Updated On

December 31, 2023

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    Difference Between Squirrel Repellents and Deterrents?

    A repellent is anything that tends to drive away or ward off an invader by arousing aversion or disgust. It can be something physically repellent or “icky” to the touch. Disturbing sounds or smells can also repel people or animals.

    Have you ever been driving down the road and suddenly smelled a skunk? Even though you’re perfectly safe from getting sprayed because you’re inside the car, you still want to get away from the odor as quickly as you can. It’s repelling you because it stinks.

    Annoying or irritating sounds also have that same repelling quality. Remember Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber? His “most annoying sound in the world” sound really was annoying. You wanted to slap him to make him shut up.

    But repellents don’t force anyone, human or animal, to leave an area. We can choose to stay in spite of it. It also doesn’t keep us from entering the area in the first place if we’re determined to do so.

    A deterrent is different. A deterrent is anything that serves to discourage, prevent, or inhibit something or someone from entering a protected area.

    A wall, locked door, electric fence, moat, or barbed wire are all examples of deterrents. They keep you out whether regardless of your determination.


    How Do You Deter Squirrels From Entering Your House?

    Wire Mesh

    Start at the house itself and work your way outward. First and foremost, the most effective deterrent is to attach wire mesh over all the entrances to the house. The soffit under the eaves is a good place. These vents often have openings large enough for inquisitive squirrels to squeeze through. Once they get through, they can run around the attic to their heart’s content. Keep them out by putting 1/2” chicken wire or wire mesh over the soffits.

    Gable end vents of your house have slats that may or may not have wire mesh between them. If they don’t, nail some over the vents from inside the attic. It will keep the squirrels out without marring the appearance of your home.

    If your house has a pier-and-beam foundation you’ll need to put wire mesh around the underpinning to keep squirrels and other small animals from living under your home. If you’ve got solid underpinning already in place, you could probably just use the mesh around the entrance to the crawl space.

    Below is a good video showing how to setup a wire mesh for an attic to keep pests like squirrels out.

    Spikes

    Anti-bird spikes also work well at discouraging squirrels. Put spikes on the poles that support power lines or other cables going to your home. They also have a good track record when used along the top of fences where squirrels like to run back-and-forth and gain access to your home.

    If you can’t trim your trees far enough away from your house to keep squirrels from jumping off them onto the roof (they can jump up to ten feet), you can put rows of spikes on the roof where they’ll land when they jump. One experience with landing on those will discourage any squirrel.


    How Do You Deter Squirrels From Climbing Trees And Poles?

    There are several good spike options available (see below) that can be wrapped around the base of trees and poles to discourage squirrels from climbing them. You only need to ensure the spikes are wrapped high enough around the tree (or pole) that the squirrels can’t jump over them.

    A band of spikes three to four feet wide, suitably high on the tree trunk will go a long way toward discouraging them from climbing it.

    Spikes can also be wrapped around the support poles of bird feeders to accomplish the same thing. Any vertical object that squirrels can climb – rain gutter, tree, pole, or otherwise – can be treated in the same fashion.

    Read More: What’s the best squirrel baffle to protect bird feeders?


    How To Keep Squirrels Out of Your Garden

    Netting can be erected over your garden or flower beds to keep squirrels out. Made from the right material, they’re very effective.

    Did You Know

    Wire meshing and spiked fencing are good examples of squirrel deterrents.


    So, What Deterrent Should You Use?

    Depending on the problem you’re encountering, as well as the severity of the infestation, a combination is probably your best option. In short, use as many of these methods as is humanly – or financially – possible.

    Once you’ve got control you’ll have to keep them in place about one to two years. After that, hunger will force the squirrels to find somewhere else to forage for food and they’ll abandon your property.

    Once that happens you can decide if you want to back off some of the more intrusive methods – netting for instance.


    Top 4 Best Squirrel Deterrents

    As a recap, there are the 4 deterrent products we looked at in the process of this review.

    1. 1/2 Galvanized Wire Mesh (our #1 pick for your house)
    2. OneLeaf Garden Cat Scat Mat (very good spikes for guarding the approaches)
    3. Bird Netting (an excellent deterrent for gardens and flower beds
    4. Bird Spikes (spikes to discourage squirrels)

    Our #1 pick goes to the Wire Mesh. Its strong, sturdy, and protected from rust. If you need something a little more flexible, the Cat Scat Mat might be your cup of tea. You can use it on fence tops and around trees and poles.

