Creating an environment that squirrels dislike is one of the most effective strategies to keep them out of one’s yard. Let us find out how to make this plan to action.
Squirrels dislike various things, including food, flowers, plants, and even fragrance. Because these creatures are considered a trouble in many parts of the United States, whatever they dislike can become a natural squirrel deterrent.
This article will go over the things squirrels despise the most by covering plants, food, flowers, scents, and other related items.
What plants do squirrels avoid?
Squirrels are most commonly found around trees. Trees shelter them, yet there are numerous trees and plants that squirrels despise and shun.
Here is a list of the top 10 plants/trees that squirrels primarily avoid, along with the reasons.
| Plants Squirrels Avoid | Reasons |
| Cinnamon | Squirrels dislike cinnamon plants because this spire’s strong smell irritates the creature’s delicate nasal lining. |
| Alliums | Squirrels are not very fond of allium plants’ spicey smell and flavor. |
| Garlic | The smell of garlic is too strong for squirrels. As a result, they avoid garlic plants or anything that smells like garlic. |
| Mint | Mint, especially spearmint and peppermint, has a strong odor that disturbs squirrels’ sensitive noses. Like the plant itself, the mint essential oil is also disliked by squirrels. |
| Hyacinth | Squirrels despise the odorous hyacinth, especially the Bluebells! |
| Pepper | Squirrels dislike pepper plants, including those that produce white pepper, black pepper, red pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and jalapeno pepper. In fact, a significant number of commercial squirrel repellents employ spicy pepper. |
| Rosemary | Only a strong rosemary odor will keep squirrels at bay. It should be noted that a light smell of rosemary is not likely to work on these critters. |
| Lily of the Valley | Again, it is the strong odor of the lily of the valley that keeps squirrels at bay. |
| Geranium | Geranium releases a smell through the oil it generates. Squirrels are deterred by the plant’s citrus aroma, which also has warm green, earthy, or peppery undertones. |
| Snake’s head fritillary | 1. The blossom of Snake’s head fritillary resemble a snake’s head, which is enough to keep squirrels away. However, the actual task is completed by its unpleasant stench, which actually repels these rodents. 2. The smell is often compared to that of a fox. Note: This plant produces poisonous chemicals such as Merlin and Tulipalin A, which, when consumed, can cause severe health problems in humans. |
What flowers do squirrels avoid?
Certain flower varieties are more resilient to squirrels than others. Some flower plants can also keep these critters away from the flower gardens.
Here are the top flowering plants that squirrels despise and avoid.
| Flowers Squirrels Avoid | Reasons |
| Daffodils | Squirrels do not like the taste of daffodil flowers. Hence, it prefers to avoid any yard with daffodils growing in it. |
| Bleeding heart | While bleeding hearts flowers can not protect the other flowers in the yard from squirrel damage, they can fend off the animals without harm. Thus, the bleeding heart is one of the floral plants that deter squirrels. |
| Irises | Irises can effectively keep squirrels away when planted with other plants that deter them. Squirrels do not find these flowers to be edible or repulsive. |
| Galanthus | Galanthus is effective at deterring squirrels, thanks to the smell it produces. The aroma will deter squirrels that even the bulbs of these plants emit. |
| Dianthus | Even though squirrels do not enjoy the scent that dianthus produces, they may consume the plant if they are particularly hungry. Additionally, dianthus is more appealing to squirrels than other completely squirrel-proof flowers. |
| Goldenrod | Goldenrod has evolved to be resistant to all mammals, especially squirrels. Squirrels will mostly avoid the blooms and foliage of this plant because they taste unpleasant. |
What food do squirrels hate?
Since their teeth are always growing, squirrels need to chew on something to maintain them in good condition. However, they do not enjoy all types of food.
