Despite their appealing appearance, squirrels can become a real nuisance when they invade your garden. They pilfer edibles, ravage vegetation, excavate the ground, and mar your garden. You could be in a difficult situation if one of them enters your house.

It can be difficult to prevent squirrels from entering your residence, as they are both agile and crafty. Although it may seem impossible, it is possible to keep squirrels out of your yard. You can implement strategies to deter squirrels and safeguard your belongings. In this article, we will go over some of the steps involved.

Why Are Squirrels Attracted to My Yard?

Are you regularly seeing squirrels in your garden and can’t pinpoint what is attracting them? Here are factors that may attract squirrels to your yard:

Thick Vegetation

Squirrels love thick vegetation. If you have a lot of dense bushes and hedges, you’re likely to observe them running and playing around them. Rodents are not fond of wide-open areas because of their fear of humans, birds of prey, and other hunters. Consequently, they can usually be spotted in spots that offer a safe spot and a lot of concealment, such as spots with dense vegetation.

Food and Water

Maybe you love having birds around your home. You created a spot close to your residence for the animals to eat and relax. The birds and squirrels will both be very grateful for this.

Squirrels will resort to any tactic to take food from your birdfeeder. Having access to sustenance and liquid in this manner in your garden is without a doubt one of the primary motivations squirrels keep returning.

Trees

Squirrels are especially drawn to areas with trees that produce nuts or fruit. If you have a lot of big fruit trees in your yard, especially ones with acorns, it is likely that you have noticed some squirrels scurrying around them. You could come across isolated places where they attempted to conceal their riches.

Sadly, there is no guaranteed method of preventing squirrels from getting into fruit/nut trees. Unless your fruit or nut trees are located in close proximity to your home, you likely don’t need to be concerned if squirrels choose to nest there. If the tree is near your house, squirrels may be able to climb the limbs to get onto your roof and attic.

What Damage Do Ground Squirrels Cause?

Don’t let their small size fool you. Ground squirrels are bad for your yard because of the following reasons:

  • Burrowing. Ground squirrels uproot plants in your landscaping and can kill trees and shrubs. Ground squirrel burrows have also been known to divert irrigation water and cause flooding or damage to water retention systems. As ground squirrels dig their burrows, they excavate soil and rock to the surface and leave it in mounds near the entrances to their burrows. Each year, they enlarge their burrow systems and the mounds associated with them, which can make harvesting crops mechanically or using small equipment (like lawnmowers) difficult.
  • Crop damage. Ground squirrels eat whole seedlings, nibble the tops of vegetables, and eat fruits and berries, thus destroying your vegetable garden. Since ground squirrels can climb trees and vines to eat fruit and nuts, they can destroy grapes and other crops and eliminate harvests. They also consume crops like alfalfa, lettuce, and berries and can girdle or kill trees by gnawing on bark and limbs or damaging a tree’s roots underground, which leaves the tree vulnerable to fungal infections.
  • Structural damage. When ground squirrels excavate under buildings, it can cause foundation cracks and soil erosion that is hard to fix. Even worse, it may impact the stability of your structure.
  • Lawn damage. Ground squirrels will gnaw the plastic heads of underground sprinklers, chew through sprinkler lines, and damage irrigation boxes. They will also create bald patches around your yard with their grazing.
  • Diseases. Ground squirrels can pose a risk to human health and safety since they carry and spread the sylvatic plague – a flea-borne disease that’s common in wild rodents.

9 Signs of a Ground Squirrel Infestation

What are the signs that you have a problem with ground squirrels?

