Everyone pretty much agrees that squirrels are cute little animals, and that they can be very entertaining to watch as they scurry from tree to tree. However, homeowners are somewhat less captivated by squirrels, because most homeowners realize that these animals can cause serious damage to their premises, and they can even carry diseases which could be spread amongst humans. For that reason, it’s best to keep squirrels off your property entirely, and just observe their little antics from a distance. Here are some things you can do to make sure that squirrels don’t invade your property, and bring along all kinds of risks with them.
Don’t Feed Squirrels
While it might be an enjoyable activity to toss peanuts, bread chunks, and seeds in the yard for squirrels to gather up, that will actually be encouraging them to stick around, because they’ll remember the food source. Not only should you not be feeding squirrels, but you should inspect your yard to make sure there are no other food sources available to them, so they can’t form the habit of returning again and again for free meals.
Block Off Wildlife Entry Points
Conduct an inspection of your home’s exterior, to see if you can find any access points at all where a squirrel or other wildlife might be able to get inside your house. They should all be sealed off or blocked up, so as to prevent access to any unwanted visitors. If any critters do find an access point to your household, they will undoubtedly make use of it, both for shelter and for a possible food source.
Scare them off
This doesn’t mean running around your yard screaming and yelling with arms waving wildly. Instead, if you have a pet dog, allow the dog to do all the scaring for you, because most dogs will instinctively chase after squirrels and discourage them from coming onto your premises. If you don’t happen to have a watchdog type of pet, you can strategically place plastic owls around your yard, because owls are natural predators for squirrels, and squirrels will always avoid them if possible.
Keep your Yard Clean
If necessary, rake your yard frequently to ensure that there are no acorns, nuts, berries, or other attractive types of food which might appeal to squirrels. Bird feeders are also a big appeal for squirrels, so make sure that any bird feeders you have in your yard get removed after summer or fall seasons, or make sure they are only accessible to the type of bird you do want on your property. Keeping your yard clear of food sources is a powerful discouragement for unwanted visitors.
Use Natural Repellents
There are a number of repellents you can purchase that will be effective at keeping squirrels off your premises, most of which give off an unpleasant odor. For instance, by planting mint around the perimeter of your yard, you can be fairly sure that it will act as a deterrent to squirrels and other critters who dislike the smell. If you do develop a squirrel problem that you just can’t seem to overcome, your best bet would be to leave the issue to the professionals like Precision Wildlife Removal. Our specialists will be able to ensure that unwanted visitors like squirrels, bypass your yard and take up residence somewhere else.
