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Q: Every year, we decorate our front porch and walkway with carved jack-o’-lanterns. Last year, squirrels invaded and chewed them to pieces! What can we do to keep squirrels from eating pumpkins on our porch?
A : Forget Halloween hobgoblin , knavish witches , and eye - piece plagiarist ! Squirrels may actually be the toughest cheat you ’ll be dealing with this autumn , but it ’s not too knockout to know how to keep squirrels by from Cucurbita pepo and other works that are popular for seasonal decor .
“ Squirrels have a penetrative sentiency of olfactory sensation , ” says Sara Ochoa , a vet in West Monroe , La. , total that spicy or strong - smelling products “ tend to keep them at bay . ”
Squirrels are draw to pumpkins because they instinctively know that “ these nutritional ball of fire furnish hydration , vitamin , minerals , and antioxidant that welfare squirrels , ” according to Gainesville , Fl . , veterinarian Luana Factor . However , “ it ’s good to admonish excessive consumption , ” say Tommy Wylde , wildlife expert and creator ofFloofmania .
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The following technique will help you humanely discourage those fluffy - tailed gnawer as well as other pest , whether on your porch or in your Cucurbita pepo patch . You ’ll also learn what not to do to keep unwished-for animal out from your festive display .
Get the pumpkin guts out.
Be conscientious when cut up to cleanly take out all the seeds and stringy hooey from inside the pumpkin vine , because the insides are what squirrels crave . The more gut you get rid of , the less tempting the pumpkin will be to scavenge pest . Plus , reducing wet will stave in off bacteria , so your jack - o’-lantern will probably last longer .
Use pet hair as a deterrent.
“ Sprinkle preferent hair around pumpkins , ” aver Factor , “ because it functions as a raw warning foretoken . ” squirrel will be appall , worried that there may be a potential foe nearby . place your Cucurbita pepo on a mantle your cat or dog has slept and nuzzle on might also play a trick on the squirrels ..
Never use pet waste to cross plague . Your pet ’s dissipation is a wellness hazard that must be throw out of decent . That enounce , some commercial repellents do mime the smell of animal urine to con squirrels into avoiding the field .
Integrate an owl decoy into your fall display.
Do n’t have a dog or cat on the premises ? Work a statue of an owl — a master squirrel predator — into your fall display . Some of these fake doll of fair game brag flashing center and screeching sounds to make pests really recall double about approaching . Because the owl is a popular Halloween icon , it wo n’t search out of place in your outside fall decor . The bird of night can spook conjuring trick - or - negotiant and interloping squirrel !
Put out bowls of vinegar.
Squirrels are turned off by the impregnable smell of acetum , so commit small bowls of it nearby . Do n’t duck gourds in vinegar , though , because the acetic acid is potential to damage the skin of the yield . head off using toxic chemical like bleaching agent , ammonia , and naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene ( common ingredients in mothball ) around your decor . These harsh substance can harm wildlife , pets , and masses , so they ’re not worth the risk .
Sprinkle pepper flakes or hot sauce.
“ Squirrels have a special distaste to capsaicin , the spicy chemical compound found in hot Piper nigrum , ” agree to Alex van der Walt , a veterinary bookman at the University of Pretoria in South Africa . She suggest munificently dust cayenne in your garden ( it wo n’t harm pumpkin vine or leaves ) or around the perimeter of your pumpkin display to make a barrier squirrels will be loath to baffle .
For a DIY repellant , blend crushed live peppers with some urine , then add a drop of dish soap to make the root sticky . Pour into a spray bottle and spritz gourds well , recapitulate every other Clarence Day or so to keep squirrels from your gourd show . The other choice is to simply douse pumpkins with commercial-grade spicy sauce , which might actually work well if you want your Halloween display to take care like something out of repulsion picture . If you use red-hot capsicum pepper plant or sauce , be certain towear work glovesor wash your hands well after liaison with blistering peppers or you ’ll get a nasty surprise the next time you scratch your eye .
Make a minty spray to discourage them.
If you reverence that children or pets could breach the blistering pepper demurrer , there is a unfermented alternative : peppermint . Spray gourd with a solution made of a few drop curtain of peppermint essential rock oil and water system . Or simply pop some unwrapped peppermint candies inside a jack - o’-lantern .
PRO TIP : Plants That Can Keep Squirrels From Eating Your Pumpkins
“ plant like marigold , table mustard , and mickle give off scents that squirrels typically manoeuvre clear of . It ’s a profits - win : Your exhibit bring an lend sprint of colour and fragrance , and your pumpkins rest untasted . ”—Dr . Sara Ochoa , veterinarian in West Monroe , Louisiana
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Set squirrels up with an alternate food source.
If you ’re the variety of creature lover who prefer to encourage the petty varmints , you may set them up withnuts and seedsplaced strategically by from your decor . You ’ll have to keep replenishing the supply , of course , once Holy Scripture of your generosity hits the squirrel grapevine . There will be more squirrel stopping by for a snack .
Put them off with coffee or garlic.
Garlic and coffee are two other rude substances that have smell known to make squirrels say auf wiedersehen . creep fresh garlic cloves or deep brown ground into a carve pumpkin and other interior decoration near the pumpkins , and substitute on a regular basis to maintain the unsympathetic pungency .
Coat gourds with Vaseline or lacquer.
Slather crude oil jelly over autumn pumpkin , whole or carved ; the gooey stuff is a total squirrel turnoff . What ’s more , in dry climates theVaselinemay act as a moisturizer to prevent pumpkin vine shriveling . Alternatively , in muffler environments you could spray lacquer on gourd and let it dry to a hard shell . squirrel will be stymied by the unusual surface and move on .
Pot aromatic plants near your pumpkins.
Because squirrels are so spirit - sore , Ochoa suggests adding odiferous flora to your fall exhibit . “ plant like marigold , mustard , and hatful give offscents that squirrels typically head clear of , ” she says .
grade corporation of these plant near your pumpkin vine because “ it creates a natural barrier without causing damage to our furry invaders , ” says Ochoa . “ It ’s a win - winnings : Your display gets an added dash of color and fragrance , and your pumpkins appease untouched . ”
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
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We ’ll help you jell up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your patio , a raised bed , or an in - ground plot of land out back — and pick out the right-hand plant for your territory and region .
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