How to Get Rid of Ground Squirrels

Squirrels can be harmful to your garden, landscape and home. There are some ways to rid your perimeter and household of ground squirrels with different scents or repellents and a strategic enclosure system, although squirrels are very difficult to catch or kill.

Soldering iron

Specific measured amount of fencing, at least three feet tall

Gloves

Packing dirt and small stones

Garden hand shovel

Array of clips or fence hooks, if desired

Specific repellents or gels, if desired

Pliers

Build a fence that is deep enough and high enough to keep ground squirrels out of your gardens or lawn. Measure out the area you want to fence off, whether it is your entire lawn or just a small garden section, with a measuring tape.

Buy the measured amount of fencing, and make sure it is a very small mesh, such as hardware cloth. Make sure the measurements of the fence allow it to be buried at least 12 inches underground, with at least 2 to 3 feet above ground.

Dig a narrow trench with a gardening hand shovel in the exact place you want the fence to sit. After the border is dug up, set the measure fencing into the trench and proceed to tightly pack hard clay, dirt and small stones around the edges of the fencing.

Connect the two edges of the fencing with a soldering iron by soldering the fence every 2 inches along the separated edges in order to connect them. Or, you could also connect the fencing with an array of fencing clips and hooks that are available at all hardware stores.

Purchase ground squirrel repellents from your local hardware or pest control store. These repellents' main ingredients include white and black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili peppers. Squirrels do not like the heat of these ingredients, so if you do not want to purchase a repellent, create one of your own by combining equal parts white, black, cayenne, and chili peppers. The amount of the mixture will depend on how many places you want to place the repellent around your house. When you spread the homemade repellent, spread it thickly over the area.

Use a ground squirrel repellent that relies on the urine and odors of predators, such as FoxPee. These are best to purchase at a store if you want to use them. Sprinkle and spray these repellents around the areas you want to protect. The ground squirrels will smell the urine of a feared predator and decide not to go in that area any more fairly quickly.

Rub a thick gel or cream that is formulated as bitter tasting on objects you do not want ground squirrels to chew on. Sometimes the only problem people have with ground squirrels is that they gnaw on objects such as the bottom of decks, fences and trees. These gels are specially made to be put on things that squirrels put in their mouths.

Read the directions on any squirrel repellent or gel you purchase, as some may need to be re-applied numerous times.

Always be cautious when working with or around chemicals or sharp fence materials.