For many gardeners, the sight of a peach tree heavy with fruit is a summer delight that often quickly turns to frustration. When it comes to whether squirrels pose a threat to your stone fruit, the answer is yes. These agile rodents view a ripe peach as a highly desirable, calorie-rich resource.
Do Squirrels Really Eat Peaches?
Squirrels are highly attracted to peaches due to their high sugar and moisture content. The fruit provides a readily available source of hydration, which is particularly appealing during the hot summer months when water sources may be scarce. They often target the fruit when it is just approaching ripeness or even slightly unripe, as the sugar levels are peaking.
The most common sign of squirrel damage is not a fully consumed peach, but a pattern of partial destruction. A squirrel will frequently take a few bites out of a fruit and then drop it to the ground, moving on to sample another one. This behavior suggests they are opportunistically seeking the best-tasting fruit, leading to significant loss for the grower. This partial eating and discarding is highly frustrating for the gardener, as it ruins a large quantity of the potential harvest.
Understanding Their Broader Diet
While peaches are a welcome treat, they are not the primary sustenance for a squirrel, which prefers a diet rich in nuts and seeds. Their natural foraging centers on acorns, walnuts, and various seeds, which provide the concentrated fats and proteins they need. The consumption of fruits and vegetables, including peaches, is often driven by availability and the need for water rather than nutritional necessity.
As opportunistic feeders, squirrels will target whatever is easiest to access in a garden setting. This broader diet includes other soft produce like berries, apples, and tomatoes, which are also high in moisture. If a peach tree is in a convenient location, it becomes a simple source of energy and hydration, putting it high on the list of desirable food targets. The problem of peach consumption is an extension of their general scavenging habits in a suburban environment.
Strategies for Protecting Peach Trees
Protecting a peach harvest requires proactive measures, as deterring a squirrel once it has established a feeding pattern is very difficult. One effective method is physical exclusion, which prevents access to the trunk and canopy. Installing a metal or smooth plastic baffle around the tree’s trunk creates a slick barrier that squirrels cannot grip and climb past. This baffle must be placed five to six feet high and wide enough to prevent squirrels from jumping around it.
For the canopy, fine-mesh netting can be draped over the entire tree once the peaches begin to ripen, ensuring the netting is securely tied around the trunk base to prevent entry from below. Pruning branches that hang near fences or other trees is also important, as squirrels can easily leap across from adjacent structures.
Taste deterrents can also be employed, such as a solution containing capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers their heat. Spraying this mixture directly onto the fruit will discourage feeding, as the squirrels find the taste highly unpleasant. This method requires regular reapplication, especially after rain, and the fruit must be thoroughly washed before human consumption. Finally, providing a separate source of water in the yard, such as a bird bath, may decrease the squirrel’s motivation to seek out fruit solely for its moisture content.