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My son is visiting and tells me that his apartment balcony is being invaded by the critters. His neighbor feeds them and they are bringing nuts, etc., to DS's plants to bury them! Plus eating whatever else they have growing. Any suggestions - does ANYTHING deter them? They can't screen in the balcony.

short of asking neighbors to shell the nuts so the squirrels eat them instead of burying them, i have no suggestions. and even that does not always work. i know, i've tried.

maybe sprinkling cayenne pepper on the soil? gardener friends help ~ would that hurt the soil and/or plants?

They'll bury the shelled nuts, too. I found that out the hard way. I've heard about using the pepper but don't know if it works or not. Hope he can find something to deter them.

Remeber this.....are you listening...'yeah'....
I'll only say one word.....yeah?

Plastic!

"What about plastic?"....

Remember..."Plastic"


A cat, a hawk, an owl, a snake....

Placed advantageously.......no more squirrels.

"OK"

Remember now...."plastic"!

Pellet pistol...a CO2 powered one!

Do that and you wont sleep very well afterwards.

A pellet gun can do terrible damage to small wildlife. Aside from "you'll put your eye out" possibility, such ammunition can kill.

I've tried everything to keep them out of the bird feeder.
One thing I would try is the bottle of CRITTER REPELLENT that they sell in Lowes or Home Depot for all kinds of animals, including skwirls. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!! I hate when the skwirls dig a million holes in my backyard every year. I think they always forget where they buried their nuts, acorns, etc. and are looking for it. They dig holes in my flower pots as well, leaving a mess ~ really, really annoying!!! (& the cayenne pepper in the bird feeder didn't work either)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Wavy,

The best solution I found to keep them out of pots is to cover the soil's surface with landscape gravel or marble chips. Plus, it looks prettier than bare dirt.

In my experience, they don't eat any plant matter (except ripe tomatoes). They seem to unintentionally uproot plants while digging and then maybe take a taste to see if they might like it. So if that's the case with your son's squirrels/plants, preventing the digging in the first place should take care of the 'eating'.

When planting the planter boxes, if you pin chicken wire down on the soil surface, that can help some. Enlarge the mesh with snips if needed for the plantings. Most plants will come up in the holes of the mesh.

It can slow them down a bit, but I know of nothing else that can really guarantee help.

quote:

Originally posted by Loonie:
Remeber this.....are you listening...'yeah'....
I'll only say one word.....yeah?

Plastic!

"What about plastic?"....

Remember..."Plastic"


A cat, a hawk, an owl, a snake....

Placed advantageously.......no more squirrels.

"OK"

Remember now...."plastic"!

Seriously???

Have him check with the apartment manager & see if there's something the landlord can or will do.

quote:

Originally posted by Loonie:
Do that and you wont sleep very well afterwards.

A pellet gun can do terrible damage to small wildlife. Aside from "you'll put your eye out" possibility, such ammunition can kill.

Well, a .22 pistol works well too! And it isn't as loud!

quote:

Originally posted by ga.karen:

quote:

Originally posted by Loonie:
Do that and you wont sleep very well afterwards.

A pellet gun can do terrible damage to small wildlife. Aside from "you'll put your eye out" possibility, such ammunition can kill.

Well, a .22 pistol works well too! And it isn't as loud!

They are protected by law in California which is where KG lives.

LEGAL STATUS

Tree squirrels are classified as game mammals by the state Fish and Game Code and can be controlled only as provided by the hunting regulations. Any owner or tenant of land or property that is being damaged or destroyed or is in danger of being damaged or destroyed by grey squirrels must apply to the California Department of Fish and Game for a permit to control such squirrels. The Department, upon receipt of satisfactory evidence of actual or immediately threatened damage or destruction, may issue a revocable permit for the removal and disposition of such squirrels. When a permit to trap the grey squirrel is issued, the Department may designate the type of trap to be used and may also require that squirrels be released in parks or other nonagricultural areas. It is not legal to use poison baits to kill tree squirrels. Eastern fox squirrels found to be injuring growing crops or other property may be controlled at any time and in any legal manner by the owner or tenant of the premises without a permit.

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74122.html

UC IPM Online has useful information.

This is a small excerpt from their site which we used to keep rats out of our house.

Exclusion

Screening or blocking all potential entrance sites such as small gaps under the eaves, overlapping roof sections, and knotholes, can prevent tree squirrel access to buildings. Because they often travel on overhead telephone lines, power lines, and fence tops, they frequently find entrances at about these heights. When even a small opening is found, they can enlarge it by gnawing. In the absence of an obvious entrance, they can gnaw and create an entrance into an attic. Sheet metal or 1/4-inch wire hardware cloth are suitable materials for closing entrances. When closing entry routes, be sure you haven’t screened an animal inside the building. One way to test whether any squirrels are left is to plug the entrance with a loose wad of newspaper; if any remain inside they will remove the plug to get out.

It is virtually impossible to keep squirrels out of fruit or nut trees because of their superb climbing and jumping ability. Sometimes if there are other unprotected fruit or nut trees available to the squirrels, you can protect the crop of a single tree by netting it as you would to exclude depredating birds. While squirrels can readily gnaw through the plastic netting, they may not persist if sufficient alternative food is easily available.

Squirrels can be discouraged from digging up newly seeded or established crops by covering the rows with cagelike freestanding covers made of one-inch hexagon chicken wire.

I think those posting about shooting the squirrels were half-joking. I have squirrel problems sometimes, too, but I don't shoot them.

Yes, I was kidding!
But we sure don't have any such silly laws here. Any tenant or land owner can kill them any time they are a problem. But there is also a squirrel "season". I would never eat one from down here as most are full of parasites. But I have eaten squirrel as well as rabbit when I was a kid in Ill. Over population does cause problems & not just property damage...it also weakens the species and can cause food shortages for them....which might mean some would starve to death.

And I was joking too MGT....I'm going to suppose you haven't seen the old movie "The Graduate"...with Dustin Hoffman....at his graduation party he's concerned about his future...when a neighbor takes him aside and whispers..."Remember...one word....plastic"...

When my answer to the query about what to do about squirrels...
Plastic..... was my advice.

Remember now! Plastic!

Loonie - I got your joke! I thought you were referring to the movie "The Graduate" with Dustin Hoffman. Great line, but I think most didn't understand your post!
(Was that the movie with "Mrs. Robinson" too?)

Of course Karen and Loonie were joking!! DUH... What's the matter with you people? Lighten up!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Wavy,

Does your son's landlord allow small pets? A patio cat might do the trick to scare the squirrels away. Even a plastic predator as was already suggested could make a difference. More tips, though not all applicable to your son's apartment situation: http://blog.hgtvgardens.com/ho...-out-of-your-garden/