The sight of a thriving strawberry patch is a great joy of gardening, but this pleasure is often short-lived when the harvest is plundered. Many home growers battle local wildlife, particularly the ubiquitous squirrel. These rodents eat strawberries, treating a tended garden as a convenient, high-value food source. Understanding why squirrels are drawn to this fruit and how their damage differs from other pests is the first step toward reclaiming your yield. With the right protective measures, it is possible to secure a bountiful harvest.
Why Squirrels Target Strawberries
Squirrels are opportunistic feeders that readily consume available food sources, and strawberries present a tempting, low-effort meal. The primary attraction is the fruit’s high sugar content, which offers a quick and concentrated source of energy. This preference for sweet, high-calorie foods makes ripe strawberries an easy target when the natural diet of nuts and seeds is less abundant.
Strawberries also contain a significant amount of water, which is a major draw, especially during dry periods. Squirrels seek out juicy fruits to supplement hydration when natural water sources are scarce. This combination of accessible moisture and a sugary reward makes a ripe strawberry patch highly attractive. The berries are soft and low-growing, requiring minimal effort to access compared to nuts or tree-borne fruits.
How to Identify Squirrel Damage vs. Other Pests
Distinguishing squirrel damage from that of other garden pests is crucial for selecting the correct deterrent strategy. Squirrels often exhibit a distinctive feeding pattern where they take just a few bites out of the ripest fruit, leaving the rest partially eaten or carrying it a short distance away. This behavior spoils far more berries than they actually consume, suggesting they are taste-testing or seeking the sweetest parts.
Damage from birds typically appears as small, deep peck marks or holes in the fruit’s surface. Slugs and snails leave irregular, shallow holes on the berry’s surface, often accompanied by a slimy trail. Rabbits are herbivores and are more likely to cause damage by making clean, angled cuts on the leaves and stems rather than focusing solely on the fruit. Finding a discarded, partially-eaten strawberry is a strong indicator that a squirrel is the culprit.
Effective Strategies for Protecting Strawberry Plants
The most reliable approach involves a combination of physical barriers and sensory deterrents to make the fruit inaccessible and unappealing. Physical exclusion is the most effective method, usually involving covering the patch with a fine mesh or wire enclosure. While bird netting can be used, a more robust material like half-inch hardware cloth is preferable, as squirrels can chew through or reach through standard netting.
When installing a physical barrier, secure the netting or cage firmly to the ground to prevent squirrels from burrowing underneath. For raised beds, construct a cage with a frame covered in wire mesh, ensuring all sides and the top are enclosed. If using a fence, burying the bottom edge six inches underground and bending it outward at a 90-degree angle deters digging.
Taste and smell deterrents can also be employed to make the berries less desirable, though they require consistent reapplication. Sprays containing capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers their heat, can be applied to the plants, as squirrels dislike the strong taste. Commercial squirrel repellents or natural alternatives like garlic spray or Irish Spring soap are sometimes used, but their effectiveness diminishes quickly after rain or irrigation.
To manage the local squirrel population’s interest, a diversion strategy can be helpful by providing an alternate food source far from the garden. Placing a dedicated squirrel feeder with nuts and seeds in another section of the yard may draw their attention away from the strawberries. Limiting a squirrel’s access routes by trimming back nearby tree branches that hang within five to six feet of the patch can make the garden harder to reach, reducing the likelihood of a raid.