Homemade Squirrel Repellent

I need a recipe for squirrel repellent that does not keep the birds away too. I found one made with cayenne powder, but that will hurt the birds, won't it? These rodents eat a small fortune in birdseed!

Hardiness Zone: 6a

By Leigh from Litchfeild County, CT

Answers: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

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By 03/09/2011

I've been dealing with squirrels and moles in my garden and bird feeders forever, the methods that employ the use of dry herbs such as cayenne pepper are useless, save the cayenne for homemade chili. The solar "pounders" are also a wast of money. The best formula that i have found for squirrels and moles is this : add 1 tablespoon of castor oil to 2 tablespoons of ordinary dish soap add 6 tablespoons of water and mix until it has a whipped cream consistency. Spray the area down with a garden hose soak it nicely, then connect your garden sprayer to the hose with the "solution" added to sprayer. Soak the area down. This works for 2 weeks to a month. It may seem like a hassle but the thing is it works!( Optional ingredients include 1 tablespoon of powdered alum and human urine, yes urine! First it is a natural fear factor for the animals, second, it also breaks down into ammonia which is of course repellent, and good for plant growth).

By 08/06/2010

I too am having trouble with squirrels digging in my potted plants, so I found this site on natural ways to stop them.

Here is the site:
http://www.ehow.com/way_5600750_home-remedies-getting-rid-squirrels.html

I hope that it is helpful to you!

By 06/27/2010

My husband put a wire cable between two trees and hung the bird feeder on the wire. There is about 20 feet between the trees with no low hanging branches. While the squirrels may sit at each end where the bolt goes into the trees, they cannot walk on this wire. The feeder is high enough off the ground so they can't jump up either. This has worked for several years, so unless I find a squirrel with a ladder, or stilts I feel I can feed my birds and not go broke doing it.

By 06/25/2010

This isn't a repellent, but try putting an ear of corn out for the squirrels. They will work at that instead of eating the birdfeed. Works pretty good for us.

Questions

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How to Make Homemade Squirrel Repellent

I need a recipe for homemade squirrel repellent. Thank you.

By Butch

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By lindelsue195406/13/2011

You can try googling for a recipe on squirrel repellents. I think if you go on ehow.com you will come up with quite a few of them.

Squirrel Repellent

How do I make a spray using cayenne pepper to deter these rodents?

By MR from England

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Homemade Squirrel Repellent

Does anyone know a good, thrifty homemade squirrel repellent that won't harm them, but will keep them away? My mom's squirrels are eating all the bird seed and driving her dogs mad.

Kim from Rochester, MI

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

One thing she can try is to buy red pepper flakes at the store (often the dollar store has them, you don't need expensive) and grind them in a blender and put some of the powder in with the seed. The squirrels don't like the pepper, and the birds don't care.

But if there were one tried and true method, there wouldn't be so many "foil the squirrel" products and books. If persistence to the task would do it, my father-in-law would have "beaten" them years ago. (07/15/2008)

By Jilson

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

I think it's too early to be feeding birds in the yard there are still plenty of food sources available. When the weather gets colder and the birds which remain through the winter months are finding it difficult to find food, begin filling the feeders (don't forget fresh water, too). If you can't manage to repel the squirrels, you can feed them separately (quite a distance away) with ears of dried corn.

Make sure the bird-feeder isn't reachable from any branch or the porch railings, etc., and put a squirrel baffle on the pole (like a garbage-can lid with a hole in the middle for the feeder pole to go through and supported by a couple of nails). Be sure you are feeding high-quality seeds so that the birds won't pick through them and kick out seeds they don't want. Feed seeds for the type of birds you get at the feeder. Clean up under the feeder regularly to keep the squirrels from scavenging the dropped seeds.

Nancy from NC (07/16/2008)

By NokomisNims

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

We had the same problem and were told to feed the birds safflower seeds, because squirrels don't like the seed. We have had no problem, with the squirrels eating the seed. The seed is kind of expensive, more expensive than sunflower seed, which we were using, but we feel it is worth it. We don't feed seed in the summer, only in the winter. (07/16/2008)

By Sharon

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

Cayenne or any red pepper is effective with any bird seed it will not harm the birds, but the squirrels won't go near it. I live in a heavily wooded, squirrel infested area and the red pepper thing really works. I don't see why sprinkling red pepper on hoses in car engine compartment on hoses wouldn't work as well. Squirrels also ate through a gas line (metal) my outdoor grill. Guess what? Coated it with a mixture of Vaseline and red pepper and they never came near it again. (03/01/2009)

By Sylvia bird lover

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

For my bird feeder, I tried the cayenne pepper mixed with the seed, but it didn't work. However, I placed my bird feeder on a metal post in the middle of my yard, where they could not jump "on" it (away from trees and such). I lubed up the conduit pole I used for the feeder, with a mixture of cayenne pepper and Crisco.

The only way they could get to the feeder was if they climbed it and they could. However, after climbing it and getting the Crisco mixture all over their feet, they were forced to clean themselves and we all know how hard it is to wash grease off your hands. Well, they only climbed it once and they learned their lesson. Now, they just sit at the bottom of the feeder and take whatever seeds fall from the birds. I love it and its harmless, but painful for them since they have to clean themselves. Worked here in New England all year round. Just grease the pole periodically. Cheap, too. (05/05/2009)

By julsofthenile

Homemade Squirrel Repellent

A squirrel is eating my treated lumber steps. I need a recipe for a repellent.

By jchenry from OH

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

Put hot pepper sauce on it, critters do not like hot stuff. Good luck. (09/02/2009)

By kffrmw88

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

Squirrels can do a lot of damage. You could use a Have A Heart Trap (sometimes you can borrow these traps from the animal control department). Catch the squirrels and release in woods far from your house. I would want them to be far away as perhaps they will find another tasty area of your home. (09/03/2009)

By mulberry204

Homemade Squirrel Repellent

This stuff keeps squirrels from eating up your garden, flowers and veggies.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. cayenne powder
2 Tbsp. hot sauce
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. Murphy's Oil Soap
1 qt. warm water.

Mix everything together, pour into a hand held sprayer, shake well, and spray all your plants liberally. I usually triple the mix when I make it to make sure I have enough. Then I shake and spray; shake and spray; shake and spray. Now I'm not growing my veggies for the neighborhood squirrels!

The book I got this recipe from has recipes for everything; I mean everything. I love Jerry Baker. When I grow habaneros, I usually dry some to powder and add to this, just in case the cayenne isn't hot enough, but that's just because I'm a cook and always experimenting. The recipe works great on it's own.

Caution: Watch which way the wind is blowing and wear gloves.

Source: Backyard Problem Solver by Jerry Baker

By Lou from Denver, CO

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

The only problem with this, I've heard that they can get the cayenne powder in their eyes and then it really burns their eyes. Not sure if it's better because it's part of a mix, but I know that putting the peppers down on the plants will hurt them. (05/06/2010)

By Allison5

RE: Homemade Squirrel Repellent

It didn't work for me, I poured it all over my bird feeding platform. As soon as it dried I put out sunflower seeds for the birds. Within minutes I had a squirrel up there chomping down. (05/10/2010)

By sindowg