scott- I dont know if this an option for you- but I put out haveahart traps and after catching 3 squirrels in about 2 weeks, the squirrels have been pretty much leaving my garden alone. i think they may have been tramatized or scared off by seeing their parents/siblings sqwaking for a few hours while trapped in the cages.

lycheeluvs:
What sort of bait did you use in the trap?

Scott, I did pretty much the same thing as you do and have pretty much the same questions. When I put out the P+P balls the other days, we noticed the squirrels were eating and turning the container over to the ground. I placed the P+P balls under my English Walnuts trees, and so far they haven't been bothering them as before. But there are still many squirrels flying around nearby wild cherry trees and mulberry trees. We can't kill them all, but I am hoping that I had killed the ones that seeemed particularly attracted to the walnut trees. I am keeping an eye on them and am prepared to give them the P+P balls again anytime.

Your post is a little depressing. I also put out my balls of DAP Plaster of Paris and JIF peanut buter this morning with the hope of stopping the squirrels eating all my peaches.
I'll keep you posted on my results.

Lycheeluva, I may try some traps. That is one route I have not gone down. Usually I have good luck with my pellet gun but this year they have been avoiding my bait piles. I should probably change the kind of bait in those as well, I am using official "squirrel food" I bought at a local store now but it seems to be more popular with the birds.

I put out a whole PB jar worth of balls this morning, I am going to keep going heavy on them for another week at least.

Scott

scott- do u use gloves when creating and placing the bait- if not, i wonder if the squirrels smell you and are scared off the bait?

Update: I checked my Plaster of Paris/Peanut Butter balls today at noon and they were covered with ants taking them apart by little pieces. (Put them there about 2 hours earlier.) There are some balls completely missing, however, so I am hopeful that the squirrels which regularily checked my peach trees have picked up one of these instead. Tomorrow, I will place some more balls outside if the others haven't been completely eaten by the ants.

The squirrels may be scared of me but they are eating the stuff en masse: I can see bite marks on partial balls and most are completely disappearing. I have yet to throw away a single old ball, they have all gone into squirrel stomachs.

I am also getting ants on a few of my spots since I have kept them supplied for the better part of a week now.

Scott

I'm about ready to try the PB + POP, but so far have been relying on live trapping. I then relocate them to the garbage can after a quick stop in the garage where my pellet gun is. But they haven't been very cooperative about going into the trap, and they are absolutely cheeky about sitting in the tree munching on 'cots while I wait for them to find the trap. I've only trapped one this year.

I have to be very circumspect with the pellet gun, but have driven two of them off with it(didn't kill them- my charge was low) and my neighbors no longer think it remarkable to see me running after one of them with a stick in my hand.

I'm proud to say that my good wife has taken to driving them out with rocks, and wishes to take up the art of wrist-slingshots, or what I call a wrist-rocket.

She thinks I might not be safe with the pellet gun. I'm not sure I trust her with the sling shot- those things can take a windshield out pretty quickly! :-)

Good luck all,

Mark

Ok, Sorry if this sounds stupid but I never have heard of this. How do you make the balls and will it kill the squirrels? If so sign me up I have had over 20 of them ate my house and my cars. I was using the trap and kill method but too slow. They just keep coming faster and faster. Well sorry if sounds like I am mad but I am....LOL

Thanks for advice in advance.

Start by mixing 1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup plaster of paris. Roll them to form marble sized to 1" balls and place in strategic places, protected from rains or water but accessible to the cute rodents.

They seemed to be working for me, I set them out in a line of 3 or 5 so I can notice when they are being eaten. They are another tool in the pest control arsenal.

The problem I was having as other people have noticed, is they harden quickly or the ants eat them. That makes it a bit of a pain for me to use on a grand scale, because they only last a day or two. Leaving some in the garage under the firewood rack works ok because I spray the floor for ants so the bait lasts. Ants probably like plaster. I also was using rat traps baited with peanut butter and caught 5 chipmunks but then something larger (much larger) sprung the traps and I went out there one day both traps were missing.

I am going to the pellet gun method at least then I know for sure what I am getting and if I hit it or not.

I have shot squirrels with a CO-2 pellet pistol at a range of a few feet and had them run off and come back the next day. It only made them more wary. I will go for head shots after this.

I'm ready to coat the muzzle with peanut butter and hook it up to a remote trigger device! I wish I lived in the country; I'd've solved the problem on day one.

Arrgh!!

Good luck,

M

Squirrel pole best way to get squirrel its wood pole leanning to tree are fence squirrel can't stay from leanning wood pole snares about four of then spaced around pole are six if have many they get in all the snares if have that many squirrels. Google squirrel pole

Gator Rider, I'm going to try a squirrel pole now. I don't know much about snares but I just found a place selling ready-made snares for these poles so I think I should be able to get those to work -- just attach to pole. See link below, only a buck apiece.

I thought the balls were having some effect but I just found a whole squirrel family munching on my tomatoes. I am setting traps now as well. Snares coming soon..

