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You Could Stop a Common Bird Feeder Problem Just by Using Coffee Grounds in This Simple Way

The coffee grounds can be the simplest way to keep pestering rodents that steal bird food at a distance from your garden.
PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO
(L) A person sprinkling coffee powder through a strainer, (R) A bird perched on a feeder filled with food. (Representative Cover Image Source: Freepik | (L) freepik, (R) Wirestock)
(L) A person sprinkling coffee powder through a strainer, (R) A bird perched on a feeder filled with food. (Representative Cover Image Source: Freepik | (L) freepik, (R) Wirestock)

You may find them leaping and hopping in the woods. With bushy grey tails trailing behind, they dart through the gardens and the trees to stash away nuts. IF they see an animal watching them hoard the nuts, they will just pretend to store them and then slip away with the nuts to another location, per PBS. At times, rather than safeguarding their nuts from the thieves, they end up becoming the thieves stealing from bird feeders. "They" are nothing but pesky squirrels that work their mischief in gardens, causing a headache to gardeners and bird lovers. But gardeners aren’t any less mischievous. Nowadays, they’re coffee to wade away the grey squirrels, as experts at Green Feathers explained.

Coffee grounds spilled on top of a green book (Representative Image Source: Freepik)
Coffee grounds spilled on top of a green book (Representative Image Source: Freepik)

The expert suggested gardeners to “Sprinkle roughly a one-inch layer of coffee grounds around your bird feeder” to get the job done. Doesn’t matter whether it’s decaf or not; the coffee will instantly repel the grey squirrels that might be looking for a way to sneak into your garden and wreak havoc on the bird feeders. According to Phys, some researchers found that grey squirrels can actually discourage birds from using the bird feeders and eating their food. These researchers spent two and a half hours watching and observing the garden birds and how often they were using the feeder.

A fuzzy grey squirrel eating a nut (Representative Image Source: Freepik)
A fuzzy grey squirrel eating a nut (Representative Image Source: Freepik)

They noticed that, in the presence of grey squirrels, the birds were approaching the feeder lesser and lesser. This can become a prevailing problem when the birds are hungry and the squirrels are discouraging them from eating their food. “We'd recommend replenishing these about once a week to keep the squirrel-free shield up,” the experts at Green Feathers said. “If you're worried about the squirrel's wellbeing, don't worry, it doesn't cause them any harm. It just deters them, that's all. So it's a very humane method to keep your bird feeder for well, just birds.”

A fuzzy squirrel stares down from a tree branch (Representative Image Source: Freepik)
A fuzzy squirrel stares down from a tree branch (Representative Image Source: Freepik)

However, simply peppering the bird feeder with coffee grounds is not always enough to keep the squirrels away for long, as Squirrel Control California explains. “Note that coffee grounds are effective at repelling squirrels from your garden, but they won’t guard your home from an invasion,” they describe. The best way, they recommend, to ward off squirrels “to make your home impenetrable and unattractive to them.” Some quick home renovation tricks can also work wonders for keeping fuzzy silver-grey creatures at a distance.

A bird perched on a feeder. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Karen F)
A bird perched on a feeder. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Karen F)

For instance, you can check your roof for any signs of damage, such as a warped drip edge or cracked soffit. Repair these damages and then block the roof vents and chimneys with a strong steel mesh. Another way is to repair and strengthen the weak spots, like the rubber coating of a pipe. Use hot pepper sprays as an alternative to coffee grounds. Covering the garden with chicken wire is also a great idea. If you use a squirrel-proof bird feeder, that’d be a bonus. It isn’t known whether the grey squirrels are better problem-solvers or more adept at hijacking the bird feeders. With these simple tactics, you can provide them an ingenious opportunity to practice both these skills. Yet, in the end, the coffee shall win. Coffee, the guardian of your garden.

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