Readers offer tips in fighting the Squirrel Wars

Two things: (1) You probably aren't going to win the endless battle of wits with squirrels, but (2) tips from other readers might make the contest at least a little bit closer.

Last week's column about squirrels that chew “recreationally” drew helpful – and sometimes funny – responses. To wit:

▪  We were having a terrible time with squirrels at our house a few years ago until my wife purchased some squirrel repellant (www.imustgarden.com) from Blackhawk hardware and it worked like a charm. I use their deer repellant religiously and (knock wood) no lost foliage for a couple of years now. John B. Ferraris

▪ An apparatus called Yard Guard will keep squirrels and mice away from your house. It uses four C batteries. I purchased mine from Walmart in the garden section. Tega Cay reader

▪  Those cute fuzzy-tail critters really cause major damage. We get calls for removal and repairs.... The other day one fell into a homeowner's chimney. Couldn’t get out. Rope/twine run down chimney – and it climbed, (then) shot out for dear life. Only took minutes. Craig Madans, owner of HOCOA, a home repair network

(This is a valuable tip. We've never had a squirrel in the chimney, but I'm wondering: Can possums and king snakes climb ropes, too?)

▪  We live on a fully wooded lot, in a wood house with a deck, and we live in peace with the squirrels. The solution is a high quality squirrel-proof bird feeder placed at least 25 feet from the house and 15 feet from trees or branches. The squirrels spend their time on the gleanings under the feeder and they are always a bit skittish about the occasional feeder hunting hawk. Anderson Kane

(Really? A squirrel-proof feeder that works?)

•  I and my neighbors have battled the squirrel invasion for the past couple of years with them chewing through the roof multiple places... Then chewing wiring and making nests. We found The Pest Control Authority on Monroe Road to be the answer... They also repair the damage and do not gig you on pricing. Pam Wellons

Since you're not going to defeat the squirrels completely, you'd better hang onto your sense of humor. Some of us manage that:

One of my hiking pals, Jim Cox, said he had problems with squirrels chewing the weather stripping under garage doors. His springer spaniel keeps squirrels away – but, if the dog is indoors, and spots squirrels outdoors, the spaniel tears up doors, blinds and window frames. Jim and his wife, Jackie, can’t say “squirrel” around the dog, so they started just saying “SQ.” Unfortunately, now the dog’s starting to catch onto “SQ,” too.

A neighbor, Mary Wanzong, called the morning last week's column was published. She was laughing when she explained that her husband, Wally, was chasing a squirrel around the back yard with a BB gun. She was laughing because she wasn't sure the gun was loaded – and, besides, it was broken. But Wally and the squirrel were having a great time.

Allen Norwood: homeinfo@charter.net

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Readers offer tips in fighting the Squirrel Wars."