Squirrels in the Garden: Bird Feeders, Bulbs and Fences

Many gardeners enjoy watching a squirrel for a minute or two, until it empties the feeder in an hour and leaves the lawn pocked with holes.

Garden damage is usually an annoyance rather than an emergency. It is worth knowing what is typical, what helps, and when the activity suggests squirrels are moving into the house itself.

Bird feeders

Feeders are an easy meal, and a determined grey squirrel can hang, jump and gnaw its way to the seed. Plastic feeders get chewed, and seed gets scattered over the lawn.

Squirrel-resistant feeders with weight-activated closures or cages can help. Place feeders away from fences, branches and walls so there is a gap too wide to jump, and use a smooth pole with a baffle below the feeder.

• Choose metal feeders over plastic
• Keep them well away from launch points
• Clear spilled seed, which also draws rats and mice

Bulbs, pots and lawns

Squirrels bury nuts in autumn and dig them up again later, so lawns and borders suffer. They also dig up newly planted bulbs, tulips especially, and nibble shoots.

Laying wire mesh over beds after planting, or planting bulbs a little deeper, can reduce losses. Pots can be topped with stones or mesh. Bear in mind that foxes, cats and birds dig too, so not every hole is a squirrel.

Raised beds with a wire lid, and bulbs planted in pots with a mesh cover, give extra protection. It also helps to clear fallen nuts and fruit from beneath trees in autumn, since squirrels stash them in the nearest soft soil, which is often your border.

Fences, trees and bark

Squirrels run along fence tops and use them as roads to the roof. They may gnaw wooden posts and strip bark from young trees, which can damage or even kill a sapling in spring.

Tree guards on young trunks can help. Avoid the temptation to remove bark guards or trim trees during nesting season without checking the current guidance, because birds may be using them.

Fruit trees and nut trees will always draw them in autumn, so accept a share and protect only what matters most.

Why deterrents only go so far

Chilli-based repellents, shiny objects and noise gadgets are on sale, and some people feel they help a little. They tend to work for a short while, then squirrels get used to them. Physical barriers are more reliable than smells or scare tactics.

Please avoid poisons of any sort in a garden. They put pets, children and wildlife at risk.

If you feed birds, it is worth remembering that feeders are a magnet for squirrels all year, and that nuts and fat balls are particularly attractive. Moving to feeders that squirrels find hard to reach, and feeding in smaller amounts, keeps both the birds and your lawn in better shape.

When it is more than a garden nuisance

If you see squirrels repeatedly running to the same corner of the roof, carrying leaves or twigs in spring, or you hear scratching in the loft in daylight, they may be nesting in the house. At that point the problem moves from the garden to the building.

Essex Pest Solutions can inspect and advise on the roof space and the options. A trapped grey squirrel must not be released back into the wild, so removal is a job for professionals.

Frequently asked questions