How to Protect Bird Feeders From Hungry Squirrels

If you are like most nature lovers, bird watching is a cherished pastime. One way to get your favorite birds to visit your lawn is to feed them. Unfortunately, birds are not the only ones who are attracted to free seed and feed. Squirrels are notorious for stealing from bird feeders, as they are agile climbers, nimble on their feet, and great at grasping things with their tiny dexterous paws. With all of these built-in attributes, how can you expect to protect your beloved bird feeders from thieving squirrels? The answer involves a combination of making some environmental changes and implementing some new pest control strategies.

Continue reading to learn some truly effective tips for stopping squirrels from emptying your bird feeders.

Indianapolis Squirrel Removal and Control
Indianapolis Squirrel Removal and Control 317-847-6409

Hang Them in the Right Spot

The first strategy to implement is an easy one. Just move your bird feeders to a new spot that is far away from trees, power lines, roofs, and anything else squirrels can use to climb. If they cannot easily access something to climb near the feeder, it is unlikely that they will attempt to access it at all. You can also run a line of string between two trees and position the feeder on the string away from the trees. If you use this approach, be sure to hang the string as high as you can reach, and do not use wire or rope. Squirrels have trouble climbing on a wobbly string, but a wire or cord will be sturdier for them.

Buy a Baffle

There is a device called a squirrel baffle that you can purchase and install in your backyard. It is essentially a plastic dome that connects under a bird feeder and creates a curved barrier that squirrels cannot climb over. They are sold online, or you can buy them at any local home improvement or gardening store. Expect to pay anywhere between $15 and $20 for a quality product.

Cover the Bird Feeder Pole

If squirrels cannot climb a pole, they cannot access the feeder that is at the top. You can make the pole harder to climb in a few different ways. You can add layers of plastic tubing, wrap it in thin sheet metal, or apply grease (or petroleum jelly). Although they are probably still capable of reaching the top with several efforts and a lot of hard work, they are not likely to go through all the trouble; instead, they’ll move onto an easier target.

Use a Natural, Non-Toxic Repellent

If you have the basic household ingredients and a clean plastic spray bottle, you can make your own homemade, non-toxic animal repellent. All you need are the spices that squirrels hate, such as menthol, eucalyptus, peppermint, spearmint, cayenne pepper, black pepper, red pepper, or any other kind of pepper. Mix them with some water, transfer them to the plastic bottle, and spray the perimeter of your feeder or property. This solution will be harmful to pets, so keep them away after application.

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em!

A last resort to dealing with squirrels stealing from your bird feeders is to simply provide them with their own food. This may deter them from taking the bird feed, allowing you to continue enjoying your bird observing hobby. A mix of cracked corn should do just fine, and you can buy specially-designed squirrel feeders online or at any local home improvement or gardening store.

How to Safely and Humanely Get Rid of Squirrels in Indianapolis, Indiana

Call Modern Wildlife Control at 317-847-6409 for affordable squirrel removal and control services in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. Our DNR licensed and insured wildlife rescue and control specialists offer safe and humane squirrel abatement services, clean up and minor restorations for animal damages, 24 hour emergency service, and free estimates. Get started by requesting a free estimate or advice, today.

Modern Wildlife Control Indianapolis
Modern Wildlife Control Indianapolis

Fun Facts About Beavers in Indiana

Beavers are an interesting species. Not only are they semi-aquatic rodents, they are one of the largest rodent species in the entire world, weighing in at an average of up to 70 pounds. Want to learn more about beavers? Continue reading to review some fun and educational facts about beavers, including what you can do to humanely prevent nuisance beaver activity on your property.

Indianapolis Beaver Removal and Control
Indianapolis Beaver Removal and Control 317-847-6409

Beaver Facts You Can Share With Friends

There are 2 species of beaver in the world: the North American beaver and the Eurasian beaver. Although they are mostly similar in appearance, North American beavers tend to be larger, with rounded heads and wider tails. Here in Indiana, we are home to the North American beaver (Castor Canadensis), the largest rodent in the world. These beavers usually weigh between 45 and 60 pounds in full maturity, yet some have been recorded of reaching up to 100 pounds!

Beavers are most known for their four front teeth, which are long, orange, and very strong. Their teeth are covered in an iron-rich enamel, which is resistant to the acidic properties in tree bark. This resistance, coupled with the repetitive bark chewing practiced by beavers, causes their front teeth to turn bright orange. Because the back of the teeth wears out faster than the front, beavers have a distinct tapered look to their front teeth.

Apart from their teeth, beavers are well known for their tails. Their tails are wide, naked, and quite leathery, allowing them to swim fast and manipulate water like a rudder on a boat. They also have and webbed hind feet that help them swim. Beavers also have a thick, double coat of brown fur that reasonably repels water, which is why many people used to make hats out of beaver pelts.

Beaver Homes and Life

Beavers are very similar to humans in terms of modifying our spaces to meet our specific needs. No other animal does this as well as beavers do! Not only do they build lodges with complex underwater entrances, they construct dams to create calm waters for their pleasure. In Canada, satellite imaging discovered a beaver dam that is over 2,500 feet long!

Beavers are very sociable and busy animals that mate for life. Their family groups are incredibly cooperative, working together to build, forage, protect, and even groom one another. Beavers also show affection, play games, and use grunts, squeaks, and whistles to communicate.

Beavers learn their hydro-engineering skills at a young age, helping their parents build and maintain dams and lodges. Interestingly, beaver offspring, called kits, stay with their mother longer than any other animal in the animal kingdom, usually up to 2 or 3 years.

Beavers are omnivores, and only eat vegetation, namely aquatic plants, but also twigs, leaves, and soft tree tissue. Many people assume that beavers eat bark or wood, but really, they just gnaw on it to help sharpen their teeth or build dams and lodges.

Nuisance Beavers

Beavers are known to be extraordinary builders, but sometimes, their construction activity can cause problems around residential or commercial areas. Not only can dams cause plumbing damages and flooding, it can also be an eye sore for a property. They also gnaw at tree trunks, which can be both unsightly and hazardous. Furthermore, beavers attract other predators, like wolves, which can be a scary threat to your children or pets.

To safely and effectively get rid of beavers, contact a local and licensed Indianapolis wildlife control company for beaver removal and control services you can trust. Choose a company that has been in business for many years, and can provide helpful amenities like free estimates and inspections.

Indianapolis Beaver Removal and Control You Can Afford

Call Modern Wildlife Control at 317-847-6409 for safe and humane animal removal services for beavers in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. We are DNR licensed and insured wildlife control operators with more than 30 years of hands-on experience. Trust us for prompt and professional animal extraction, exclusion, and cleanup. That’s right! We provide animal damage restoration and repair, and can even provide homeowners’ insurance claim work. Request a free estimate or advice, today.

Modern Wildlife Control Indianapolis
Modern Wildlife Control Indianapolis