Look for the following signs:

  1. Holes. Ground squirrels create exposed, open tunnels with mounds of discarded dirt around the entrance. These holes tend to appear at the base of trees or around your garden plants.
  2. Destroyed plants or bulbs. If you notice that the tops of your vegetables are gone, or that the fruit has been harshly chewed off your plants, ground squirrels could be the culprit. They’ll also eat seedlings and certain ornamental plants and will dig up and eat flower bulbs.
  3. Patchy grass. Ground squirrels can cause serious damage to your yard and can easily cause bald areas with their grazing.
  4. Squirrel sightings. If you see ground squirrels, or your domestic pets start bringing you dead squirrels, it’s a sure sign you have ground squirrels on the property.
  5. Chew marks. Ground squirrels could be to blame if you’ve noticed gnaw or chew marks on your sprinkler heads, wood furniture, or anywhere else.
  6. Strange noises or smells. Have you noticed strange squeaking or scratching noises in your outdoor space? It could be ground squirrels moving around or digging burrows. You may also notice strange, musty smells, which could indicate the presence of ground squirrels and their feces and urine.
  7. Droppings. If you see ground squirrel droppings, which are solid, black or brown in color, tubular, and rounded in shape, it’s a sign that ground squirrels are frequenting your property.
  8. Missing chicken eggs. If you have backyard chickens and you’ve noticed missing eggs, it could mean that ground squirrels are stealing and eating them.
  9. Nests. Like tree squirrels, ground squirrels make nests. These nests are made of leaves, twigs, bark, moss, and other organic materials compressed into a dense bed.

Once you have realized that ground squirrels have invaded, it is important to take quick action in order to eliminate them.

Take a look at our advice on how to eradicate ground squirrels in a natural way, or reach out to Smith’s and get assistance with eliminating the critters.

5 Ways to Keep Squirrels off Your Yard

You now understand why squirrels come to your yard. If you want them off your yard for good, here are a few tricks you can use:

1. Get a Pet

Having a canine or feline as a pet may assist in keeping squirrels away from your property. Squirrels are very aware of possible threats and will likely keep their distance from your pets, perceiving them as predators. A squirrel may be able to outwit a person, however they will have difficulty avoiding a sly feline or an active canine.

Having a few animals in your home and occasionally allowing them to wander around the garden should discourage squirrels from entering, although this is not something you should aim to do.

2. Keep Up With Home Maintenance

As a homeowner, you have a seemingly perpetual to-do list, and it’s easy to put certain tasks before others. Nonetheless, regular upkeep of your residence and examining areas likely to cause issues can deter squirrels from entering your grounds. For instance, you can keep the squirrels out by:

Seal off any openings or crevices where rodents might be able to gain access to your home immediately. It is simple for either yourself or an expert to set up grates and put plugs in the designated locations.

Looking over and mending your siding: The siding is a frequent point of entry for squirrels because they can quickly bite their way through it. Stay informed about the state of your house’s exterior.

Doing a regular inspection of your area can help to prevent squirrels from settling on your land and making a nest. Go for a stroll around the building on a regular basis, at least twice a week, and check it out. During your weekly checks, look for splits and other ways that squirrels could get in. Do they appear to be searching for a suitable place to build their nest?

3. Grow Squirrel-Proof Flowers

You can take advantage of the fact that squirrels have an acute sense of smell. Fortunately, some plants give off a strong scent and an unpleasant flavor that discourages squirrels. If you have limited space in your yard, think about growing fritillaries, hyacinths, geraniums, daffodils, Galanthus, and lily-of-the-valley.

Squirrels tend to stay away from these plants, therefore planting them in your yard would be a great way to prevent them from coming over. These blooms are readily available, don’t take up much room, and emit an intense odor that squirrels detest. Put these blossoms in the vicinity of your trees or in your garden to drive away squirrels and increase the attractiveness of your yard.

4. Remove Sources of Food and Water

Sadly, there isn’t much you can do if squirrels start to inhabit your trees that bear fruit. It would be ideal if you could preserve the beauty of your property without having to cut down any of the flourishing trees due to squirrels.

Nonetheless, you are aware that squirrels are attracted to bird feeders and other food and liquid sources. The best plan of action would be to clear away all sources of food, making the area unappealing to squirrels.

