What Smells Deter Squirrels

Squirrels are mischievous and extremely agile animals and might be annoying for gardeners. They are usually hard to scare away from the garden; however, it is possible to keep them away with enough strategy and patience. One of which is the smell! Some smells deter. To find out, keep reading.

Varieties of odors keep squirrels away because they do not like them, they are:

1. Animal urine

Squirrels detest the smell of animal urine because they believe it gives them this gut feeling that there is danger ahead, and then they run away from there or hide. This has made most products contain these odors. Animals that feed on rodents are the ones that majorly give off this odor that squirrels run away from.

2. Spicy smells

Spicy scents from garlic powder and white pepper scare squirrels away from anywhere you do not want them—even sweet and tangy smells. Just get your crops sprayed with pepper seasoning, and don’t forget to spray water before the pepper.

This would protect your crops from attacks by these squirrels. If there’s rainfall, that means you would have to reapply again immediately after it has stopped.

3. Cider vinegar

Many homeowners usually have apple cider vinegar at home. They are very useful for scaring away squirrels as well, aside from their normal use. To use; make use of clothes or shoes by putting them around the corners or areas that you know squirrels normally take to gain entry into your home.

4. Skunk-flowers smell

Even heard of cleomes? They are flowers with skunk-like smells which can be a little tolerable to you as a human. This is because skunk smells are usually obnoxious to humans, which is why cleomes seem to be perfect for the job.

5. Mothballs

Mothballs should be available at everyone’s home. So if you are having issues with squirrels, worry not because these small mothballs repel squirrels, and their smell automatically brings some of us down the memory lane of visits to our grandmother’s house. Just place them around your home, attic, or flowers. The moment you don’t perceive the scent again, replace it every several weeks.

6. Cinnamon smell

Cinnamon is one of those smells that squirrels hate to perceive. The worst of all for squirrels is the ground cinnamon and strong-smelling cinnamon because it quickly takes its toll on them that very moment they sniff it in and later on irritates the delicate linings of their respiratory tract.

Note: it has also been confirmed that coffee grounds are effective in keeping squirrels away. If you’re the type that takes coffee, get the used grains, and if you don’t take coffee, you might have to visit any local coffee shop nearby to get their recycled grounded coffee for use in your gardens.

It might be used as a conditioner for soils as well. Place these coffee grounds in areas where you know squirrels normally go to or wander around by applying them on soils where the crops are growing.

What Smell Do Squirrels Hate?

Squirrels are naturally pesky and so if you’re finding it hard to get rid of these furry animals, then you need not stress yourself about using poisons or chemicals anymore as there are quite a number of smells that they detest.

Using these smells or scents that they detest, you would surely be able to scare these critters away from your surroundings.
Examples of smells that squirrels hate are predator urine, pepper, mothballs, mint, coffee, skunks, and cinnamon.

How To Use Cinnamons To Deter Squirrels

Are you interested in using scents from cinnamon to tame those notorious squirrels in your home, attic, or garden? However, you are not sure of the procedures to follow or steps to take after purchasing the products. Well, it’s all here for you; continue reading!

Below are the following procedures that you need to follow, they are:

Get ground cinnamon (most used for squirrels) sprinkled around the plants you want to protect from squirrels infestation.
Use large quantities of cinnamon for a better result, and do not forget to replace it once a week due to the effect of wind or rainwater on the formerly applied cinnamon.
For a better effect on protecting your plants, mix your cinnamon oil with peppermint oil or cayenne extract in warm water, then get your materials (rags or cotton balls) soaked in this solution after a thorough shake.

Lastly, position these rags or cotton balls around your plants, including places like; your garage, attics, or anywhere these critters normally visit.

How To Use Pepper Smell To Prevent Squirrels In Homes

Is your home infiltrated with these pesky animals? Are these smart critters giving you tough times at home or in your attics? And you have pepper in your possession? Then now, it’s time to put it to use!

Squirrels detest spicy smells such as peppers and red pepper, white pepper, black pepper, chilli powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and jalapeño pepper. The most used hot peppers in some of these commercial squirrel repellents to scare them away completely from your abode.

How to use:

The application of moisture by watering your plants that squirrels have knocked down is followed indecisively by grounding around the plants.
After getting the plants moisturized, you add the peppers (chilli, black pepper, and cayenne pepper) all around the ground of your plants, including the bottom leaves of these plants.

