Best Squirrel Deterrents: Sprinklers, Mesh, Baffles and Spikes

The best squirrel deterrent for a yard is the Orbit Yard Enforcer, a motion-activated sprinkler that sprays squirrels as they dig beds or raid feeders. For attics, vents and garden beds, Amagabeli's 1/4-inch hardware cloth blocks them for good, the Garbuildman baffle stops climbs up feeder poles, CIIC's spikes keep them off fences and ledges, and I Must Garden's granules are the repellent to try in pots and bulb beds. Research gives repellents and scare devices only short-lived results, so barriers do most of the work.

Do Squirrel Deterrents Work?

Some do, but not the way most packaging suggests. University of California IPM's pest note on tree squirrels calls the effectiveness of chemical repellents questionable and says squirrels pay little attention to frightening devices after a couple of days. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management goes further, stating in its guide to tree squirrel damage control that no frightening devices have been proven effective, though strobe lights show some promise.

The best squirrel deterrent outdoors, in other words, is usually something squirrels cannot get past rather than something they dislike. What does work is physical: metal and mesh over attic entries, wire over garden beds and bulbs, baffles on feeder poles and branches cut back from the roof. Repellents and sprinklers help as short-term nudges, especially when moved around, while those barriers do the lasting work.

Our wildlife control guides cover squirrels along with raccoons, snakes and moles, and the squirrel deterrent section collects guides for gardens, attics and feeders. If you want a spray specifically, our roundup of the best squirrel deterrent sprays compares the options honestly.

Why Squirrels Target Your Yard

Squirrels come for food and nesting sites. Bird feeders, nut and fruit trees, newly planted bulbs, ripening tomatoes and seedlings are the main attractions outdoors. Indoors, attics offer warm, dry nest sites; UC IPM notes that squirrels invade attics through gaps or broken vent screens and gnaw on cables and wiring.

• Digging in beds and pots: squirrels bury and dig up nuts, and freshly turned soil invites digging.
• Eating bulbs, fruit and vegetables: tulip and crocus bulbs, tomatoes, corn, strawberries and stone fruit.
• Raiding feeders: nearly any feeder is vulnerable, according to UC IPM.
• Nesting in attics and walls: often in late winter and spring, when females look for a place to raise young.
• Chewing: wiring, siding, deck furniture, irrigation lines and car wiring.

Our guide to the best squirrel deterrents for the garden covers beds, bulbs and vegetables in more detail.

Squirrel Deterrent Types Compared

We compared squirrel deterrents on how they work, the areas they protect, installation and what buyers report about results and durability. Our sources were the makers' listings, Amazon's review digests and the UC IPM and ICWDM guidance cited here; we did not test the products. We left out squirrel sprays whose buyers mostly report no effect, clogged sprayers or poor value, peppermint balls and pouches with mostly negative or marketing-like reviews, and listings with few ratings.

Best Squirrel Deterrents

Orbit Yard Enforcer: Best Overall Squirrel Deterrent

For squirrels digging up beds and lawns, Orbit's 2-pack of motion-activated sprinklers fires a burst of water when its heat and motion sensor detects movement up to 40 feet away, per the maker.

• Each unit spikes into the ground and runs off a garden hose, with a timed watering mode as well, per the maker.
• Buyers report it keeping squirrels, deer, crows, dogs and feral cats away.
• Many say the plastic parts last only a season and that the spray covers one direction.

Choose it for bulb beds, vegetable gardens and patios where squirrels dig or feed. Move each unit every week or two, and aim it low along the bed, since squirrels approach close to the ground.

OUR CHOICE

Orbit Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler 2-Pack

Needs a hose2 sprinklersMotion sensor

Best for: Beds, lawns and patios within hose reach

• ✓Detects movement up to 40 feet, per the maker
• ✓Keeps many animals away, per buyers
• ✓Two units to cover or rotate
• −Durability mostly negative, per buyers
• −Sprays one direction, per some buyers

Editor's Note

It stops digging in beds and lawns. Move it every week or two.