    Some of these products require hammers and nails to secure in place, so be careful of hitting your thumb.

    Galvanized Welded Wire Metal Mesh

    This is a form of chicken wire, with 1/2-inch squares in it, made of 19 gauge wire, galvanized to protect against rust. It can be cut wire cutters or tin snips, then nailed into place to cover soffits, gable vents, gaps in underpinnings, and crawl space entrances and vents. It can also be put inside chimneys, just far enough down to be out of sight.

    Once installed it deters squirrels from entering your house. They can’t chew through wire, and if you attach it firmly, they won’t be able to pull it loose either. If all you want is to keep squirrels from invading your house, stop here. This is all you’ll need.

    You can also use it to cover a wood or metal frame built around a garden or flower bed. Any enclosed area where you want squirrels kept out can be secured with this wire mesh.

    The roll of wire is reasonably pliant, but you’ll need to wear heavy gloves to avoid cutting yourself on sharp edges. Finally, this is metal so the roll is fairly heavy.

    Easy to use
    Very strong wire
    Keeps out squirrels
    Galvanized against rust
    Wire roll is heavy
    Wear gloves while installing

    OneLeaf Garden Cat Scat Mat

    Made for keeping out cats, this spiky, roll out mat is perfect for pricking the paws of any creature dumb enough to attempt walking over it. The spikes are very stiff (ouch!) and will hurt anything putting their foot on it.

    They’re not long enough to penetrate or main, but a squirrel jumping on one of these from a tree will never want to do it again.

    These mats can be cut with scissors to whatever length or width you like. Then it can be wrapped around a tree trunk, power or phone pole, rain gutter, clothesline pole, or any other vertical object to discourage squirrels from trying to climb it. These mats can also be cut into long thin strips then wrapped lengthwise around power lines or other lines coming to your house.

    No more high wire acts for those squirrels!

    Put it around the base of plants in your garden to keep squirrels from digging them up. You can do the same thing with potted plants on your patio or deck.

    There is only one mat per package, however, so you’ll have to buy several of these to get the kind of coverage you need. It may be a bit expensive. It also has a bit of a “memory” and tries to curl up. You’ll have to secure it in place to keep that from happening.

    Very easy to use
    Easy to cut to length
    Excellent track record
    Wide range of applications
    Fairly expensive
    Has to be secured to keep from curling

    Bird Netting

    This 3/5-inch mesh is extra strong and doesn’t get tangled when you’re putting it on and taking it off your plants.

    It provides lasting protection and works well when it’s stretched over a frame. This lightweight yet heavy-duty net is made from a very durable polypropylene (PP). It’s designed and intended to be used outside, 24/7.

    It comes in a roll 65-feet long and 7.5-feet wide. It’s very simple to use, just unroll it, cut to the length you want (it doesn’t unravel), and tack it in place. It’s great for protecting plants while still letting them receive all the rain and sunlight they’ll ever need. You can even water them through this netting.

    The manufacturer, De-Bird, has a good reputation for their customer service. If you have any questions, they’re more than happy to answer them for you. We only wish it came in rolls wider than seven-and-a-half feet.

    Connect it over a wider area is slow and time-consuming. Be aware, some larger varieties of squirrels might be able to chew through it.

    Easy to cut
    Long lasting
    Easy to install
    Excellent track record
    Only 7.5-feet wide
    Large squirrels can chew through it

    Bird Spikes

    These strips are covered with cone-like spikes to discourage birds, squirrels, and other small animals from landing or walking on them. They can be placed in a wide variety of places to deter squirrels.

    The spikes on this are a bit larger than the Scat Mat above, so they’re easier for squirrels to get their feet between them and avoid getting poked.

    For this reason, they’re best used in flat areas where squirrels will be landing after jumping there from a tree or power line. The spikes are very sturdy and “pokey” in situations like that.

    Also, be aware that these strips suffer from warping after being in the sun for a few days. You’ll need to screw them down in place otherwise the warping will render them ineffective.

    Easy to use
    Inexpensive
    Work within limits
    Too much room between spikes
    Bad warping
    Too much room between spikes

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    Editorial Contributors
    avatar for Ed Spicer

    Ed Spicer

    Ed has been working in the pest control industry for years helping 1,000's of homeowners navigate the world of insect and rodent management.

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