There’s no denying that squirrels can be absolutely adorable due to their small, yet fluffy bodies. If you have a vegetable or fruit garden in your backyard, however, squirrels can easily become an annoying pest. After all, they love munching on berries, tomatoes, and other produce homeowners in Marietta typically like to grow at home.
Fortunately, you can easily deal with squirrels already present in your backyard by calling a professional squirrel removal service like Critter Catchers. Experienced professionals often use humane methods to capture squirrels and then release them into the wild far away from your home.
After you’ve had squirrels removed from your property, it’s only natural you want to do what you can prevent more squirrels from settling down in your home and ruining your garden. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help dissuade squirrels from treating your backyard like a food bank.
Let the Dogs Out
If you have a dog or two in your home, you may want to have them play around in the backyard a few times a day. It’s no secret that dogs like to chase squirrels around in a playful way. This way, you can keep squirrels at bay without hurting them, as well as give Fido some much needed exercise. Another way to do this is to install a doggy door to give your dog the freedom to choose when to chase a few squirrels.
Wrap Up Fruits and Vegetables
No food source, no pests. It works for other pests like rats and roaches, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it works for squirrels too. You can start by wrapping up fruits and vegetables in plastic as they ripen to prevent squirrels from taking nibbles. You might also want to look into enclosing your crops in wire mesh cages to prevent squirrels from getting to your produce at all—or you can make one yourself with a few old tent poles and some chicken wire.
Keep Your Backyard Clean
Sometimes, squirrels don’t even need to steal fruits and vegetables off of your plants to have their fill of fresh produce. They are more than happy to pick off fallen berries, nuts and other garden debris that may have fallen on your lawn. Grab your trusty rake and clean out your backyard thoroughly to revoke the “all-you-can-eat” pass the squirrels in your garden are holding. You may need to do this often for this method to be effective, especially if there are several trees near your home.
Sources
16 Ways to Get Rid of Squirrels, HGTV.com
Squirrel Fact Sheet, GeorgiaWildlife.com