Stop Those Sneaky Squirrels!

If you have big shade trees around your house, then you probably have squirrels scurrying everywhere. And this time of year, those bushy-tailed critters are busy getting ready for winter, and they’ll stop at nothing to get a big stash of snacks. So here’s how to protect your turf:

1.   Sprinkle some cayenne pepper around your garden, or combine 1 tablespoon of the hot stuff with 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in a quart of water, and spray it liberally around your plants.

2.   Barricade bulbs by laying chicken wire right over your beds. The foliage will be able to grow through the wire, but squirrels won’t be able to dig the bulbs out.

3.   Stop squirrels from getting a foothold on a tree by wrapping a 5-foot-long sheet of metal flashing around the tree’s trunk. For an extra kick, smear a little petroleum jelly mixed with some cayenne pepper right on the flashing.

4.   One of the scariest squirrel hunters around is the snake. So put out a decoy to scare the dickens out of the furry felons! Here’s my easy, 2-step, make-a-snake process: Slit an old tennis ball and force it over the end of a 3-foot piece of old garden hose. Then draw two eyes and a mouth on the ball, and place yellow strips of tape (like Xs) down the hose to resemble a snake. Now set this “snake” in your garden, and move it to a new place every day so the squirrels don’t get used to it.

No matter what's bugging your yard—from squirrels to ants or mosquitoes to yellow jackets—you, too, can have a picture perfect backyard with no bugs, no critters, and NO PROBLEMS! Check out my Bug Off! book — FREE for 21 days! It's filled with the ammunition you need to win the war against 101 of the most vilified bugs and thugs in gardendom.