Asked on Oct 09, 2017

How do I keep the squirrels off my back porch screen?

Buddy Monetti
by Buddy Monetti
I tried cayenne pepper ...different different products like fox urine I mean and others that I I don't want to really disclose at this time.lol
However nothing works and I hate to poison the critters and there's so many of them I couldn't kill them all anyway
  8 answers
  • Lagree Wyndham Lagree Wyndham on Oct 09, 2017

    Try rubber snakes, I used them on my back porch to keep birds(roosting on ceiling fan) and squirrels. I kept a small on on top of ceiling fan when not in use and a larger on the floor. Be careful you don't scare yourself...been there done that.

  • Bob Kilbourn Bob Kilbourn on Oct 09, 2017

    have the same problem, wish I knew the answer. I have clear plastic panels that I put up in the winter to make the porch usable in the cold. These do stop the squirrels. this however makes the porch very hot in the summer. the problem is that once the squirrel learns how get through the screening, all the other squirrels follow!!!

  • Dalila Oliva Dalila Oliva on Oct 09, 2017

    Citronella leaves rubbed on screens

  • Liz Liz on Oct 09, 2017

    Here are a couple of ideas that have worked for us. Mix a spray bottle 1/2 Pine Sol with 1/2 water. From the inside of the porch, spray this through the screen. It will have a strong odor for a few days, but the odor will fade. The pine oil in Pine Sol helps it to last even through rainy weather, etc. for 2-3 weeks. All animals hate the odor of Pine Sol, even the black bears at our mountain house! Spray this also around the outside perimeter of your porch, too. If squirrels or larger animals are really persistent, you can install hardware cloth on the inside of your porch. It's quick to install with a staple gun. Animals can't get through this, but it allows free flow of air.

  • Pam12782475 Pam12782475 on Oct 10, 2017

    They are after something. Do you have food on your porch? Are they traveling down from a tree onto your roof and using this as a runway, or going up to the roof this route? Are they going to nut bearing trees close to your roof? Are they nesting in your eaves or in the attic? I would try to figure out why they are doing it and then you can figure out how to stop it or trick them into going another route. They are relentless, I know!

    • Buddy Monetti Buddy Monetti on Oct 10, 2017

      For years they were nesting under my house and my house is surrounded by trees I live in a manufactured home so I really don't have the type of roof that they could Nest Inn.


      However for years they lived under my house couldn't figure I tried everything to get them out from there.. finally we discovered how they were getting in... blocked off that entrance and that's solved the problem so it's been about 2 years that that problem has been solved ..after of course they ate my entire duct system under my home and I had to replace that .. 1 thousand dollars thank you very much LOL.


      So the only thing I can figure is that it it became like a habit for them they come down the tree run across my screen and I don't know where they're going from there I've watched what I am sure of they are not going under my house.

  • Debby Dale Debby Dale on Oct 10, 2017

    How are they getting on your screens? We used human hair to get rid of squirrels that were nesting in our soffitts. Your local hairdresser should provide it for free. Just put in the area around your porch or find a way to put it on your roofline (maybe in your gitters) and the squirrels should go away.

  • Carolyn from NH Carolyn from NH on Oct 11, 2017

    Had that problem years ago. The little buggers finally got the screen door open and stole the ornamental corn right off the hook on the inside door. Another time stole my tiny scarecrow off the porch because it was stuffed with bird seed...who knew lol.

    I go with do you have something on the porch that they want to eat.

    Carolyn in NH

  • Alradborn Alradborn on Oct 12, 2017

    It's true squirrels and "extended" families and will continue their bad habits. Repellents are iffy. Because of this you really have to scare them. I was thinking mouse traps. They are usually sensitive enough that they snap quickly. What about mounting one with a screw or command hook near where they try to enter. Reset frequently enough maybe they would stop.