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How To Get Rid of Squirrels in Trees

Squirrel control in your yard.

By Heather WhitneyPublished 2 years ago 6 min read
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Do you have a problem with squirrels in your trees? Are they eating all of your delicious fruit? Well, never fear, help is here! In this blog post, I will teach you how to get rid of squirrels in your trees so that you can keep your harvest intact.

Follow these simple steps and you'll be able to send those pesky rodents packing in no time!

Why are Squirrels Attracted To Your Trees?

1. They're looking for a home.

One of the primary reasons that squirrels are attracted to your trees is that they're looking for a place to live. Squirrels are natural tree dwellers, and they will often build their nests in the branches of trees. If you have a lot of squirrels in your area, it's likely that they're just looking for a safe place to live.

2. They're looking for food.

Squirrels are also attracted to your trees because they're looking for food. Squirrels are omnivorous animals, which means that they eat both plants and animals. The nuts and seeds that are found in trees are a major part of a squirrel's diet, and they will often travel long distances to find a good source of food.

3. They're attracted to the smell of your trees.

Another reason that squirrels are attracted to your trees is that they're attracted to the smell of your trees. Squirrels have an excellent sense of smell, and they can often smell the presence of food or other animals from a long way away. If you have a lot of squirrels in your area, it's likely that your trees have a strong scent that is attracting them from afar.

4. They're attracted to the sound of your trees.

Squirrels are also attracted to the sound of your trees. Squirrels are very sensitive to sound, and they can often hear the sounds of other animals from far away. If you have a lot of squirrels in your area, it's likely that your trees are making noises that are attracting them from afar.

5. They're attracted to the sight of your trees.

Finally, squirrels are also attracted to the sight of your trees. Squirrels have excellent vision, and they can often see other animals from far away. If you have a lot of squirrels in your area, it's likely that your trees are visible from afar and are attracting them to your property.

How To Get Rid of Squirrels in Trees

Trim trees and shrubs regularly

If you want to keep squirrels out of your trees, the best course of action is to make it as difficult as possible for them to climb up. Pruning your trees and shrubs will prevent obnoxious squirrels from scaling them.

The more challenging the access point is for a critter's favorite food source-the less likely that animal will be tempted by it! In addition to making it harder for squirrels to climb, trimming also makes it easier for you to spot them if they do manage to get into your trees.

So, not only will trimming help to keep your trees looking neat and tidy, it will also help to keep them free of pesky critters.

Use squirrel repellents

If you want to deter them, you can think about sprinkling or spraying repellents around your trees. For instance, capsaicin in peppers can aid in temporarily scaring off squirrels. When necessary, apply a thin dusting of cayenne pepper flakes or powder or a commercial repellent that contains capsaicin.

However, these chemicals will need to be applied frequently, particularly after rain. Additionally, it's crucial to keep in mind that since squirrels are intelligent animals, they might eventually find out a way to evade the repellents entirely. There are other possibilities you might want to think about if you're searching for a more long-lasting fix.

Install squirrel baffles

Making your yard less inviting to squirrels can help, but some squirrels will probably still manage to get through and go to your trees.

When damage is most likely to occur, wrap a 2-foot-high length of sheet metal around the tree's trunk at a height of 6 feet. The metal prevents squirrels from scaling the tree's trunk, but it doesn't stop them from leaping to the tree from neighboring trees or power wires.

This option should only be utilized momentarily because leaving the metal on the tree for an extended period of time can encourage insect damage or sunburn.

Consider planting unappealing plants

Changing what you grow could help if one of your concerns is keeping squirrels away from your plants. To keep squirrels out of your yard, include plants that they don't like in your flower garden or in the area surrounding your vegetable garden.

These squirrel-repelling flowers can also be planted next to the trees you want to keep squirrel-free on your property. Daffodils (Narcissus), grape hyacinths (Muscari), and snowdrops (Galanthus) are a few examples.

Planting peppermint in areas where you want to deter squirrels can also deter them.

Put a bird decoy

The sight of a predator can be enough to send squirrels scurrying for safety. Just be sure to choose a decoy that looks convincingly like a real bird of prey.

Otherwise, you may end up with a bunch of bold squirrels that aren't afraid of your fake bird.

Dog as a guard

As long as the weather is suitable, if you have dogs, encourage them to spend as much time as possible in the yard to deter animals from your garden. They may bark and chase the squirrels away if they are loitering around your house.

If you don't have a dog, you can ask a dog person for hair or save the hair after grooming sessions with your dog. To deter squirrels, scatter the hair in suitable locations.

Avoid feeding them at all costs

If you want to get rid of squirrels, you probably don't have a squirrel feeder in your yard, but there may be other alluring food sources that the rodents are drawn to.

Squirrels are drawn to bird feeders by the free food they provide. Even if you take precautions to keep squirrels away from your bird feeders, there may still be seeds lying around that would make a great snack for them.

To remove the squirrels' food source, think about taking down the bird feeder or routinely cleaning the seeds underneath. Squirrels may be attracted to certain trees in your yard. They'll consume tree-grown nuts and fruits.

It is difficult to eliminate this food source without cutting down trees. So, it is a good idea to frequently clean up the food sources that fall from the tree.

Conclusion

If you find yourself with a squirrel problem, don't despair. There are plenty of options for getting rid of them, and you can try as many as you need until you find the one that works best for your situation.

Just remember to be patient, consistent, and persistent, and you'll soon see results. Good luck!

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About the Creator

Heather Whitney

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