Birdfeeders vs Squirrels--A New Option To Fight Off The Critters

Photo courtesy of FunnyPica

Do you fight the battle of the squirrels on your home bird feeder? If so you might want to try this trick that a woman from Tampa, Florida uses. She fills and old nylon stocking with ten mothballs and hangs them near her feeding station. The scent discourages squirrels. She replaces mothballs as they loose their oomph! For some reason the mothballs dont repel birds but the squirrels hate them. Worth giving a try, it has two things going for it, it's cheap and easy to make--and I do love projects with those two criteria.  Let me know if it works for you.

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Marrying Technology and Beer? Only Your iPad Could Do It!

Click on link below:
Video from YouTube iPad Beer at Hofbraehaus in Munich

You know your iPad can do anything, but this... I must admit it never occurred to me! I had to share it with you. It's magical! Totally clever! Now it seems to me if they can get beer out of an iPad they ought to be able to get the squirrels off my bird feeder. Don't you think? Are you listening iPad geeks?

Beer Pouring From iPad

Solutions For Squirrels In Your Attic

Sometimes you find your house has been invaded.  Not by aliens. No by mice. Not by bugs. Nope...by SQUIRRELS!  And are they ever tough to evict! And while most of us object to the squirrels because of the noise they make running around in our attics, it's their chewing that causes more dangerous problems. They'll chew on lead piping around plumbing stacks, vents, wires, and of exposed wood. In some cases they've chewed through and burst PVC plumbing piping! Talk about a messy flood!  But by far the most dangerous thing they chew on is electrical wiring! Insurance companies estimate that a high percentage of fires of unknown origin are the result of exposed electrical wires, possibly from a squirrel having chewed his way through the wire's covering. For me that's a REALLY good incentive to be sure there are not squirrels in my attic--NO MATTER WHAT IT COSTS!

Why do squirrels like your attic? I mean, hey, they live in TREES right?  True, but what they are really seeking is a safe place to nest, and your attic gives them that. It's safe, it's dry and it's a warm place to build their nest where they are safe from predators. Think about it, you like living inside, why shouldn't they?

There are a variety of methods that people swear by to get rid of the squirrel infestation, just be sure whatever process you use doesn't end up being the end of you too!

I've heard tales of Realtors going into homes and having their nasal passages assaulted by mothballs.  Mothballs in such quantity that it was enough to drive people out the door as soon as they stepped over the door sill. While mothballs repel all sorts of critters, huge quantities of them are noxious to humans as well. Use a professional to get rid of your squirrels... or at least do not use pounds and pounds of mothballs!



Other options? Have-A-Heart traps have been used to trap squirrels. The trick here is to trap the squirrels and then be sure you seal off your attic.  Squirrels are wily critters and if there's the smallest space where they can get into your attic 'they'll be back!'  Squirrels leave behind their scent in the form of ... uh... their excrement. Better known at our house as 'gifts.' (I knew there was a more polite word than the one I was thinking of!) Once a squirrels has 'gifted' your attic other squirrels will follow and want to get into your attic too. This can make getting rid of them without wholesale extermination by pros next to impossible.

Stay tuned for still more ways to rid your home of squirrels!

Squirrels Aren't Just Pests in the United States

Photo courtesy of

Mangrove and Wetland Wildlife at Sungae Buloh Wildlife Wetlands Preserve

Squirrels live all over the world.  These Malaysian Squirrels or Plantain Squirrels have the genus name Callosciurus which means Beautiful Squirrels.  This genus has some of the most colorful animals.  This one has gray brown fur and a chestnut colored belly with a black and white line between it's belly and it's other fur.  Quite a picture isn't it?

Photo courtesy of this link

Obviously from their name they eat fruit (plantains) but they also eat nuts, insects and the occasional bird egg. They've also been known to open antplants and eat ant larvae.  They help disperse plants by eating their fruits, but are considered pests by coconut plantation owners and fruit farmers alike.  Ah ha! Pests...it seems worldwide squirrels, no matter how beautiful, are considered pests. 

It's not unusual to see Plantain Squirrels because they've adapted to being around humans on farms, in orchards, and in gardens and parks.  They are found in the Malay peninsula, Indonesia, Borneo, and Sulawesi.

Unfortunately for the Plantain Squirrels unlike their cousins in suburban Philadelphia, one of their most common predators is man.  It is not unusual for large groups of hunters to go after them both to stop their destruction but also because they enjoy eating squirrel meat.  While I know some places in the United States eat squirrels, it seems to be more prevalent there.  I'd say those red bellies are a definite problem when they're trying to hide from hunters!  Far better to be the boring gray squirrels of Pennsylvania.

So the next time you think you're alone suffering from squirrel infestation here in the United States and you're all alone being inundated by these furry creatures, don't forget, somewhere around the world someone else is sharing your pain!

Danger: Braking or Swerving for Squirrels May Be Hazardous For Your Health

(BUT NOT FOR SQUIRRELS ANYMORE!)

Live in the northern United States? Then you know squirrels are everywhere, even places they shouldn't be, like in the road playing a game I call "So You Think You Can Turn Me Into Roadkill?" 

I mean here are these relatively small animals.  They see my huge car coming (at least huge in comparison to their body size.)  You'd think they'd wait for me to go by right?  Of course not.  That would be the easy way.  No they run out in front of my car where I, of the guilty conscious if I run them over, swerve to avoid them.  Or worse, actually jam on my brakes to avoid turning them into roadkill. 

Here's a warning to you squirrels!  I finally realized that as soon as I swerve I'm risking a greater chance of human accidental death not to mention my insurance rates going up.  No, from now on I'm going to trust your little squirrel brains to calculate the risk of getting run over and adjust your squirrel speed when crossing the road accordingly.  I mean even though they have tiny brains I figure they're making a lot of split second decisions while they run across the street on how to avoid getting crushed.  And when I swerve I just make them have to recalculate.  I figure I'm increasing the work for their brains by 80% or so if I swerve to avoid them.  Therefore, I'm going to slow down a little, and yes, let them run the road.  Because YES, I would have a guilty conscious if I ran the nasty varmint over.  And I REALLY don't want my car insurance going up or to cause an accident where I'm hurt or some other human is hurt. 

So OK Squirrels.  For now you've won.  You own the road.  No more swerving to avoid you which is my initial instinct.  No, I'll just slow down, listen to the guy behind me honk his horn, and grit my teeth and not make comments under my breath (because after all, my mom taught me to be ladylike and not swear.)  And I'm going to trust you to out-think me--you've been doing it your entire life--and if you've miscalculated this time, well I'm afraid you've turned yourself into roadkill!

Because really, is it worth it to get upset over it? Nope! And face it, all those squirrels out there are alive for one reason, they've figured out how to dodge all those cars they've run in front of during their life span.  So I'm going to presume they know what they're doing when they run across the street literally under my tires.  Because if they've miscalculated that badly I'm not going to risk a three car pile up or head on collision trying to out swerve the squirrel.  If I can slow down I will, but otherwise squirrel population, I'm putting you on notice, I'm not going to swerve anymore--so figure that into your little calculations in your teeny tiny squirrel brains!