Squirrels used to terrorize our bird feeders. We tried moving the feeders out of the trees and onto poles, but that didn’t help. Special feeders to dissuade the furry bandits were out of my price range. I put out cobs of corn to sidetrack the squirrels, but they took those and still emptied the feeders, too!
After I watched one squirrel climb up the pole while I banged on the kitchen window and yelled to no avail, I had an idea: Crisco. I scooped the shortening out of the tub with a paper towel and smeared it all over the pole. It worked! As an added bonus, I actually got to see a squirrel slide off the pole and run away looking offended.
This slippery DIY squirrel repellent doesn’t bother birds at all, and I haven’t had to reapply the shortening. One application was enough to discourage squirrels all year.
Octavia Ice
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania