Tired of Pesky Pests at your bird feeders?
Let's talk Pests and how to deter them!
1. Squirrels
This has to be my #1 question. How to deter squirrels from eating your bird seed. Our top picks are using a baffle above or below your feeders (making sure your baffle below your feeder is at least 4 1/2 feet off the ground so squirrels won't jump over the baffle). Also keeping your bird feeding poles at least 8-10 feet away from the nearest object that a squirrel might jump sideways from. They are quite the little acrobats! Another way to keep them away is by using Safflower or NutraSaff (Golden Safflower) as this is a bitter seed to the squirrels. Adding Coles (habanero) hot sauce on your seed or using Coles Hot Meats is also a Squirrel deterrent, and since birds don't have the sensory system to process hot peppers, it does not bother your birds at all! Using Hot Pepper Suet will also keep them away. Using a Squirrel Proof feeder is another option. The line of Brome Squirrel Busters are the Absolute most effective Squirrel deterrent feeders in the industry and we Highly recommend these. Raccoons are also deterred by all of the above!!
2. Black Birds AKA Grackles and European Starlings
The season for these pesky birds is upon us and there isn't much that they don't like. The strategies we like to use to outsmart the Black Birds is definitely using Safflower and Golden Safflower in your feeders instead of Black Oil Sunflower and Peanuts! They do not like the safflowers! Using a feeder that is designed for "Clingers" is also a good strategy. Black Birds are big birds and eating from a clinger feeder is very difficult for them! Using a "grackle cage" around your existing feeder is also highly recommended, as the grackles detest cages and won't go through them to eat. If you are feeding suet and want to deter them, then switching to an upside down suet feeder makes it a lot more difficult for them to eat successfully! The final way to deter them could be to take in all of your feeders for 1-2 weeks, possibly forcing the birds to move on!!
These little critters are a problem while feeding the Hummingbirds and Orioles so we highly suggest using an ant moat above each feeder filled with water so that the ants won't cross over the water to get into your jelly or nectar. There is also a product called Nectar Fortress Natural Ant repellant which is a natural cinnamon oil gel you can put right onto your pole to keep ants from reaching your feeder. You can also use a product called Hummingbird Bee Repellent, which is an all natural spray you can spray right onto your feeder to keep bees away. It is all natural and won't hurt anyone!! (This bee repellent also repels ants)
I ran out of room again before running out of things to talk about so please tune in next month for more! Happy Spring and Happy Birding!!
Thank you from us here at For The Wild Birds
Crinda Williams