If Squirrels Keep Digging Up Your Yard, You're Probably Making One of These Mistakes – Act Fast Before You Lose Your Plants

There’s nothing mysterious about why squirrels are attracted to some yards more than others. With strong foraging and hoarding instincts, these furry creatures are usually on the hunt for food, and our gardens are often seen as a well-stocked and convenient pantry. But it might also be because you're making one or more of these six mistakes.

Knowing how to get rid of squirrels and how to get rid of ground squirrels humanely is key to protecting your crops, flowers and property from damage. Prevention is highly effective so it pays to know more about the habits of these agile, furry visitors so you can identify the what is capturing their attention, and make them less attractive.

From top dressing and disguising tasty flower bulbs to opting for smart bird feeders (like this squirrel-proof bird feeder on Amazon), there are plenty of nifty ways to persuade squirrels to leave your yard and go elsewhere. But first, you need to identify the problem area – here are six mistakes attracting squirrels to your yard.

1. Leaving Fallen Fruit on the Ground

It’s simple but often overlooked – ripe windfalls that litter the ground beneath your fruit trees are an easy-win for ever-hungry squirrels.

‘Fallen fruit is one that nobody thinks about,’ explains garden expert Gerardo Loayza, CEO and Founder of Bacqyard.

‘Everybody worries about bird feeders, but that rotting apple under your tree is squirrel bait that needs to be cleaned up.’

Make clearing up fallen apples, pears and other orchard fruit a cinch with these straight edged Leaf Scoops from Amazon and be sure to add them to a covered or in-ground composter, such as this from Walmart, to break down and enrich the soil, well away from furry friends.

Gerardo Loayza

Gerardo is the CEO and founder of landscape design company Bacqyard. He is a passionate landscape designer who offers outdoor designs at competitive prices.

2. Not Protecting Your Bird Feeder

It’s good to feed birds into the yard, but laying out a feast of seed, nuts and cracked corn 24/7 is an open invite to nearby squirrels.

With a voracious appetite and strong hoarding instincts they will happily empty any feeders or bird tables, stashing their gains in the flower borders, lawn or wherever is convenient.

Solve the issue by rationing offerings, refilling feeders little and often, or alternatively invest in specially designed feeders that exclude our furry friends.

Using baffles to deter squirrels in your garden is one very effective idea and we particularly like this Squirrel Buster feeder from Amazon with it’s clever weight activated shroud.

Placing bird food within easy of reach of your yard’s perimeter is another mistake that's easy to remedy.

‘If your bird feeder or container is within 8-10 ft of a fence or a tree branch, any squirrel is making that jump,’ says Gerardo.

Remove problem branches easily using geared, heavy duty loppers such as these from Walmart.

Our guide to keeping squirrels away from bird feeders has more advice.

3. Leaving Flowering Bulbs Exposed

Ever spent time diligently planting flower bulbs, with visions of springtime color, only to return the next day to find them dug up and gone? Well, sadly it’s all to common unless you take precautionary steps.

‘Bare soil after planting bulbs is basically a scent trail,’ says Gerardo.

‘You can lay chicken wire (like this from Amazon) flat over newly planted bulbs and cover with mulch to disguise it. The plants will push right through just fine in the spring,' he adds.

If you don’t fancy the idea of laying wire in the garden, then there are natural ways to protect bulbs. Horticulturalist Peggy Anne Montgomery suggests these alternatives.

‘Often, rodents are attracted to newly planted bulbs because they can smell them. Mask these scents through strategic planting or repellents.'

She continues, ‘try mixing bulbs favored with those distasteful to rodents. Pairing tulips and crocus – two grazer favorites – with daffodils, fritillaria, or hyacinths, that rodents are more likely to avoid can deter hungry critters from munching the bulbs and the blossoms in the spring.’

Spraying emerging bulbs with rodent and deer repellents also works well.

Peggy Anne continues, ‘Many all-natural repellents are available at garden centers and retailers that effectively keep small mammals away. Typically, they have an unpleasant smell to the rodents, deterring them from snacking.'

Try the Peppermint Oil Rodent Repellent from Walmart.

Peggy Anne Montgomery

Peggy Anne Montgomery is a horticultural professional with more than 30 years of US and international experience in garden marketing and communications. An account executive for the Garden Media Group, she currently represents Dutch Royal Anthos, a trade organization for Dutch bulb growers and exporters in the US and Canada.

4. Not Protecting Fruit Trees

Leaving ripening fruits such as apples, pears and juicy berries in situ and uncovered is a irresistible temptation for squirrels, as garden expert Lars Nyman, founder of vegetable growing platform Taim.io, explains.

'Squirrels are notorious for raiding fruit trees and devouring the harvest. Their keen sense of smell helps them locate ripe fruits, and they may nibble on both the fruit itself and the tree's buds, flowers and young shoots,' says Lars.

'By providing alternative food sources in your yard, you can keep squirrels away from fruit trees. Set up feeding stations with squirrel-friendly treats to divert their attention,' he adds.

There's a wide election of fun squirrel feeders, including designs that accommodate a variety of food (from Walmart) and even a squirrel feeder with an inbuilt Solar powered HD video camera (from Walmart).

Lars Nyman

Lars is a gardener and founder of gardening education platform, Taim.io. He has a lifelong passion for gardening and provides advice on plant and gardening matters.

5. Creating Appealing Nest Sites

Although some squirrels construct dreys from twigs, leaves and grass in the forks of trees to raise their young, others find openings in hollow trees, walls and a roof overhang irresistible.

Dark, sheltered and private, these cavity nests can quickly become a nuisance, harboring ticks and fleas, and if they happen to be near electrical cables, squirrels may gnaw on them.

The simple solution is to remove these nesting opportunities, but only after making sure that they are not in use and no young are present. If in doubt, consult pest control experts for the best course of action.

Holes in roof overhangs or soffits can be repaired or blocked using strong wire mesh such as fully welded stainless steel panels with 6mm holes from Amazon.

Our guide to getting rid of squirrels in the attic has more information.

6. Leaving Young Trees Exposed

There’s little more appetising to a squirrel than a fresh young sapling – or their bark, to be specific.

Leave the trunks or mainstems of these tender youngsters unprotected and long-term damage can be inflicted in minutes, especially during winter and early spring when other food is scarce.

Squirrels are adept at stripping off the outer layer of bark, with their teeth, to access the tasty and nutritious cambium layer underneath.

Protective, physical barriers, such as plastic and metal collars and tree guards, such as these from Amazon, are effective, but it is important to make sure that they are tall enough – out of jumping from ground height – and held firmly in place.

A further note from Gerardo is that, ‘people wrap trunks but forget the low branches. Squirrels strip bark from branches just as much.'

While spiral protectors can work, a natural squirrel spray repellent – such as this one from Amazon – can be easier to apply.

FAQs

Do Squirrels Eat Flowers?

Yes, squirrels do often eat flowers, including buds and bulbs. They target tender, sweet, and soft plant material, and can destroy entire flowerheads and bulbs. That's why it's important to put some precautions in place to protect your spring and summer garden display.

If none of these mistakes attracting squirrels to your yard apply to what's happening in your garden, take a closer look at your borders and the plants never to grow if you don't want to attract squirrels. It's also worth knowing how to keep squirrels out of the garden with this one common flower.

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