Mark, you need to get a pellet gun, those CO2 guns have no force at all. I have a 950 fps .22 pellet gun with a scope which is very effective. Unfortunately the squirrels are now in a location where I can't shoot them without risk.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: squirrel snares

Scott,
I tried this last year and felt that it was a waste of my time. I ran a bait line of a dozen stations in my backyard for at least a month and a half. Most days, all the baits disappeared (maybe 900 - 1" PB+PoP baits total?). In that time, I never witnessed a squirrel take a bait, however I did find two baits that had squirrel teeth marks in them. The blue jays would fight over the baits (did they take most of them?). End result: the squirrel population didn't change and I went back to trapping and shooting.
I know that many people swear by this method, and I have no reason to doubt them; it just didn't work for me. I suspect that this method may depend on your squirrel population. I have a very high population that I can supress by trapping and shooting (200-300 a year). I tried this because I make too darn much noise with my pellet guns for my squirrel loving neighbors. One called me the "great white hunter". I guess squirrel hunting is just another hobby that I've taken up along with gardening and raising fruit trees.
Good luck with your squirrels,
Dan

Dan, thanks for your report. I also have noticed birds pecking at the balls recently. I did see squirrel bites early on, but not lately. I hope I am not just killing the birds, our cat is already making a dent there and I don't want to add to it.

What kind of traps are you using? I tried the standard rat traps last year and didn't have any luck with them. I am trying the havahart traps right now and so far no luck with them, either. I baited them with peanut butter but the ants are eating it all now. I am going to try some fruit as bait next. I will be trying these snares soon.

Scott

Scott,
If my wife were a bit more understanding, my first choice would be a conibear #110. It's a kill type trap. I made a little plywood box that was open on one end, placed the trap at that end, threw a handfull of peanuts in the bottom of the box and straped this contraption to a branch. I tied the chain that comes with the trap to the branch. Well, when I stepped out the backdoor several hours later, there was a squirrel swinging in the breeze with the trap firmly attached to it's neck. Had you know who seen that...So I put my conibear away for the forseeable future. This may be of intrest. http://www.buckshotscamp.com/Article-Using-110.htm
Presently I use a Havaheart 1040(2a). It's a little bit longer than the standard Hava, so it's more difficult for a squirrel to back out when the doors drop. I've seen squirrels back out a number of times even with the longer trap so I know it can be a problem. There is a simple solution however and will probably make the standard trap more effective. Rather than setting the trap with both doors open, leave the door with the straight rod closed and locked and only open the door with the bent rod that is set under the bait tray's rod. I use peanuts for bait and I place them on the far side of the tray so that the squirrel has to walk across the tray to get the bait. I never place bait on the tray but often put a few peanuts between the door and tray to help them build their confidence and come all the way in. Works every time. Maybe not the first time, but they won't forget where those peanuts were and they'll be back. You just have to be a little more persistant than they are.
Good luck,
Dan

Here is a link that might be useful: Trapping squirrels

Thanks for the tips, Dan. My Havahart was too small so I just bought the bigger one (had a 1025 which sounds like they should not even call a squirrel trap, and bought a 1030; couldn't find 1040s anywhere locally). I will put the bait at the far end with one door shut, and hope they go for it.

Today I had to watch the squirrel sitting up on the wire munching away on my peach and nothing I can do since it is on the street in a spot I can't shoot at. Then later I find all my almost-ripe tomatoes lying about half eaten. I went through all this effort to get my tomatoes ripening early, and the squirrels are getting nearly all. At least they have steered clear of the cherry tomatoes.

Tomorrow: trapping squirrels with a vengeance.

Scott

When I first read the "PB + PoP treatment" acronym my thoughts went twards: Pb (lead) & "POP!" the sound a gun would make (for rodent control)....

scott- now my squirrels have also stopped going into my haveahart trap- i guess they learnt from seeing their siblings trapped inside it.
what is the name of the pellet gun you have and do you or anyone else know what the process is for buying a pellet gun in ny

Scott is absolutely right about CO2 pellet guns not being up to the task. You literally have to be at point blank range to kill them- at five feet you might stun them, but most likely not stop them.

I did manage to kill one with a head shot at perhaps three feet; I killed another in the trap, point blank. I hit one very well this morning and had time to reload and shoot again, and thought I had killed it, but then was called to the house. When I returned the squirrel was gone, but I'm sure he's very sore. Should I put out a peanut-butter coated Aleve for him?

Shot one this morning from the garage window, about four feet from the animal, and I know I hurt it, because it lost its urine, but it ran off. The CO2 cartridge has real knock-out power only on the first few shots. After that it just walks over to the animal and shakes its finger at it.

My neighbors are laughing at me and my wife is planning an intervention, but that's that.

Good luck all,

Mark

Lychee, I think NYC may be one of the 2-3 places in the country where they are illegal. I'm not sure though. There are many good cheap guns these days, a 900+fps model with a scope should work.

I am finally having a bit better luck, I got two this morning. One was in the front where I could safely shoot at him and the other I trapped with the Havahart in back. The PB+PoP I am stopping, the squirrels seem to be ignoring them now. It may be I ended up making them with *too* much PoP and not enough PB, but whatever it is it didn't work.

Scott