UK households with squirrels in their garden have been warned they will struggle to control them – even with traps.
For some, the antics of grey squirrels is a great source of joy and delight, but for others, they’re seen as a nuisance largely due to their habit of raiding bird feeders and digging up bulbs.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) have stated that “it is not possible to stop squirrels from entering your garden” further advising to tolerate and appreciate their antics.
The site offered some advice to gardeners which included netting which can be placed over areas where “bulbs and corms have been planted, to deter squirrels from digging them up.”
RHS added: “Netting can give protection to fruits and shrubs when squirrels are showing interest in them.
“Wire netting is best used for permanent structures such as fruit cages, as squirrels can quite easily bite through plastic.”
The site added that groups of bulbs can also be placed inside a planting basket which is designed for aquatic plants with the top being covered with chicken wire.
Other advice to protect your bulbs from squirrels includes placing these baskets into the ground with bulbs in pots also protected using wire netting.
“To avoid accidentally trapping or injuring birds or other animals, please always ensure that netting is kept taut, and check regularly for holes,” it added.
As for squirrels having a feed day on gardener’s bird feeders, the site recommends using “squirrel-proof bird feeders and tables available from garden centres”.
“These usually enclose the food dispenser in a stout wire cage that allows birds access while excluding squirrels. However, it may be found that birds also visit these feeders less frequently.
As for animal repellent substances used as scaring devices against squirrels, the site adds that these methods are “no more than short-term protection” and “attempting control by trapping will result in animals suffering”.
“Whilst it is permissible to attempt to control grey squirrels by trapping, provided this is done in a ‘humane manner’.
“As with other methods this rarely gives more than short term reduction in numbers. Shooting is rarely feasible in gardens for legal and safety reasons.”
Grey squirrels are easily recognised thanks to their silver-grey coats with brownish faces and feet and are roughly 24–28.5 cm long with a lifespan of around two to five years.
Grey squirrels are known to strip bark from trees, further causing decay, deformation and even death.
They’re known to damage gardens in a number of ways, wreaking havoc on ornamental plants, fruits, and vegetables, including tulip bulbs, sweetcorn, nuts, sunflower seed heads and flower buds, amongst others.
