I can relate although the squirrel pack around my house are more interested in the perennial borders and my pots. Every year as soon as the primula bloom they snipe the blooms off, leaving them on the ground. Then they started to make a home in my roof overhang, thankfully that part is not open to the attic. I managed to flush them out with a hose and then stuffed the void with a whole roll of wire mesh.

I am about to the point of picking up a powerful pellet guns, popping out a screen and start picking them off out the back window!

Dan, I had to go to a pellet gun too. Several years ago, they got in through a soffit and worked their way in between the floors of my two-story house. Chaos!!!

This is what I learned from a biologist at Kansas State University: Trapping them and hauling them off is not humane at all. They are considered as competition, and the ones already there will kill it. In your attic or wall space, when they have young, those baby squirrels have a genetic memory of where home is located that lasts for two generations. You've got to destroy the current ones plus any new ones you see. Also, he said Nature fills a void, and any you get rid of will be quickly replaced with new ones who are looking to capitalize on territory and food.

I became very worried about my house when they got in and so hired professional pest control. They used poison peanuts and traps. None died in the house thank goodness. They trapped 38 of them, some babies!!! A carpenter fixed the entry hole with hardware cloth and new wood. Costly tree rats!

Finally, when new arrivals started stealing all my apples and planting acorns in my potted plants, I got a pellet rifle. 9 pumps with a .177 calibre will kill a tree rat. It's probably against the law because I live in the city; I never looked into it. I only shoot them when they are on the ground and with a scope, I rarely miss.

I hope this helps. I can certainly commiserate with you. Good luck!

.20 caliber sheridan blue streak air rifle. Shot a coke can dead center from 25 yards last night to warm up (first shot I've taken in 30 years). It will not pay to be a tomato stealing squirrel in my yard from today forward. I have had enough. Useless little creatures. I cannot express how much I hate these animals. One has even been biting off the ends of any branches of my grapefruit tree that has a rock-hard just-formed grapefruit on it. Just leaves the grapefruit on the ground. What a waste.

aulani: I'm proud of you! You not only did the research and learned about these buck-toothed bandits, you took action....effective action! Oh....ahh, I hope I never do anything to cause you to get me in your sights. ~grin~

dan & deep_roots: Take a lesson from aulani. There's absolutely nothing you can do to accomodate these rodents and prevent their destructive activities. They're simply climbing rats with a cute tail.

After suffering numerous expensive bird-feeder destructions, having flower gardens wrecked, bird nests raided, and structural damage, I declared war on them in early '06. I got a Gamo .177 air rifle, equipped it with a 3X9 power scope, and started keeping score. To date, 123 of these despicable rats have climbed to the great oak tree in the sky. Now, my birds are happy, my wife is happy, and the structure damage has stopped.

So, have at 'em, folks! Just practice safe shooting, as aulani does. (aulani...I live in town, too. I think the neighbors appreciate my control efforts...it saves them grief, as well.)

Hal in PA

Well after a proper look around the garden today:
1 branch missing off a tomato plant, found it strewn around the corn
destruction on dwarf satsuma and lemon trees where its been gnawing :(
The damn thing even had the nerve to put a tunnel entrance right by one of my vegetable beds! That got filled in quick sharp!

I put a jacket out on my spade today and plan to build a scarecrow, and not ashamed to say I put urine around one side of the perimeter and in the burrow hole before I filled it in (supposed to help according to internet search).

Thank you, hercules, I appreciate your comments. Yes, we must be vigilant because those furry marauders take every opportunity to survive. 123 of them so far? Impressive!

By the way, hercules, remember the advice you gave me on the Jersey Giant asparagus I found on sale late this spring? Every one of the roots grew and they are all tall and healthy as can be. Thanks again.

di h,

I am glad to see you are taking a more humane approach to dealing with the problem. Getting rid of squirrels (or any pest for that matter) can be resolved with out firing a shot. Whether in your house or in your garden, there are resources to remove them humanely.

I wish you luck with your critter problem. I hope it doesn't come to you buying a pellet gun.

green gardener: If you read aulani's post, you'd see that catching and removing them is not that great of an option.

Common garden eating critters like squirrels and rabbits are plentiful and need to be kept under control, and that means shooting or hunting them. If we didn't kill any of them more would just end up on the road squashed by cars. How humane is that?

Well fortunately for the squirrels were vegetarians 15+ years) and totally against killing animals, so that just isn't an option for us. Whilst I appreciate that its an option for others, it's not on our agenda.

If you can have them, cats are excellent squirrel control!!!!

I too have been driven to my wits end by squirrels for the last 4 years. Check out for example this picture of my nectarine tree laden with beautiful red luscious nectarines-
about 70 nectarines

{{gwi:97393}}

well, about 3 days after this picture was taken, and about 2 weeks before the fruit ripened, a bunch of squirrels stripped every last fruit from the tree. Most of the fruit were left half or three quarters uneaten and left to rot on the ground. I put out a have-a-hart trap and caught 2 or 3 but it was useless- I am out at work and 2-3 squirrels would come at a time and raid the tree. For about 2 weeks, every morning, I would wake up, look out my window and see a squirrel munching on my nectarines.

I had looked into buying a pellet gun but it was such a big to do, that i decided not to, but next year, i am definitly buying one.

I live in an area where buying a pellet gun or setting traps I'd be up my ears in dead squirrels within a week with more left to kill.

Oddly, i live IN the city and not a rural area.

The thing is I live in a place bordering one of the largest green areas for a few miles. The squirrel population is extraordinary. At almost any point during the day you see huge families cutting back/forth.

Very few seem to actually live near my garden, but this squirrel community is so expansive they seem to be able to scour huge amounts of territory without fighting for the territory. I don't know if squirrels tribe up or anything, but around here I'd have to control my garden instead of the squirrels. The squirrels are firmly in charge here. hehe...

I haven't had an issue with them being huge pests in 3 years here...until this year. This year they have developed a really huge appetite for tomatoes. Rather than losing a handful every flush I'm getting plants stripped bare as far as they can reach. Oh well...

By the way...I'm just venting along with the post.

I know what I need to do to lessen the damage, but that's an issue for next year and that's when i'll deal with it.

I have small enough tomato plot that i can easily use a lightweight fabric covering system and another few protection tweaks to help notch up my chances of keeping all my harvest.

If squirrels were considered rats we would be living in something right out of a Charles Dickens novel around here. I can't say for sure, but I suspect they have a lot to do with the huge flea population around here, too.

Yes indeed, squirrels do have fleas and if you have a lot of squirrels...well, you get the picture. Before I was controlling them, I had fleas around the bird bath where the critters would go for water and to have their planning sessions about how to get to the birdseed.

lycheeluva, what a lovely nectarine tree and the fruits are, or were, so beautiful. I really feel so bad for you. You've got to get a pellet rifle because those little marauders will remember where the nectarines are next year. I really think they note things like that. I don't think that netting would help because the squirrels are so heavy.

Bottom line, I refuse to work so hard in my garden and spend valuable funds all so some little band of furry marauders could come in and steal it all. Nope. No way!

I agree squirrels are a nusiance and need to be controlled. A rat with a fluffy tail carrying disease and destroying property. Shoot them shoot them all. I have spent thousands of dollars trying to control them and the best and only effective way is to shoot them. Just be careful shooting dont want to shoot a window out or hit the neighbors. Good luck and thank you for help in ridding the world of these disgusting creatures