Homemade Squirrel Repellent for the Garden

Squirrels seem cute until they wreak havoc on your garden.

Squirrels can be a huge nuisance when they destroy flower beds and lawns. Squirrels frequently eat bulbs, vegetables and newly planted seeds. They can strip bark off trees and shrubs. Birds are frightened away from their feeders when squirrels stalk their bird seeds. Once squirrels manage to take over the garden they make their way towards the home, where they cause further damage by chewing insulation and wires. Homemade squirrel repellents for the garden are a preventative way to keep these pests at bay before more drastic measures have to be taken.

Things You'll Need

• Powdered cayenne (red) pepper
• Hot water
• Peppermint essential oil soap
• Hot sauce
• Vinegar
• Vegetable oil
• 1 X 30 inches poultry mesh
• Metal sheeting
• Petroleum jelly

Instructions

Natural Squirrel Repellents

1. Mix powdered cayenne pepper with your garden seeds before planting. Sprinkle more pepper over the top of the soil after planting your seeds for extra prevention.

2. Boil water and turn off the heat. Add the cayenne pepper to steep for five minutes to make a tea. Let the water cool to warm and soak flower bulbs for about one hour in this squirrel repelling liquid before planting. Do not soak bulbs in hot water as it may kill them. This works because squirrels are only looking for food and strong aromas surrounding their food source upsets their appetite.

3. Combine peppermint oil soap with cayenne pepper or hot sauce. Spray this recipe around your garden to effectively keep squirrels at bay.

4. Mix a equal amounts of vinegar, vegetable oil and pepper. Spray the mixture in the garden areas where you do not want squirrels to frequent.

Homemade Squirrel Obstacles

1. Bury the 30 X 1 inch poultry mesh 6 inches deep into the ground around your garden. The mesh depth discourages digging. Cover to top of newly planted seeds and bulbs with mesh and bury the mesh under mulch. Spray the top of the mesh and mulch with cayenne pepper. The active ingredient in cayenne pepper is capsaicin and can be bought at garden centers in pure form to repel squirrels before they try digging through the mesh.

2. Wrap tree trunks with metal sheeting so squirrels have difficulty climbing. Apply metal sheeting to allow for future tree growth.

3. Apply petroleum jelly to any surface squirrels may walk or climb on. This makes it hard for squirrels to get a good footing. Anything that makes squirrels work too hard to get to their food source helps to keep them at bay.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep squirrels away from freshly seeded gardens or bird feeders by leaving corn at least 8 feet away.

• Moth balls distributed around the garden are an efficient way to deter squirrels, as they hate the strong smell.

• Using firearms within city limits usually is not allowed, so shooting is not recommended in urban areas.

References

• Colorado State University Extension: Animal Pests in the Garden, by Judy Sedbrook, Colorado Master Gardener
• Squirrel Deterrent : How to Make Your Own Squirrel Deterrent
• Hobby Farms: Keep Squirrels Away from Your Gardens, 08/23/2007

Resources

• Tree Squirrels---Santa Clara County Resource Center