Perla IrishYour backyard should be the oasis of your property — a place to unwind and enjoy the outdoors with friends, family or to enjoy time alone.
Uninvited wildlife can hinder that relaxing experience, especially if your backyard is full of lush greenery and trees, flowers, or a fruit or vegetable garden.
As the spring weather begins to welcome more wildlife into your neighborhood, squirrels, in particular, are likely looking for places to nest and food to eat. Your backyard could be a prime target. These five tips can help you keep your backyard squirrel-free.
Cover Your Garden
Tending to a vegetable garden is a time-consuming task for many homeowners, one that they take immense pride in. To protect your garden from squirrels and local wildlife, installing proper coverage is the first step.
The building or installing a fence around the area is one option. Still, some homeowners find it aesthetically unappealing — plus, squirrels could potentially chew off bits of a wooden fence and find their way inside.
A floating, plastic row cover is an effective alternative — it acts as an enclosure that squirrels naturally stay away from, as it creates a barrier to escape from their predators.
If a fence or cage isn’t helping your situation, or if you’re unable to make your own, you may want to consider looking for squirrel removal experts in Brampton or the GTA for assistance.
The removal professionals at Wildlife Shield recommend a trained and licensed team to safely and humanely keep wildlife away from your garden and your home.
Odour Repellants
Squirrels have a heightened sense of smell and are therefore easily deterred with strong odours. As a homeowner, you can take a DIY approach to squirrel repellents with items typically found in your pantry — cayenne pepper, pepper flakes, or garlic powder are a strong place to start.
Once they get a taste, it’s unlikely they’ll come back for more. Sprinkle these spices around your vegetables or flowers daily to keep your garden safe from wildlife.
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Add Decoy Predators
A low-cost option for squirrel prevention is the addition of fake predators, such as resin owls or rubber snakes. By simply moving them around daily, you give off the impression of real threats to the squirrels and scare them away from your protected backyard areas.
You may need to take more drastic measures in the long-run, but this is a cost-effective starting point, and you can then gauge the severity of your squirrel population.
Feed Them Yourselves
If scarring them away isn’t a preferable option, you could build them a feeding area, away from your crops. This option will likely only be useful if you have considerable backyard space and can place the feeder far enough away from your garden.
Try filling the feeder with sunflower seeds, feed corn, and peanut butter — or plant them in a smaller garden with a few tomatoes to keep them occupied.
For added measure, it might be helpful to employ those DIY repellants around the original garden to encourage them to stick to their feeding area.
