I am at war! The first thing to know when you are at war is KNOW YOUR ENEMY . . . believe me, I know mine! If you've ever battled squirrels, you're on my side. Sure, they LOOK cute and fluffy but they are devils and they destroy things. This summer, they've zeroed in on my sanctuary . . . my refuge . . . my gazebo.
Look closer . . . and you'll see what these evil creatures are doing . . .
They are shredding my gazebo screens!! This happened a few summers ago and by the time I found out, they had literally shredded two complete sides! I'm guessing they are gathering nesting material but they are gathering from the WRONG person. I did a bit of research and found lots of different suggestions for repelling squirrels and well, I decided that a multi-faceted approach was the way I would go. SO . . .
I read that they do not like strong scents like mint so since I have an abundance of mint, I spread pieces all around the deck. The next strong scent I added was good, old-fashioned mothballs tied up in pieces of panty hose.
To "spice things up" I sprinkled cayenne pepper all around the edges . . . and made a solution of hot pepper sauce and water which I sprayed on the deck as well.
And then for "good measure" I went the chemical route and soaked the screen with this critter repellent (Important side note: They really mean it when they say to not spray INTO the wind . . . I think the main component in this is pepper!)
And after all of this . . .
I came home yesterday to find this . . .
DRAT!!! Now I'm not giving up because it WAS just a few smaller holes so MAYBE once they got a mouthful, they decided they didn't like the taste?? I'm still not convinced this is going to work but early this morning I had another idea based on what they had done a few summers ago to one of my outdoor decorations.
I had made this cute, little banner to hang in front of the house but one day I came home and it was broken. I thought maybe the twine just broke but when I tried to tie it together, it appeared that some of the banner was actually MISSING?! The next day I came home -- only about 5 triangles were left!! I was TOTALLY baffled -- who would do this and WHY?? The answer came a year later when we trimmed a thick pine tree at the side of our house. Inside we found . . . you guessed it, pieces of my patriotic banner. SO, this led to my current day problem and I wondered, "What if I GAVE these little monsters some nesting material?" -- would they leave my gazebo alone? The result . . .
I didn't INTEND for this to be patriotic -- it's just that the tulle I had was blue, the fabric I didn't care about was red and I figured the fluffy batting might be appealing so I added that. I stapled it all onto an old bench by the bushes where these little varmints tend to congregate and I'm HOPING they say, "Gee . . . why don't we use this pretty stuff for our nest and not bother with that nasty tasting screen that smells".
SO, does anyone else have any ideas for me?? Have you ever battled these creatures and won??
To be continued . . .
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I've had moderate success with mothballs and those smelly mothball-like toilet deodorizers. I greatly dislike squirrels - fuzzy tree rats are all they are. They can do a lot of property damage. Maybe contact an exterminator. We had one stuck in our chimney one Christmas and had to dismantle the chimney from the roof to remove it - dead of course, and attracting all many of flies. GROSS
ReplyDeleteBonjour chère amie,
ReplyDeleteOh ! Oh ! je suis désolée de voir les dégâts effectués par ces petites bêtes !
J'espère que la menthe va les dissuader de recommencer !
Je vous fais de gros bisous de Ramatuelle où j'expose mon travail en ce moment.
Oh dear you do have a critter problem, they are cute but wow they're keeping you on your toes. We have a similar problem in our pastures. Marmots or moles or something live underground but leave piles of dirt on top everywhere. They are my husbands nemesis.
ReplyDeleteHopefully your plan will work and they will stay away. Good luck!
Saimi
Oh my goodness! It's hard to believe such cute little critters do so much damage. Our war is against gophers! They are so hard to get rid of and they have done so much damage to our back yard :-( Good luck with the new strategy.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
❤️Ana
Oh Lauren, you had me giggling :) I am so sorry the squirrels have been such a pain and I sincerely hope YOU win the war, my friend! We have gophers {prairie dogs} in our yard and oh my, they are awful! They make holes everywhere and they are just down right icky.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the remainder of your week! Hugs!
What a battle! We have tons of squirrels here and they don't seem to bother anything , except the year they ate my garden lady's dress!
ReplyDeleteSee here:
http://justsimplesomethings.blogspot.com/2016/07/my-garden-lady.html
Deer are my problem!
Ugh. Squirrels are not my friend either. Here I. California, we have small gardens, I have a huge tree that seems to be home to two, not-scared-of-anything squirrels. I'm hoping you find something g that works, so I can learn! I'm not a fan, they are nothing like the Disney squirrels.
ReplyDeleteI hope you win this battle with those naughty squirrels ♥
ReplyDeletesummerdaisy.net
Those little guys are certainly giving you a run for your money. Stay persistent with your critter treatments and you should find something that will work against them. I have found that mothballs and cayenne pepper are most effective against the ones in my neck of the woods. Good luck! Thank you for sharing some tips.
ReplyDeleteDanny Lawson @ Rat Busters Florida