Squirrels often conflict with strawberry growers due to their desire for a sweet, easy meal. These opportunistic feeders quickly learn to target ripe berries. Protecting a strawberry patch requires a layered approach, combining physical exclusion with sensory deterrents and careful garden management to make the area less appealing than other available food sources.
Exclusion Strategies Using Physical Barriers
Physical barriers offer the most reliable form of protection by completely blocking access to the fruit. Constructing a simple cage or hoop house over the strawberry bed provides an impassable boundary. This structure must be covered with a material that squirrels cannot easily chew through or squeeze past.
Hardware cloth or fine mesh netting is the preferred covering material for exclusion. Squirrels can navigate through surprisingly small openings, so the mesh size should ideally be no larger than half an inch to prevent entry. While bird netting is often too large, a durable polyethylene or nylon garden mesh with a tight weave creates an effective shield.
Securing the barrier at ground level is crucial, as squirrels are adept at burrowing and exploiting gaps. Secure the netting or cage tightly to the ground using stakes, or bury the bottom edges several inches deep. For raised beds, placing a layer of hardware cloth at the bottom before filling with soil prevents access from below. This stops the common squirrel behavior of digging up plants.
Non-Lethal Repellents and Deterrents
Repellents and deterrents work by making the strawberry patch unpleasant or frightening for the squirrel. This category includes sensory discouragement rather than physical blocking, though their effectiveness often diminishes over time as the animals habituate to the stimulus.
Capsaicin, the chemical compound that gives peppers their heat, is an effective taste repellent for mammals, including squirrels. Squirrels possess the necessary receptors to experience the burning sensation, which discourages them from consuming treated items. Sprays containing capsaicin oleoresins can be applied directly to the plants to deter feeding.
Motion-activated sprinklers provide a startling deterrent by releasing a sudden burst of water when movement is detected. These devices use infrared sensors to detect the squirrel’s heat and motion, triggering the spray. While humane and effective initially, squirrels may eventually learn the sprinkler’s range and navigate around the coverage area. Other deterrents, such as reflective tape or fake predators, tend to have limited success because squirrels quickly realize these objects pose no genuine threat.
Garden Management and Diversion Tactics
Altering the surrounding environment and managing available food sources can significantly reduce the pressure on the strawberry patch. Squirrels are often drawn to gardens because of other easily accessible meals. Removing attractants like spilled bird seed, exposed pet food, and standing water sources can make the area less appealing overall.
A highly effective management strategy involves creating a separate diversionary feeding station away from the berries. Offering preferred squirrel foods, such as corn, peanuts, or sunflower seeds, in a designated location can redirect their foraging behavior. This alternative food source should be placed at least ten feet away from the strawberry patch to prevent the diversionary feeder from simply attracting more squirrels closer to the vulnerable plants.
Strategic harvesting also plays a role in reducing losses. Since squirrels primarily target fully ripe fruit, picking strawberries immediately once they reach maturity minimizes the window of opportunity for pests. By removing the primary reward, the grower makes the effort of breaching any remaining defenses less worthwhile for the hungry rodent.