Hi, For the past few Winters I have had a problem with squirrels peeling off bark from a linden tree near my patio. They will strip all of the bark from a selected branch and have done quite a bit of permanent damage to the tree. Is there any way I can stop these pests. Any advice would be appreciated.
Squirrels damaging a linden tree
Squirrels are agile, and strong critters, quite capable of finding their way around pretty much any barrier you can set up.
Perhaps they would be scared by fake predators such as snakes or owls. These deterrents need to be very realistic. I have a rigid plastic owl that works to discourage birds from eating the fruit. The owl has a hole in the bottom, and I put the owl on a piece of PVC pipe, and stick it up through the branches. The owl moves when the wind blows the branches. I move it about once a week, and that seems to work for birds. Squirrels would probably see through the fakery sooner, so maybe you would need to be more creative?
I do not know if there is any spray specifically for squirrels, but there is one for deer that might be worth trying. It is called Liquid Fence.
Hi William. There are a number of reasons for the bark striping....as a food source, as nesting material, keeping their teeth sharp, young squirrels teething....just pure cussedness on their part....
Some of the suggestions offered are, using flashing or barbed wire to stop them from getting into the tree, providing a feeder that is away from the trees (but this seems kinda counterproductive cuz then more squirrels will show up)spraying repellants (?) i question that cuz I haven't had much luck there, or dissolving cayenne or other hot pepper in water and spraying/painting the bark, trapping or shooting...( I prefer a sling shot loaded with acorns....grin) below are some links to info for you.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/689726/
http://icwdm.org/wildlife/Squirrels/BarkStripping.aspx
http://books.google.com/books?id=hOEM7IC8XhUC&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&dq=squirrels+stripping+bark+in+canada&source=bl&ots=1z8K9i7yOl&sig=kvTYAPy9V_jcx-8I2aTV6NulKzE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GAc9UcOoGZDa8ASnp4CoDA&sqi=2&ved=0CGQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=squirrels%20stripping%20bark%20in%20canada&f=false
Thank you Diana-k and moonhowl for the information about the squirrels. It gives me some ideas to work with
You are very welcome...hope it helps
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