In Search Of... Squirrel Expert. No, Really!

CallMeKate

CallMeKate

Well-known Member
Location
Mid-Atlantic US
I'm having a squirrel issue. It sounds funny, but I'm not laughing. They're chewing through my outside Christmas light strands and ruining them... just at the one bush. I didn't know what did it when it first happened a couple of weeks ago so I looked it up and it really *is* a thing. Squirrels. :( Replaced the strand but now they did it again yesterday.

One of the holiday lights manufacturers suggests dried cayenne pepper mixed with water and sprayed on the strands/wires... and I've done that, but if it doesn't work, anyone know what a Plan B could be?
 

I was going to say hot sauce. Seems it didn't work. I know they make these predator sprays for critters to keep them away. Sold in garden centers. Maybe one of those sprays would work. They stink though.
 
birdy said:
I was going to say hot sauce. Seems it didn't work. I know they make these predator sprays for critters to keep them away. Sold in garden centers. Maybe one of those sprays would work. They stink though.
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Thanks, @birdy ... Somewhere in the garage we have something called "Neem"... thought we got it to keep deer from the garden, but I should look for it and see what else it does. Or maybe it was for insects? I'll explore.
 
Gary O' said:
I live trap loaded with peanut butter
and a long drive......to a park
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The neighbor across the street does that... I see him loading a cage into his truck often. I do believe they're onto him and holding their squirrely meetings in MY yard now. I never minded them before... enjoy watching them, but we can't be replacing the Christmas lights a couple times a week! :(
 
They don't like mothballs, that I know. I had squirrels raising a family in my soffits and I wanted to seal them up but not when they were in there (pee-yew!). So, I bought a couple of boxes of mothballs and blew them into the soffits with a leaf blower.

I came home the next day and my yard was littered with mothballs. I gathered them up, blew them back in. Next day, yard full of moth balls. We kept that up for days. It was gonna be a contest to see who could hold out the longest.

I won. No more squirrels in the soffits.
 
jujube said:
They don't like mothballs, that I know. I had squirrels raising a family in my soffits and I wanted to seal them up but not when they were in there (pee-yew!). So, I bought a couple of boxes of mothballs and blew them into the soffits with a leaf blower.
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Mothballs... couldn't hurt! I'll pick some up on Saturday. Thanks, @jujube
 
Some wiring insulation used an organic material that rodents chewed. This is where cars really got into trouble. I'm not sure what you can spray on that will matter in the open air though. The mint-based stuff for cars was enclosed under the hood so it didn't dissipate so quickly.

I have year-round string lighting and it's 6 to 8 inches above the ground. To say we have a squirrel infestation here is an understatement. But they've never bothered the wires. Around the 4th of July and other such holidays I also string out small red/white/blue lighting on the bushes. No problems there either.

Are yours old-timey high current incandescent lights? Maybe they are after the warmth?
 
CallMeKate said:
Okay, before I buy some, now that I'm thinking about it, they would have to be
outside in the elements... usually lots of snow so they'd be wet all the time. Would
that ruin them/render them ineffective, do you think?
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I use them in my flower beds. They do eventually melt in the rain, but it takes a long time. Make sure its the balls and not the crystals.
 
Gary O' said:
I live trap loaded with peanut butter

and a long drive......to a park

Squirrels can also chew up the wiring in the engine compartment of your vehicle if the wiring is made with a vegetable composite
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In my state it’s illegal to do this because squirrels are very territorial and will kill a squirrel that’s relocated. When I had my house I wasn’t willing to harm them so gave up having a garden. Outside is their home.
 
They've multiplied here to a level where it is hard to imagine any restrictions on anything one might do aside from torture. But we've also seen an uptick in raptors coming into neighborhoods so perhaps things may balance again before the coyotes move in.

Crazy people are getting permits for back yard chickens now. That's been bringing in coyotes around the area. I suppose next people will want to keep back yard donkeys to stomp the coyotes.
 
Mothballs could be poisonous to dogs if eaten, cats can deal a bit better (still bad).
Squirrels chew wires cause their teeth are constantly growing and they don't find enough food that will grind their teeth. They don't like walking on aluminum foil, could put that around the bottom and/or top of tree.

Get some squirrel food. :)
 
When squirrels go bad!!!! They can chew through reinforced concrete, and wiring is definitely on their menu. And the little SOBs are super determined. Sorry, CallMeKate, I'm not a squirrel expert. I had this one squirrel and somehow I p!$$ed him off. Every time I went outside, he'd jump up and down and make these weird noises. I know they can be quite destructive.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
And the little SOBs are super determined. Sorry, CallMeKate, I'm not a squirrel expert. I had this one squirrel and somehow I p!$$ed him off. Every time I went outside, he'd jump up and down and make these weird noises. I know they can be quite destructive.
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You painted quite a picture there, @fuzzybuddy ... I can see the li'l guy doing that dance for you. ☺️ I don't usually mind watching them... industrious little things. But darn, they are *ruining* my Christmas lights, so I can turn into a scrooge when I see that. :devilish:
 
They keep chewing through them the population will dwindle when they hit the electricity. LOL!

Seriously...maybe put out a feeder with some black oil sunflower seeds for a little bit.
 

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