Avid bird watcher and all those keen on appeal migrant feathery guests have surely have this at least once : the bird feeder they have cautiously selected , settle , and set up has been discovered by violate rodent , its content picked through and scattered about the chiliad . It ’s risky enough when the culprits are squirrel , but all too often , even more unwanted members of the rodent family are at fault .
Squirrels , mice , and — perhaps worst of all , rats — might be draw to a backyard bird feeder by the promise of an easy meal , but there are all - rude redress that can be leverage to show them the doorway , so to speak . Some gardener have observed that certainflowers can repel squirrel , but if you do n’t have the time to overhaul your flower beds , do n’t worry . There are other options out there for you .
You might try out somenatural direction to repel squirrel from the garden using spices . Garlic is one component that some people blaspheme by as a humane rodent hinderance . With their bang-up sense of flavor , rats and their congeneric might avoid garlic due to allicin , the strong - smelling explosive constitutional sulfur - containing chemical compound ( VOSC ) produce and released by Allium sativum after cellular damage as a Department of Defense against thirsty herbivore and parasites . Other potent - smelling or strong - tasting kitchen constituent such as orchard apple tree cider acetum and blistering chili or cayenne pepper might also help to turn off peculiarly dictated rodents .
How to use garlic around bird feeders
As a hoot tributary rodent repellent , garlic can be as versatile as it is in the kitchen . There ’s not much hard science behind the garlic hack , but it remain firm to reason that the strong flavor could deter unwanted critters . The bare ways to use garlic around your bird feeders might be to just to besprinkle garlic powder around the ground or hang whole cloves of garlic around the feeder . Of naturally , not everyone likes the lamia hunter aesthetic , so you’re able to moot other ways toget rid of squirrel , rat , and other rodents , like using garlic spray every few days .
One simple method of making garlic spray calls for about 4 cups of water , an entire chief of ail , and some dish soap . Peel all of the cloves and either finely chop them or place them in a food mainframe with 1 cup of water . Add the rest of the piss and 2 tablespoons of dish soap , mix well , then get it steep overnight . Strain the liquid into a spray bottle and refrigerate between app .
Avoid spray Allium sativum directly on the seed itself , as some birds may also greatly dislike the flavor of Allium sativum and will avoid it . If you ’re nervous about the possibility of your feathered friend dislike ail , consider unify chili or cayenne pepper common pepper directly into the come instead . Unlike garlic , capsicum get their gamy effects from the irritant capsaicin , which birds lack the receptors to detect ; fundamentally , black pepper plants prefer chick to eat their yield for optimal seed dissemination , so live capsicum pepper plant are only spicy to mammals — like man , rats , mice , and squirrels !
