Most people don’t mind having squirrels in their back garden. In fact, the sight of squirrels sometimes adds to a garden. That being said, these animals often become pests. If you’re experiencing problems with squirrels, it’s more than likely because something in your garden has attracted them. But what are we talking about exactly? Here are some examples of the things squirrels love.
Things squirrels love and what to do about them
Bird feeders
One of the biggest things squirrels love are bird feeders. With a bird feeder, squirrels do not have to do any work to find food. They can feast to their hearts content, and it’s basically like a free buffet. The simple solution to this is removing the bird feeder, although you probably won’t want to do this if you enjoy attracting local bird species to their garden.
The next best solution is squirrel proofing the feeder. There are many ways of doing this. For starters, if your bird feeder is on the ground, then get one that hangs. You can also put caging around your bird feeder. Another way is to get what’s known as a “squirrel baffle.” This is a conical piece of plastic that fits around the top or bottom of the feeder. This prevent squirrels from climbing up the pole, or coming down from above.
Overhanging tree branches
Overhanging tree branches are another of the things squirrels love. This is in part because these branches give squirrels a way to enter into your home. What the squirrels do is climb on to the branches and then drop down onto your roof. From there they can get into the house. The best way to prevent this is by making sure your branches are pruned right back.
Vegetable beds / fruit trees
It is well known that squirrels can damage your garden in many ways. Vegetable beds are a big draw for these animals.They will eat your vegetables before they even have a chance to grow properly. A good way to prevent this is by erecting a wire enclosure around your vegetable patch.
Squirrels also go after fruit and nut trees. To prevent this, you can place a wire baffle around the trunk of the tree. Also make sure to remove ripe fruit from the tree and pick up any fallen fruit.
Plant bulbs
One of the least fun squirrel facts is that keeping these rodents away from bulbs is tricky. The only real way to do this is by building a wire barrier or bulb cage. Also check your local garden centre for squirrel repellent.
If you are having problems with squirrels that you can’t seem to solve yourself, do get in touch. Squirrels living inside your attic or loft, for example, can cause a range of damaging and dangerous outcomes, you acting fast is paramount. Our specialist London squirrel control team are on hand to help, from advice over the phone to coming out and attending to the situation on site.