Squirrels! Eating HOSTAS???

[headred]

What does everyone do to keep squirrels from nibbling and EATING your vegetation? I think I read once to sprinkle cayenne pepper on plants. Anyone tried this? Or give me other ideas, thanks!

 

[bid]

I hesitate to say this...but i haven't had a problem with squirrels...so far. They have plenty to eat so they leave my plants alone. You could always provide them with something they like better than your Hostas.Of course you may not want to feed them. They'll be knocking on the back door bright and early when the feed runs low. There is another possibility. Have you ever had squirrel? Fried, stewed or braised makes for something totally different for supper. The family won't be saying "We just had (fill in the blank)"

 

[Ridgerunner]

How many squirrels do you have? The problem might not be so much that you have squirres but that you have too many. When I lived in the burbs, it was not unusual to see 5 squirrels playing in my back yard in the middle of the day.

I used two live traps with black sunflower seed as bait and removed over 50 squirrels from my back yard in less than a month. I even hooked my retired neighbor on trapping squirrels, so he helped keep the numbers down. You do have to take them over 7 miles from home so they don't just find their way back. In some states, it is probably illegal to relocate them. After my trapping the physical damage to my house stopped, let alone damage to vegetation. Before, I could not plant anything without them digging in the fresh dirt.

I probably should not post this, but just for bid's sake, a friend would trap squirrels in his back yard and take them to his friend's property across the lake in the country and release them. Then, when squirrel hunting season came around, he and his friend went hunting.

 

[headred]

How many squirrels do you have? The problem might not be so much that you have squirres but that you have too many. When I lived in the burbs, it was not unusual to see 5 squirrels playing in my back yard in the middle of the day.

I used two live traps with black sunflower seed as bait and removed over 50 squirrels from my back yard in less than a month. I even hooked my retired neighbor on trapping squirrels, so he helped keep the numbers down. You do have to take them over 7 miles from home so they don't just find their way back. In some states, it is probably illegal to relocate them. After my trapping the physical damage to my house stopped, let alone damage to vegetation. Before, I could not plant anything without them digging in the fresh dirt.

I probably should not post this, but just for bid's sake, a friend would trap squirrels in his back yard and take them to his friend's property across the lake in the country and release them. Then, when squirrel hunting season came around, he and his friend went hunting.

Thanks! I like your thinking ;-)

 

[HunkieDorie23]

Squirrels are evil. That's it. They can not help themselves they are born like that. We used to live in GA and they lived in our pine trees. If we were outside they would drop or throw pine cones at us and our guest. We would move away from them and they would follow. I do not even have squirrels in our yard here but they have come over from the field and eaten all but 2 of my spring bulbs. I planted over 50, 5 years ago when we moved here. They are evil.

 

[inchworm]

Are you sure it is squirrels? They don't touch my hosta. But the deer can nibble them all down in one night.

Inchworm

 

[headred]

Pretty sure its a mix of squirrels and a few ornery ducks ;-)
Its all fenced in now!

 

[CityChook]

The hostas are the only thing in my garden that I just CAN NOT keep my chickens out of. Between the poultry and the deer, they don't really stand a chance...

I don't think I've ever seen our squirrels eating hosta, but ya never know....