Here is a list of food that squirrels hate.
| Food Squirrels Hate | Reasons |
| Hot peppers | Squirrels are unable to handle the hot pepper’s spicy sensation. Squirrels, like other mammals, have certain nerves in their mouths that respond to hot peppers. So, naturally, they hate this food. |
| Garlic | Along with the strong smell, the garlic flavor is something that squirrels hate and, hence, avoid. |
| Apple cider vinegar | The smokey taste completely turns off the squirrels that apple cider vinegar produces. |
| Seeds | Most of the time, squirrels stay away from seeds like millet, safflower, canary, nyjer, and canola. But remember that a hungry squirrel will consume whatever seed they come upon. |
| Cracked corn | Cracked corn mixed with bird feed is frequently less alluring to squirrels. Offering them this mixture will gradually cause them to look elsewhere, where they will probably find their favorite food. |
What smells do squirrels hate?
Below is the list of top smells that squirrels hate the most.
| Smells Squirrels Hate | Reasons |
| Apple cider vinegar | Squirrels dislike the smell of apple cider vinegar. As a result, squirrels abhor the odor of cider vinegar. As a result, using the smell of apple cider is highly beneficial in keeping these critters at bay. |
| Spicy odor | Spicy odors turn squirrels off. As a result, they despise such odors. Consequently, the smell of white pepper and cayenne pepper can be used to keep squirrels away from the yard. |
| Mint essential oil | Squirrels dislike the smell of mint oil much like they do the mint plant. The essential oil of peppermint is very unpopular with squirrels. They will want to avoid the smell as much as possible because they find it overbearing. |
| Mothballs | The overpowering smell of mothballs repulses squirrels. These balls can be kept close to the flowers or even in other parts of the yard. To maintain their effects, refill the mothballs every several weeks. |
| Predator/ animal urine | 1. Animal urine, especially that of predators who eat squirrels and other rodents, is abhorrent to squirrels. Therefore, spraying a substance that mimics this stench throughout the yard will help deter squirrels efficiently. 2. The squirrel will assume that a dangerous animal is around when it smells the stench. Therefore, it will flee the location. |
| The smell of certain flowers | Certain flowers, such as geranium, daffodils, irises, Galanthus, and others, have a strong scent that squirrels despise. As a result, they hate the fragrances of these flowers and prefer to stay away from them. |
| Skunk smell | Squirrels are not very tolerant of things that smell like skunks. However, one does not need to capture actual skunks to deter squirrels. Instead, Cleomes, also referred to as the “Skunk flower,” are a better choice. |
| Irish spring soap | The woody scent of Irish Spring Soap can deter squirrels in the same way that it deters other rodents like raccoons. |
What makes squirrels stay away?
Squirrels may look adorable from a distance, but they can be a real nuisance for a garden or a yard. Hence, keeping them away is essential.
Here are the top ways to keep squirrels at bay from a property in more humane ways.
1. Keep pets
Squirrels are acutely aware of any potential predators around. So these cunning rodents are more at risk from household pets like dogs and cats. These creatures are seen as natural predators by squirrels. Pets will therefore keep squirrels out of the property perimeter.
2. Coffee grounds
For squirrels, the smell of coffee grinds is not very alluring. The soil where the growing plants should have finely ground coffee added to it where the squirrels frequently forage. This will assist in getting rid of the rodents.
3. Keep the house clean
Squirrels are extensive eaters. So, they will visit one’s property if they find food there. Therefore, maintaining a clean home and surrounding area is one of the vital tasks. Squirrels won’t be as interested in returning to a person’s property if there is no food nearby.
4. Seal the entry points
Maintaining a tidy home is important, but you should also cover any gaps where squirrels could enter. In other words, regular home maintenance and inspecting every nook and cranny may pay off in the long term.
5. Grow a garden
Grow a garden, even if it is just a patch, with flowers whose smell squirrels hate. One can include plants like hyacinth, allium, garlic, daffodils, and so on in their garden.
6. Feed the squirrels
It may sound strange but keeping a separate area for squirrel feeding is a great way to stop these creatures from destroying the surrounding property. It might be impossible to get rid of squirrels all in all. So, if one cannot beat ’em, feed ‘em.
7. Take professional help
Make a call to a specialist if nothing else works. They can offer advice on what exactly is drawing squirrels in and how to deal with them.
Summary
Fortunately, there are numerous strategies for repelling squirrels. These rodents dislike many things. And if one manages to get a hold of the items that these rodents loathe, fighting them can become simple.