Check Price

Specifications (1)

Unit Count

2 Count

Amagabeli Hardware Cloth: Best for Attics and Garden Beds

When squirrels chew into vents or dig the same bed every year, Amagabeli's roll of 1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth gives them nothing to work with; it measures 36 inches by 50 feet.

• UC IPM lists sheet metal and 1/4-inch hardware cloth as suitable materials for closing entrances.
• Buyers find it strong and easy to cut and say it keeps rodents, snakes and raccoons out of gardens and coops.
• Cut edges are sharp, and attic work needs ladders and care.

Choose it for gable and soffit vents, gaps at the roofline, bulb beds and the base of raised beds. Fasten it with screws and washers, not staples, and overlap the opening by several inches so squirrels cannot chew around the edge.

Amagabeli Galvanized Hardware Cloth 1/4 in, 36 in x 50 ft

1/4 inch meshGalvanized50 ft

Best for: Attic vents, gaps and bulb beds

• ✓1/4-inch mesh, as UC IPM advises for entrances
• ✓Strong and easy to cut, per buyers
• ✓Keeps rodents and raccoons out, per buyers
• −Takes a day of work to install
• −Sharp cut edges; wear gloves

Editor's Note

It closes vents and protects bulbs for good. Fasten with screws and washers.

Check Price

Specifications (3)

Material

Hot-Dipped Galvanized

Item Diameter

0.25 inches

Finish Type

Galvanized

Garbuildman Squirrel Baffle: Best for Bird Feeders

Garbuildman's 19-inch polypropylene baffle mounts on poles and shepherd's hooks from about 2/3 inch to 1-3/8 inches thick, per the maker.

• The maker advises mounting it at least 6 feet from the ground.
• Buyers find it effective and easy to install, and many report no squirrels reaching the feeder.
• Some say it does not stay together or slips on the pole.

Choose it for a pole-mounted feeder that squirrels climb. Place the pole well away from trees, fences, decks and roofs, since a baffle does nothing if squirrels can jump straight to the feeder.

Garbuildman 19-Inch Squirrel Baffle for Feeder Poles

19 inch baffleFeeder poles

Best for: Pole-mounted bird feeders

• ✓19-inch diameter, per the maker
• ✓Effective and easy to install, per buyers
• ✓Fits most feeder poles, per the maker
• −Stability mostly negative, per buyers
• −Useless if squirrels can jump to the feeder

Editor's Note

It stops climbs up feeder poles. Keep the pole away from launch points.

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Specifications (2)

Material

Polypropylene (PP)

Unit Count

1 Count

CIIC Plastic Spikes: Best for Fences and Ledges

CIIC's set of 20 plastic spike strips can be cut to length and fixed to fence tops, railings, ledges and roof edges with screws, tape or zip ties, per the maker.

• The maker includes short spikes between the long ones to close gaps.
• Buyers find them durable and easy to install; effectiveness is mixed, and they are mainly reviewed against birds.
• Squirrels sometimes step between spikes or simply go around them.

Choose them for the fence line or railing squirrels use as a highway to the feeder or roof. Cover the full run, since a gap of a few feet lets squirrels hop past.

CIIC Plastic Animal Deterrent Spikes 20-Pack

Plastic spikes20 pieces

Best for: Fence tops and ledges squirrels travel

• ✓Durable, per buyers
• ✓Easy to install, per buyers
• ✓Cut to fit, per the maker
• −Mixed effectiveness, per buyers
• −Reviewed mainly against birds

Editor's Note

It blocks squirrel highways along fences. Cover the full run.

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Specifications (2)

Material

Plastic

Number of Pieces

20

I Must Garden Squirrel Repellent Granules: Best Repellent for Pots and Beds

I Must Garden's 3-pound shaker of granules is meant to stop squirrels digging in gardens, pots and flower beds, per the maker.