If taking down the bird feeders isn’t an option, work to make it more difficult for the squirrels to reach the food. You can do this by squirrel-proofing your bird feeders.

5. Ask the Professionals for Help

If you have attempted to remove the squirrels from your property and have not been very successful, it may be time to call in a professional. Do not be reluctant to contact the local pest control business and request help. Experts may be able to assist you in determining the cause of the rodents coming to your yard and how to drive them away.

Do not attempt to trap or take away any rodents by yourself. Bring in the professionals right away if you discover squirrels nesting inside your house. When in a tight situation, squirrels can act swiftly and aggressively and may cause harm to you.

Prevention Tips:

  • Keep all trash in tied trash bags inside trash containers with locking lids to keep squirrels and other foraging animals out.
  • Keep your grass trimmed short and your yard uncluttered. This will reduce hiding places for California ground squirrels, which are preyed upon by red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, coyotes, fox, badgers, weasels, house cats, dogs, and snakes.
  • Reduce insects (that squirrels feed upon) on your property by partnering with a professional pest control company.
  • Install tall fencing or netting around gardens or bushes you don’t want these animals getting into. Make sure the fencing goes at least a foot underground. Chicken wire is a great material to use, since it prevents squirrels from squeezing through the fence.
  • Plant mint plants around your home to repel the ground squirrels.
  • Build chicken wire frames around your garden or flower beds. For best results, bury chicken mesh at least 4-6” deep around the garden beds or flowers, so ground squirrels can’t burrow under it.
  • Spray a cayenne pepper solution around the foundation of your home and throughout your yard to keep ground squirrels away.

How do Pest Control Experts Get Rid of Ground Squirrels?

Ground squirrels reproduce quickly – typically having between 5 and 9 offspring per season. This implies that a minor population of ground squirrels will grow exponentially.

Fortunately, pest control experts are aware of this and will act quickly to solve your problem with pests.

At Smith’s Pest Management, we are devoted to being environmentally conscious and caring for the environment.

While we assist in ridding homeowners and businesses of ground squirrels, we do so in the most humane and least disruptive manner possible.

We employ rodent control products approved by the EPA, applying them in accordance with the instructions given. We also stay up to date on the latest science to make sure that the products and methods we use do not have a negative impact on the environment, other species, or the entire ecosystem.

Here’s how we professionally and humanely get rid of ground squirrels:

1. Inspection

Determine the location of the ground squirrels’ burrows as the initial action in order to get rid of them. During this stage, our certified pest control specialists will come to your property, look at the problem areas, and determine the degree of the harm.

2. Management Plan

Once we’ve finished our examination, we will formulate a strategy to address the problem of the infestation. Smith’s integrates Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to give a thorough answer without overusing toxic substances.

3. Elimination

A lot of our patrons turn to us after attempting to do the job themselves and being unsuccessful.

We wish to quickly get rid of your squirrel problem, so we will use the most effective method of removal for your location and individual situation.

4. Ground Squirrel Exclusion

Smith’s Pest Management does not offer services that would bar ground squirrels from entering your property, but we will suggest ways for you to do it if we feel it is the best solution for you.

We aim to reduce the appeal of your property to ground squirrels, while ensuring it is as tranquil and attractive as it can be for you.

Conclusion

Squirrels tend to gravitate towards locations with abundant trees, vegetation, sustenance, and hydration. If you let them exist in your yard, they can harm your walls and electrical wiring, take your food, ruin your vegetation, and even bring about sickness.

Thankfully, there are numerous methods of discouraging squirrels from invading your garden. You can adopt an animal, cultivate flowers that are incapable of being damaged by squirrels, bar access points, and take away food and water sources.

Do not attempt to take away or manipulate squirrels in your residence on your own. Squirrels are speedy and will act out if they feel trapped. Therefore, it is advisable to reach out to an expert to assist you in managing the issue.

Jonathan
Author: Jonathan