Immediately after there’s a rainfall, make sure to reapply the pepper.
When using a spray bottle to spray your plants, make sure to mix just half a bottle of Tabasco sauce and a half-gallon (2 litres) of water. Spray should be used on a cloudy day or late in the afternoons to avoid the scorching heat or burns from the sun on your plants.

Effect Of Cayenne peppers On Squirrels?

The mixture of this pepper with petroleum jelly will come out sticky, and then you can smear all around the base of your plants’ stems, fences, or poles where squirrels gain entry into. Do not forget to use a protective mask and wear gloves while doing this and wash your hands well with soap and detergents after that.

Where To Spray Sticky-cayenne Pepper Mix?

If you’re wondering where to spray this hot mix, here are the tips on the places in which you can spray your Cayenne peppers.
Spray on vegetables, ornaments, fruits, citrus trees, fences, and wooden furniture.
Spray on bird seeds, including the bird feeders, to prevent squirrels from feeding in the bird seeds. If you think the pepper spray might be harmful to your birds, you need not worry because it isn’t.

Spray your inlet, attics, or exits of your home.

Quick Takeaway!

Before you purchase any squirrel repellent spray, make sure that you get the one with “capsaicin” – an ingredient that burns squirrels.

To go hotter on squirrels, spread red pepper flakes or crushed red peppers on the ground where you want to prohibit squirrels from walking.

How To Use Vinegar To Deter Squirrels Off Your Attics

The smell of vinegar is a turn-off for squirrels, such as apple cider vinegar and white vinegar. Using vinegar against these furry pests is a good alternative to getting rid of them.

Here’s how to use it:

Get an unused cloth, old shoes, or old towels by soaking them in apple cider vinegar, then place them in your attic.
After some hours or days, when the vinegar smell has worn off, make sure to renew it by refreshing your used clothes, shoes, or towels with a refreshing apple cider vinegar.
Position these already soaked materials (clothes, shoes, and towels) around entrances where squirrels gain entry into your attics.

Note: don’t mistake spraying this vinegar on plants directly to avoid situations of burns or death of the plants.

Other places that you can spray these kinds of vinegar are:
Spraying on poles, fences, decks, flower pots, floors, appliances, and barbecues with pure apple cider vinegar.

Getting Rid Of Squirrels In Your House?

Are you a homeowner and have been looking for ways to deal with these nutty animals called “squirrels?” Do you want to get rid of squirrels in your house? Then, you have no problem because you would be getting to know how to deal with these nutty critters.

Below are the following steps that you have to take to get rid of squirrels in your house:

Get rid of those tall trees (within 10 feet) that could be their access to your house, if any.
Please get rid of any leftovers in your garbage bins and take care of bird feeders by removing them, including nuts and fallen fruits.
Go to a nearby store and request slim PVC pipes; if available, purchase them and make use of it, provided your roof also gets vulnerable to these critters.

Use these pipes on cables that squirrels get onto on your roof so that they would fall off the next time they run on it.
Cover trees that squirrels like to climb in your homes with sheet metal that’s at least two(2) feet wide.
Back it up with wire and spring so that these nutty critters would fall off while they climb on it and to enable the tree to be able to grow and breathe.

Block every entrance or hole used by these squirrels on your roof except for the main hole.
Ensure you have all the other available holes.Send trapped and caught squirrels to another location, provided the state law supports it.

Admirable Hidden Facts About Squirrels

Squirrels, just like humans, have adopted the skillful acts of “survival-of-the-fittest,” and this has made them go as far as displaying varieties of roles such as gardener, trickster, acrobat, bandit, and lots more.

For you to know more about their admirable abilities, then you have to continue reading!

Below are the admirable facts about squirrels:

1. Squirrels are deliberate animals

These skillfully-intentional animals would pretend to set a trap against potential thieves by burying a nut. With their deceptive caching ability, they would dig holes and vigorously cover it up again so they could capture potential food thieves.

2. Squirrels possess ever-growing rodent front teeth

Gnawing is a part of what they do to keep their teeth at the right length. This is also a common characteristic of other rodents, and the word “rodent” is Latin derived from “rodere,” meaning “to gnaw.”