• Buyers find the granules easier to apply than a spray.
• Results are mixed: some say digging in pots stopped, others saw no change.
• Value draws mostly negative reviews, since granules need reapplying, especially after rain.

Choose it for container plants and small beds where a sprinkler or mesh is impractical. Reapply after rain and judge it within a week or two; if digging continues, switch to mesh.

I Must Garden Squirrel Repellent Granules 3 lb

Granules3 lb

Best for: Pots and small beds

• ✓Easy to apply, per buyers
• ✓Stopped digging in pots for some buyers
• ✓Natural ingredients, per the maker
• −Mixed results, per buyers
• −Value mostly negative, per buyers

Editor's Note

It suits containers where mesh is awkward. Reapply after rain.

Check Price

Specifications (2)

Item Form

Granule

Unit Count

48 Ounce

Keep Squirrels Out of the Attic and House

ICWDM recommends closing building openings with heavy mesh or aluminum flashing, trimming limbs back about 6 to 8 feet from buildings, and, for isolated trees and poles, fitting a 2-foot-wide metal collar about 6 feet off the ground, held with wire and springs so the trunk can grow. Spring-loaded one-way doors with a large metal apron around the hole let squirrels out but not back in.

Timing is everything. ICWDM warns that young may be present from February through August, and UC IPM notes that females have one or two litters of three to five a year. Sealing an entry while young are inside traps them and sends the mother chewing new holes. Our guide to the best squirrel deterrents for the attic walks through checking, evicting and sealing.

Avoid naphthalene in the attics of occupied homes: ICWDM notes it may discourage squirrels only temporarily and can seriously distress people living below.

Squirrels at Bird Feeders

• Place feeders away from launch points: squirrels jump from trees, fences, decks and roofs, so put pole feeders in the open.
• Add a baffle: on the pole below the feeder, or a dome above a hanging feeder.
• Clean up below: ICWDM advises modifying feeders to stop foraging on the ground too, so use a seed tray and sweep spilled seed.
• Try hot pepper seed: UC IPM mentions repellents added to birdseed; birds are not bothered by capsaicin, while squirrels dislike it.
• Choose seed squirrels like less: nyjer and safflower attract fewer squirrels than mixes with corn and sunflower.

Some people give squirrels their own feeding station of corn far from the bird feeder. It can draw them away for a while, but it also feeds more squirrels, so use it only where squirrels are not also causing damage to the house or garden.

What Does Not Work

• Dryer sheets, coffee grounds and mothballs: scents fade fast, and mothballs outdoors or in living spaces are unsafe for pets and children.
• Peppermint balls and pouches: reviews among the ones we considered were weak or read like marketing copy.
• Ultrasonic devices and plastic owls: squirrels learn within days that they are harmless.
• Trapping and moving squirrels yourself: tree squirrels are game animals in many states, and California, for example, makes releasing them elsewhere illegal without a permit.

Cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes sprinkled on soil or mixed into birdseed can discourage squirrels for a short time, since they dislike the heat, but rain washes them away and they irritate eyes and skin, yours and your pets'. Reapply after watering and keep pepper away from where children play.

Our guide to homemade squirrel repellents looks at pepper sprays and other kitchen remedies and when they are worth a try.

Common Questions About Squirrel Deterrents

Which One Should You Buy?

The Orbit Yard Enforcer is the squirrel deterrent to buy for most yards. A sudden spray of water does more than any scent to stop digging in beds and lawns, and two units let you cover two areas or rotate them.

Add Amagabeli hardware cloth for attic vents and bulb beds, the Garbuildman baffle for a pole feeder, CIIC spikes for fence tops squirrels travel, and I Must Garden granules for pots. With any of them, trim branches back from the roof and keep feeders away from launch points.

Before you buy, note where squirrels cause trouble, since attics, feeders and gardens each call for a different fix.