Thursday, July 26, 2007

Keeping squirrels at a tail's length

As a protected species, squirrels can't be killed in urban areas unless they are doing damage. Even then, killing squirrels is not an easy task. You can't discharge a gun in the city, for instance. The best approach is to enjoy squirrels' antics while limiting their damage:

• Prevent squirrel entry into buildings by sealing gaps and holes. Install a mesh cover on the chimney. If they get in, trapping will get them out. You can release them outdoors, but don't transport them to another area and release them. Consider employing a pest-control company. A trail of peanuts or almonds also works, readers said.

• Use fences and covers to keep them out of gardens, but you might need to be creative. Place metal mesh in the ground to keep them from digging up tulip bulbs.

• Use squirrel repellents, available at garden stores. Or sprinkle areas with cayenne pepper or hot sauce. Repellents need to be renewed regularly.

• Some suggest offering food, such as cobs of corn, so they'll eat that instead of your crops. Supplying a water source limits garden thievery, some say.

• Don't feed birds in summer. Add a squirrel guard or use a squirrel-resistant feeder at other times of the year.

• Short of tying a dog to the trunk or nailing a metal baffle on the tree, there's no way to protect fruit on trees. Some say mothballs in pantyhose hung in trees will keep squirrels away. (The neighbors, too, probably.)

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