3. Squirrels exhibit zigzag motion to escape predators

Using this strategy helps them to be able to escape predators such as hawks due to the threats they give them. Red-tail hawks are so hideous enough to catch squirrels out of their knothole in a log. Sadly enough, when it comes to man-driven predators like cars, squirrels become frightened because their zigzag pattern is of no use at that moment.

4. Squirrels are capable of fishing out buried foods

These animals are ever ready to dig food even beneath a foot of snow. During cold winters, when food seems scarce for them, they would utilize every means of getting food for themselves as it is very important for them. Even their smelling ability becomes extraordinarily effective. Immediately they get to sniff their buried treasure beneath the snow, and they keep digging till they bring it all out.

5. Squirrels are adaptable, acrobatic, and intelligent

It is said that if you try to hang a bird feeder that squirrels are ready to give you a challenge.

6. Squirrels create more trees

Sometimes, when they do not dig up all of their buried nuts, it would result in more trees, and thus this has given rise to countless trees in our nation’s forests. This has actually been of help to nature as a whole. Now, there are many oak trees around.

7. Squirrels shield themselves from cold

How do they do this? They would get themselves bulky to keep warm by putting on some extra weight during the winter.

Squirrels And Your Garden

Do you own a garden? Do squirrels already infiltrate your garden? Are your spring bulbs unsafe? Do you know the culprit already? Aside from squirrels, other culprits like meerkats or wild hogs might also be a reason for your spring bulbs getting consumed. Squirrels would eat up your spring bulbs’ flowers and get their harvested snacks hidden in this hole.

Aside from the spring bulbs, what other thing? Garden plants will, of course, be one of their prey on their visit to your garden. Other crops like berries, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, and apples are juicy food they like to steal from gardens.

Most people have caught squirrels around jar soils. They also raid bins in search of bugs. Fruit trees are also one of the treats that they seek in your garden.

Getting Rid Of Squirrels In Your Gardens?

Are you a gardener? Have these annoying critters called squirrels made you so furious? Do you wish to get rid of them as soon as possible? Then there are things that you can do without harming them.

Squirrels are a garden nuisance that frivolously feeds on garden harvests such as fruits, vegetables, berries, and nuts.

However, if you are looking for means to naturally send them away or keep them far from your garden without harming them, then all you need to make use of are odors, water spray, ultrasound, and dogs or cats. These work effectively, and it is worth giving a try.

How To Use Water Sprays (motion detectors) On Squirrels?

If you just got your water spray and you are looking for how to use it, here’s how:
This is done by setting your nozzle in the already detected squirrels’ direction and watching them flee at that instance.
With the motion-activated sprinkler, it gets so much easier to catch these furry animals. The action of the sensor will detect any movement of an animal whenever it is near and can then be positioned to hit the right target.

The Use Of Ultrasound On Squirrels

Because of the susceptibility of squirrels to noise, the use of ultrasound does not sound bad. This is because these annoying critters get irritated by high-pitched frequencies, making ultrasound a deterrent to squirrels. I can recommend Sonic squirrel repellant as this is one product I have used over time to help take them out of my garden.

Ultrasound operates by emitting a higher frequency of sounds than humans’ normal frequency of sounds. However, in the process of doing this, your pets can get affected as well.

What Attracts Squirrels?

The Squirrel’s attraction train is enchanted by the smell and sights of nuts, fallen fruits, and seeds. As homeowners, you have to make sure that you clean up your bird feeders, empty trash cans, and keep them tightly closed.

Are Squirrels Garden Pests?

Yes!
They are naturally common garden pests. Most of which are notorious – the gray squirrels, for gardeners far and wide the UK.
Many gardeners with red squirrels in their gardens sometimes leave them because they are usually rare in their part.

Control Measures For Getting Squirrels Off Your Garden

Squirrels are furry pests and have caused enough trouble for gardeners in their gardens, and this has made it right to look for ways to get rid of them.

However, there are methods that you can follow to curb their unruly behavior in your garden. Even though they possess acrobatic antics and wily behavior, by following these steps, then you will be able to tackle them.

Try using traps: traps are always available at garden centers. Setting them traps, capturing them, and then letting them is usually the usual procedure, but when it comes to the gray squirrels, it is advisable to kill them and not release them because they are an alien species.

Make use of a net: vulnerable trees and plants are protected by using nets. As a gardener, protect your flower bed immediately; you plant bulbs by using a net so that squirrels would not be able to dig them up. To protect trees, use a tree skirt.

