Squirrels are considered to be a pest, however, they are also wild animals and so notoriously difficult to get rid of.
Although it is nice watching squirrels, they can be a serious problem to gardens, causing extensive damage and terrorising bird feeders.
Like most wild animals, if there is a source of food they are likely to remain. So the simple answer would be to remove all nuts, fruit, vegetables, fungi, and insects. However, this isn’t really practical in a domestic garden.
Squirrels can also be a complete disaster for property owners and cause thousands of pounds of damage, by nibbling through wires and woodwork or tearing into insulation and plasterboard.
To keep them away from your garden and property, Jordan Foster, a pest control expert at Fantastic Pest Control, shared his top tips.
Jordan explained that squirrels are rather picky about their odours and they “simply cannot tolerate some smells” – one of which is coffee grounds.
He instructed: “Spread coffee grounds in your borders as squirrels hate the smell of them and will run away and won’t come back.”
Try sprinkling used coffee grounds around the border of your garden to keep your crops and flowers safe.
Add a few drops of water to the ground to secure the grinds in place and help heighten the smell.
It’s best gardeners test a discreet spot in their garden first to make sure it won’t cause damage to their plants.
Coffee grounds may also help to deter other pests, such as cats and rats.
Alternatively, the gardening experts at Love The Garden recommend using chilli flakes around the garden to ward off these troublesome pests.
They said: “Squirrels can’t stand the hot, spicy flavours of chilli and so a liberal scattering of these could help deter them from the garden.”
As another suggestion, they recommended putting plenty of pots filled with mint around the garden as “squirrels find peppermint too strong for their sensitive noses”.
It’s worth noting that gardeners should always check with their local laws before using pest-repellant products in or around their home or garden.
