Squirrel repellents

Resell F (2001) Effectiveness of predator odors as gray squirrel repellents. Can J Zool 79 1719-1723... 

Capsaicin is the active ingredient in commercial squirrel repellents. It is very common that squirrels raid bird feeders. To discourage them from doing that, bird seed can be shaken with powdered capsaicin preparations, so that it adheres to the surface of the seeds. The treated food is supposed to irritate a squirrel s mouth and trigeminal nerve. 

Commercial squirrel repellent (or other substances to be tested)... 

Chemical alarm responses in frog tadpoles Responses of rodents to cat nrine Responses of rats and mice to predatory snake odors Comparison of effects of commercial sqnirrel repellents with fox urine Oil of Citronella as repellent for dogs and cats Camphor as repellent for cats Predator odors as squirrel repellents Natnrally occnrring contraceptive componnds in plants Attractiveness rating of photos of men and women with and withont fragrance present... 

If we can t repel bears with capsaicin, then we can use it to send squirrels scurrying. They hate hot peppers, but, to the great annoyance of bird fanciers, they love bird seed. Birds have no receptors for capsaicin and are therefore immune to its effects, so why not treat bird seed with capsaicin to keep the rodents away Such products are actually being developed under the Squirrel Free brand, and they are pretty hot. You need a hit of about twenty thousand Scoville units to get squirrels to hightail it, and this requires about thirty dried habaneros per pound of bird seed. 

Repellent test for squirrels (a) setup of grid of acorns near trees that provide refuge for the squirrels (b) squirrels approaches for another acorn and (c) consumption of an acorn. Note how repeated visits by squirrels have not disturbed the arrangement of the acorns, (d) Circular arrangement of acorns... 

Birds and squirrels at capsaicin-treated food. Top Bluejay (Cyanocitta cristata) feeds on capsaicin-treated birdseed, while gray squirrel (Sciurus cadrolinensis) simultansously feeds on untreated birdseed. Bottom Simultaneously, bluejay feeds on birdseed treated with capsaicin (a mammal repellent), and a gray squirrel feeds on birdseed treated with methyl anthrandate, a bird repellent... 

This real-world exercise tests the efficacy of a feeding repellent in free-ranging mammals. It constitutes the counterpart to the repellent effect of methyl anthranilate on feeding by birds (see Chap. 3). The experiment works at any place with wild squirrels and in any season. The many mammal repellents on the market are aimed against deer, predators such as raccoons, foxes and coyotes, and rodents such as voles, mice, squirrels, woodchucks, and others. Mammal repellents are known under names such as copper naphthenate, trimethacarb, zinc naphthenate, and ziram. 

How long does the repellent effect last Do the squirrels manage to cope with the repellent by circnmventing it in some fashion, or by habitnating to it To address this question, treat another batch of bait with repellent and offer it on day 2, and a third batch on day 3. 

Products and Uses Commonly used for moth balls, rug cleaner, upholstery cleaner, preservative, and antiseptic a squirrel and small animal repellent. 

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