Set up a feeding area for them: right there in your garden, you might have to consider feeding these furry pests by giving them your garden harvest to eat or making a cobnut tree to grow in one part of your garden and watch and see how irresistible this would be for them not to feed on it. They are nutty animals! Don’t forget.

Use scarecrows: this is getting creative. Most people use fake owls by hanging them out on tree branches to scare the squirrels. Prickly prunings are being made use of as well.

Reasons Why You Should Love Squirrels?

Squirrels are worth admiring from afar off because they are always impressed with the way they easily adapt. They make us know how pesky and cute they’ve become too. So, no matter how you must have felt about squirrels, it is worth knowing them better.

Here is the reason why they seem so impressive:

Fluffy Tails

This is used for communication with their fellow squirrels.
Helps them to be able to thrive in a wide range of climates.
Assists in heat regulation.

Highly Social Animals

Just like humans, Squirrels are also gregarious animals with complex social behaviors.
They also do things like; grooming their babies right from birth, taking care of each other, and learning from their fellow squirrels.

Double-jointed Animals

Squirrels are known for their ability to climb down vertical trees.

This has made them able to rotate at an angle of 180 degrees.

Possessing A Very Smart Nature

Squirrels know their way of survival, and because of that, they came up with the idea of burying their stolen nuts.
Most times, these nuts get forgotten by them and later germinate to become cobnuts trees.

They are known to also outsmart each other by stealing their buried food.
The smartest ones will set traps by burying an empty hole with no nuts to catch the thieves.

What Do Squirrels Eat?

Do you feel curious about what these pesky animals eat? Or are you considering feeding them yourself? If so then, you need to know that they eat:
A combination of nuts, corn, fruit, seeds, bark, leaves, and fungi. These varieties of food give your squirrels a balanced source of nutrition.
Peanuts and sunflower seeds.

In addition, many garden and home supplies sell in bulk, pre-packaged bags of squirrel food made of seeds and larger nuts. Going for hazelnuts is also advisable as they are proven to be a stronger source of nutrition for squirrels, especially for squirrels in the northern region.

What smells naturally deter squirrels?

Squirrels are repelled by strong scents such as peppermint, garlic, and certain spices. Incorporating these smells into your surroundings can help discourage squirrels from frequenting specific areas.

Does cayenne pepper repel squirrels?

Yes, cayenne pepper is known to be a natural deterrent for squirrels. Sprinkling cayenne pepper or using cayenne pepper spray in areas you want to protect can help keep squirrels away.

Can I use essential oils to deter squirrels?

Yes, essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender are effective in repelling squirrels. Placing cotton balls soaked in these oils or using oil-based sprays can create a scent barrier.

Will mothballs keep squirrels away?

While mothballs have been used as a deterrent, they are not recommended due to their toxic nature. Safer alternatives like natural scents or essential oils are preferred.

Does coffee grounds deter squirrels?

Yes, the strong aroma of used coffee grounds can act as a natural deterrent for squirrels. Sprinkle coffee grounds in areas where you want to discourage squirrel activity.

Can I use vinegar to repel squirrels?

Yes, the strong scent of vinegar can be effective in deterring squirrels. Mix vinegar with water and spray it in areas where squirrels are unwanted.

Are there specific plants that repel squirrels?

Squirrels tend to avoid plants with strong scents, such as daffodils, hyacinths, and alliums. Planting these around your garden may help deter squirrels.

Does the scent of predator urine deter squirrels?

Yes, the scent of predator urine, such as that of foxes or coyotes, can create a natural deterrent for squirrels. Commercial repellents with these scents are available.

How often should I reapply repellents to deter squirrels?

The frequency of reapplication depends on the type of repellent used. Follow the instructions on the product, and monitor the area for any signs of squirrel activity to determine the need for reapplication.

Are there scents that attract squirrels instead of repelling them?

Squirrels are attracted to the scent of nuts, seeds, and certain fruits. Avoid placing these scents near areas where you want to deter squirrels.

Discover effective ways to use scents as a natural deterrent against squirrels with our FAQs. Learn how to protect your property and garden from unwanted squirrel activity using safe and natural methods.

Conclusion

Squirrels bring harm to gardens and homes, inclusive. They also give rise to diseases, plagues, and rodents in homes. However, if you follow the procedures for shunning them away, you will be squirrel-free, as mentioned in the article.