Homemade Squirrel Traps

Many of us find squirrels cute and endearing but, at times they can prove to be troublesome. We no more like them when they enter our vegetable garden and invade the area. They can eat up the bird food which can be annoying. To avoid this a need for building homemade squirrel traps arises. These homemade traps will make your garden squirrel proof, and at the same time, keeping the bird feed untouched by installing squirrel proof bird feeders.

How to Make Homemade Squirrel Traps

Squirrels are fast becoming a pest to a person's dwelling, and the need has arisen to come up with various ideas and methods for this pest control. There are different means by which people keep a check on squirrels; some people keep household pets to drive the squirrels away, while some use homemade squirrel repellents to keep them at bay. Here, we will illustrate on a common method of keeping your neighborhood squirrel population under control, in the form of making your own homemade squirrel traps. The method to construct them are as follows:

Method 1:

• The objects and materials you will require for making a homemade squirrel trap are, 2 feet long stove pipes, a heavy mesh screen, duct tape, drill with metal piercing bit, hammer, 2 inch nails and corn.
• Position the mesh screen over one end of stove pipe and fold its edges down along the pipe. This will form the cap. Take care that there should be no gaps between the screen and pipe.
• Wrap the mesh screen with layers of duct tape. This will help you in securing the mesh screen.
• From the open end of the pipe, drill a 1 inch deep hole.
• Through the hole you have drilled, insert a nail in the tree, a post or side of a house, with the mesh side down. This will complete the process of making squirrel traps.
• Finally, if you want to trap the squirrel, sprinkle some corn at the mesh bottom of the trap. This will attract the squirrel to the trap but, since the pipe is slippery and narrow, it wont be able to get a grip in order to jump out.

Method 2:

• Make a box with a sliding door. This box can be made from narrow planks.
• Make hole which is about an inch from the back.
• Put some bird food in the box.
• Attach the notch stick to the pole which runs from door to the hole.
• When the squirrel sniffs out the feed, it will enter the enclosure and while doing so will brush against the notch stick. After that, the door is closed which traps the squirrel inside. The door should be heavy, so that it will not open even if pushed by the squirrel.

Method 3:

• To start with, attach a small noose in a piece of bailing wire. The wire should not be too thick nor too thin. To attach the noose, tie a small loop to the wire. Run the other end of the wire through this loop. This noose should have a diameter of 5 to 7 cm.
• The next step is to prepare the pole or branch. If you are using the branch, then take care that it is strong enough to hold the squirrel. To check if the pole is long enough, incline it against a tree. Place it at such a point that it wont slide or fall. An ideal place is the point at which the two branches separate.
• Position the small nooses along the pole. The end of the wire which does not have the noose should be tied around the pole. It should be wrapped tightly so that it will not loosen after snaring the squirrel. The nooses should be at the top as well as at the sides of the pole.
• They should be positioned in such a way that the actual noose is about 2 1/2 away from the pole.
• Place one noose at the top while other at the bottom. These nooses should be placed at a distance of 45 cm from the ends of the pole. This will guarantee that the squirrel will not chew the wire and will also be unable to get a good grip on the pole.
• Now, place the pole against the tree. The pole should be wedged firmly between the branches. This will complete your procedure for making the squirrel trap.

I am sure the methods mentioned above for homemade squirrel traps will teach you how to get rid of squirrels. As endearing as they seem to be, they can prove to be quite a nuisance if left unchecked, hence the traps.