More than one gardener has declared war on squirrels. Despite the cute furry tails and dexterous little hands, these animals can be infuriating pests. They have a large menu, and many of your favorite plants are on it. They’re also great diggers, climbers, and jumpers, which makes it hard to devise barriers to keep them out. Squirrels are almost everywhere, too—they live in urban and rural settings, in the North and the South, on the ground and in trees.  


Damage
Squirrels are notorious for emptying out the bird feeder before the birds get there and then, for dessert, feasting on your newly planted flower bulbs. They can also rob your apple tree of apples, nibble on your almost-ripe strawberries (and other fruits and vegetables), dig up the transplants in your flower pots, and gnaw the heads from your prize sunflowers. In late winter, you may even find the tips of your favorite shrubs chewed off. In other words, most plant materials are fair game for a squirrel.

Control
It’s hard to come out ahead in a squirrel skirmish. Physical barriers work in some cases. Put wire mesh flat on top of the flower bed after you plant bulbs, plant root vegetables in cages, and seal openings in your attic and foundation before the squirrels move in. Cayenne pepper flakes or products containing capsaicin (the chemical that makes peppers hot) make bird seed unpalatable to squirrels. You can try to trap the squirrel, but be aware that other squirrels will probably move in once the first one is gone. Whatever you do, don’t scatter mothballs, which are poisonous to other critters, including pets. 

—Photo courtesy of the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden.