Question
Squirells are eating the heads off of all my sunflowers. I tried spraying them with a cayenne pepper spray but it hasn't stopped them. Any ideas?

Oakland, CA

Answer
Sarah, you basically have two options with squirrels.  Either trap them, or use a deterrent to keep them away from the plants.

Cayenne pepper normally works, but other proven deterrents include fox urine and garlic sprays.  They are very effective controls, but need to be reapplied after a rain.  For this reason, I do not find them very practical in a large garden.

The best barrier, other than a wire mesh covering, is reemay.  You can buy reemay, otherwise known as row covers, at any reputable garden center.  It is a light, fleece-like material that lets in the rain, light, and fertilizer, but keeps out insects and pests.  The biggest downside to
reemay is that your flowers will be covered.  Not really practical since flowers are for show. But one or two weeks of using it may persuade the squirrels to look elsewhere.

Trapping is the most foolproof preventive measure.  Commercial traps such as Havahart are very effective.  I use apples and peanut butter as bait. Just be sure to relocate the animal to a location at least one mile from
your home.

I hope this helps.  Good luck, and have a good week.

Regards,

Mike