[BlueOx]

Four words: Frank's Red Hot Sauce. "I put that s*** on everything!" I have a garage that's pretty well sealed, so thankfully they haven't gotten into my vehicles, but I was having problems with squirrels (tree rats) getting into my propane BBQ and making a mess of it. I clean it regularly, but it didn't matter; they would still go in and make a big mess. So I dumped some Frank's in there and staked it out, Caddy Shack style. Sure enough, a big ol' squirrel went in for some eats and came out dazed, wiping at his mouth, stumbling back towards his tree. He could barely climb it because he was too busy trying to wipe his mouth out. I was laughing for days, and they haven't been back since! Added bonus: Once you've handled the squirrel problem, you can make buffalo wings!

 

[BlueOx]

That's hilarious! I'm gonna keep this in mind. Sounds like pre-seasoning before the squirrel is even dead. Buffalo Squirrel, little gamey, little spicy, yum!

Yep! I hear they taste like chicken.

I don't need that, cause I was able to find this!

(reference to Paul Blart mall cop)

Hah!

 

[BlueOx]

Hot sauce or anything with capsasin in will definitely deter squirrels and most rodents well for a while. However, if used often enough and long enough, they actually develop a taste for it and almost prefer it over other food sources. We learned this after we thought we had won the battle against squirrels in our bird feeder by adding cayenne pepper to the seed (it doesn't harm or bother birds). The squirrels left it alone for a few months but now it doesn't seem to bother them anymore. We intentionally leave peanuts on the ground near the feeder in an attempt to satisfy them yet they still raid the feeder no matter how much pepper we add. I'm sure if a new squirrel that wasn't used to it yet showed up they would be deterred at first but eventually the dang things just adjust to it. Like you, I got a lot of pleasure watching their initial reactions. It was hilarious but unfortunately short lived.

Yes, I have heard about this happening. In my case, they haven't returned to my grill in over a year so I'm hoping that's the end of it, but time will tell. If they eventually decide to come back, I'll just have to get more creative. If nothing else, it was definitely entertaining!