Similarly, squirrelsâlike rabbitsâdonât have a taste for spicy foods. Hot Pepper Spray. You can find hot pepper flakes at most grocery stores in the spice aisle, or you can order packets of the flakes online. Especially considering that it has to be reapplied frequently, the price of commercial hot pepper sprays can be prohibitively high. Pour the hot pepper solution into a spray bottle and spritz it all over your garden plants. By using our site, you agree to our. question deals with an issue that we are also having for the first time, so now we'll also get some peppermint oil to add to our arsenal of pest control! They don’t have the same reaction to the spray and will still be able to enjoy the seeds. Put on gloves before handling the peppers and avoid touching your face with the gloves because of the capsaicin in the peppers, which can cause a burning sensation on the skin. Apply the hot pepper spray to your plants in the evening to avoid the mixture from being heated by the sun and possibly burning the leaves. All-Natural DIY Squirrel Deterrent. of liquid dish-washing soap and one egg white for about a minute in blender until thoroughly mixed. Amid the current public health and economic crises, when the world is shifting dramatically and we are all learning and adapting to changes in daily life, people need wikiHow more than ever. Your eyes may start to water if there’s a lot of steam rising from the pot. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. The capsaicin in the hot pepper spray not only repels rabbits but also many other potential garden pests including voles, deer, insects, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, cats and dogs, according to the National Pesticide Information Center. Avoid touching your face, eyes, or mouth after spraying the liquid. How To Deter Squirrels and Rabbits From Your Flowers, Flowerbeds and Garden by using Hot Pepper Spray - recipe included! To make the repellent fill an old milk jug with water, add 5 crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of crushed red peppers (you can save a packet from the pizza delivery for this) and 1 ⦠", "Sounds like a good idea to try to control voles. Sprinkle Limestone Powder. Hot pepper spray is another popular choice, which does work on many rabbits. While fencing or netting provides the best physical barrier to keep the rabbits out, you can also make nontoxic chemical repellents to discourage the rabbits from eating the plants. Fill the 1-gallon container with water until it is full. Paretts holds a Master of Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. The hot pepper spray works effectively to keep the squirrels from making away with your tomatoes ⦠Capsaicin is extremely toxic to bees and other beneficial pollinators, if your garden depends on them consider using a different repellent. Ironically, the very first, "Transplanting watermelon plants today into dangerous territory, a deer grazing area. How to Set Up Artificial Lights for a Venus Flytrap, How to Transplant a Mature Bird's-Eye Pepper Plant, North Dakota State University Extension Service: Questions on Rabbits, The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Managing Rabbit and Vole Populations in Kentucky Orchards, National Pesticide Information Center: Capsaicin, Capital District Community Gardens: Garden Pests & Diseases, Shenandoah Rose Society: Organics…The Chemical Spray Alternative, National Pesticide Information Center: Capsaicin Technical Fact Sheet, How to Use Washing Machines With a Generator. If rabbits donât enjoy the taste of your plants, they will stop eating them. Birds don't have the right taste receptors. If squirrels are digging up your mulch and eating your plants, lay the flakes in the squirrels' favorite spots. #rabbits #squirrels #garden #flowerbeds #deter #repel #hotpepper #spray ⦠Gather the supplies for making an anti-pest spray. Go to the dollar store, get a bunch of toy pinwheels and stick them in the ground wherever you have issues with them. Pour the mixture into a glass jar and allow it to sit overnight. Position pinwheels and wind chimes throughout your garden to scare squirrels away. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. One way to deter these animals is by making a simple hot pepper spray from cayenne, chili, or jalapeno peppers, which contain a compound called capsaicin that induces a burning sensation when an animal eats or touches it. It is applied to the plant and when an animal tries to taste it, it is repelled by the hot pepper taste. We have used this technique, "Bunnies are eating my flowers and I was looking for a natural deterrent. Try to keep your face away from the steam, and leave the pot partially covered while you stir. wikiHow's. Any mesh fencing with 1" (2.5 cm) holes or smaller ⦠If the rabbits develop resistance to the basic formula and graduate to repeat-offender status, add crushed garlic. First soak for 30 minutes and then follow the same process. However, customer testimonials indicate that, in many cases, Hot Pepper Wax ⦠If you are looking for an all-natural method to deter rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and more â it might be time to try your hand using homemade hot pepper spray! We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Test such a strong solution on a very small part of your plants to prevent burning of the leaves. Remember to keep pets away from the sprayed areas to avoid injury, especially if you're using a potent spray. ⦠Powdered squirrel deterrents can be useful, especially in hard to reach places. Hot peppers have a compound in them called capsaicin, which is an irritant to most animals if they smell or taste it. In this case, 97% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Approved. Simple and easy. It's best to use large pepper flakes, cook them as specified here, then strain them with a fine mesh strainer. This will make the spray more potent to scare them off! This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Your pets can experience discomfort and burning sensations if they come in contact with or eat vegetation that has been sprayed with hot peppers. A hot pepper wax spray is an effective way of deterring all sorts of critters, including insects, squirrels and rabbits, from lunching on your vegetables, flowers and even shrubs and trees. A homemade mixture made with hot peppers sprayed on your garden plants will repel the rabbits because the peppers contain capsaicin. Caution: If you have pets in your yard, like cats and dogs, you may want to partition off any areas that you've sprayed. ", "Love the article. How do I get rid of animal pests with hot pepper spray without harming my own animals? 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