauce.
3 - This is the most important: sealing the open holes shut permanently. You don't want
squirrels in your attic, getting into your house.
To prevent this, inspect the whole house, top to bottom, particularly the open gaps at the roof and soffits and such, and also the
chimney,
and seal shut the entry holes.
In addition, if you want to trap squirrels, click on my squirrel trapping guide at the bottom of this page.
If you need help, click my Nationwide Directory of Wildlife Professionals serving almost every
USA town, in all 50 states.
Squirrel prevention – how to keep squirrels away from your house and yard
Squirrels are many things – agile, stubborn and persistent and even worse than this, once they have decided that your home or yard is going to be their new home, you are going to be in for a tough ride.
Our homes offer squirrel families a nice, cozy dwelling in which to live and raise their young, and let’s be honest, if you like your home, you can understand why a small critter such as the squirrel would like it! They will often nibble their way through any material you put in front of them in order to gain access to your abode, and this is what makes the task of squirrel prevention a rather tiresome and troublesome one.
Thankfully, there are a number of ways that you can prevent squirrels from making a home in your house or yard, and all it takes for the most part is a little common sense. That dish of food or milk that you leave out on your porch for the cat every night – that is a welcome sign for squirrels, as well as other rodents and pests, so if you want to avoid it, don’t put it there anymore. Make sure that all holes in your home are blocked off so that unwanted rodents have no access into your comfy home, move bird feeders to the far corners of your yard… there are a lot of tips that you can use, and as you can see, they are fairly simple things to do!
There are some manmade creations that can help in the prevention of squirrels, but some of these will only for a short while. A perfect example of this is the devices that release high frequency sounds that are designed to eradicate rodents and pests from your abode. The only problem with these is that they do work, but the animals will get used to the noise given off by the devices, so in the long term, they will prove to be fairly useless. They can sometimes be rather expensive too, so if you are thinking of using them, remember that they are only a short term option.
The sprays that many stores offer are also practically ineffective to most squirrels. You know the ones – “Squirrel-be-gone” or “Squirrel away!” and also hot pepper sprays. The thing with these products is that they don’t really work that well and they can actually cause harm to the animals that you are trying to humanely remove from your premises; one of the last things that you will want to do.
Moth balls is another preventative method often used by households trying to get rid of squirrels, but just like the noise devices, these will only work, (if at all) for a very short time, and the squirrel and other rodents will soon get used to the smell.
One of the best things that you can do to find out how to prevent squirrels from making a home in yours, is to speak to a professional that knows what they are doing. These people will already have tried and tested all the “latest” and “innovative” gadgets designed to get rid of the pesky pests, and will be able to tell you the most effective things, as well as the least effective things, and in time, save you a lot of wasted time and money!
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PHOTOS: For great pictures of squirrel trapping and removal, click on my: Squirrel Photographs gallery. |
Squirrel Repellent
For as cute as squirrels are, they are decidedly stubborn and mischievous. When you look into their eyes, you know they are devising a way to steal your bird food, loiter on your picnic table, and invade your attic. There are a few varieties of squirrels that can be problematic, including grey squirrels, red squirrels, and flying squirrels. Any tree squirrel can take up residence in a home, so be watchful for openings along your roof, foundation, and siding.
Squirrel repellents are more than just simple powders, sprays, or pellets. Repelling a squirrel can be as easy as installing a squirrel exclusion collar. These collars, usually made of smooth metal, are placed around pole, trees, and bird feeder posts. A squirrel climbing up the pole will be unable to climb past the protruding, metal disk. By making the surface smooth, there is nothing for which the squirrel to grip and hoist himself up with. If you have a clothesline or cable wires running into your home, consider covering these lines with a plastic length of PVC pipe. The key to this deterrent is to make the pipe freely mobile on the line. When a squirrel goes to step on it, the pipe will spin and the squirrel will fall off. Automatic sprinkler systems can also acts as squirrel repellents. The loud, sudden spray of water will startle the squirrel and add an unpleasant splash of water.
Chemical repellents are a breed of their own. If you have issues with squirrels on your bird feeders, repellents with a pepper base are advertised as seed additives. Just as you wouldn’t want to bite into a jalapeno, neither would a squirrel. If bird food isn’t your worry, and you want to keep squirrels out of your home or garden, some powder repellents rely on the theory of using predator urine to ward off squirrels. The idea behind this is that a squirrel wouldn’t knowingly enter an area that smelled like and animal that would eat it. While this makes sense logically, the efficacy of urine-based repellents is up for debate.
A more effective way of repelling squirrels is by using bitter gels or topical applications on areas they are trying to chew through. Hot sauce is an inexpensive alternative to the commercial brands. No matter what repellent you select, be sure to read the directions carefully. Many repellents require re-application after rain or an extended period of time. Vegetable gardens may not be the appropriate place for a flower garden repellent. It is also important to make sure you are not adversely affecting other animals in your attempts to quell the squirrel population.
Since the success rate of repellents is debatable, if you have having a serious squirrel problem, you should consider alternative methods to squirrel control. Trapping is often a reliable method of squirrel maintenance. Live-traps are readily available and can be used to relocate problem squirrels. These little critters are so densely populated it is wise to brush up on non-chemical preventive measures. Squirrel barriers can be highly effective when used correctly.
Professional intervention may be needed if a squirrel army is at your door. Some homes can be overrun by squirrels, and once the little beasts are inside they can create a lot of damage. If you are dealing with a large number of squirrels, or if the squirrels have become your tenants, give a professional a call. Sometimes it helps just to have someone to vent to about the furry terrorists running through your yard. An expert certainly sympathizes, and better yet, can offer some useful information about the problem at hand.
Here is a complete list of my squirrel control pages:
Baby Squirrels in the Wall
How to Get Rid of Squirrels in the Attic
Squirrel Control
How to Get a Squirrel Out of the Wall
How to Get Rid of Squirrels
How to Kill Squirrels
How to Catch a Squirrel
How to Trap a Squirrel
