Muslim Squirrels ?

[Lake View Too]

My yard has lots of large scrub oaks, and lots of squirrels. I don't know if the squirrels hate Christians, for sure, but they clearly seem to hate Christmas lights. I have tried a couple of times to string the small white Christmas tree lights in my trees, just to have festive look to the place, every once in a while. The first time I did it, the lights seemed to last three or four months, until I had partial failure, and I chalked it up to "natural causes". When I got motivated again(a year later), I took down the old ones and put up new ones. These worked well for, perhaps, two months, when I noticed system failure, and a found several light bulbs on the ground that had had their wires cut! It could only have been the squirrels.

Why are they doing this? Has anybody ever encountered a similar problem? And how can I keep my lights functional year round without declaring jihad against my furry friends?

 

[Bob]

http://www.examiner.com/article/bun...er-airport-rats-attacking-cars-san-diego-help the bunnies and the rats are talking to their cousin squirrels

 

[Lake View Too]

I hope they don't acquire predator drone technology, or they may become more of a problem than those pesky meteorites.

 

[DuneAHH]

In my observation, squirrels chew on anything that has potential for nest building structure. I constantly have little twigs dropping out of the trees w/ chewed ends.

Squirrels were systematically stripping the bark off my cypress tree until I sprayed a cayenne pepper+water solution on the tree trunk... it only took a couple of applications for the squirrels to leave it be. They chewed through the electrical connections in the dock closet until we enclosed the electrical box and secured access to the closet. They held veritable orgies in the pool pump shed until we became religious about keeping the door closed.

Interestingly, it seems that once one generation of squirrels deems an area/thing off-limits... the message gets bred into their generational awareness.

Try spritzing the cayenne 'tea' all over your tree strung lighting. It's easy, fast, and cheap. If I remember (it's been 10 years ) I dissolved about 1 TBS. of cayenne in a gallon of hot tap water... enough cayenne to tint the water & smell a bit. It did not hurt the tree.

Good Luck!

 

[Lake View Too]

Thank you so much! Them rodents better back off!

 

[DuneAHH]

You are welcome! I hope it works!
Those cheeky squirrels chewed through the screening of my neighbor's gazebo to get to a bowl of unshelled nuts they'd inadvertently left out there one day! In our tree filled 'hood we've found the best way to co-exist is diversionary tactics!