Q: I need to give my bluebird houses a good fall cleaning. Squirrels have chewed enormous holes in them. What can I do to deter them?

A: One idea is to install a metal predator guard plate over the hole in each birdhouse. The guard is attached with screws and has a 1.5″ hole appropriate for bluebirds. Squirrels don’t like to chew metal. I’ve seen a homemade guard made from 1/4″ hardware cloth (welded wire). The material was firmly attached to the front of the house and wire snips used to form a hole through which birds could enter but squirrels could not.