Is Garlic Really The Secret To Keeping Rodents Away From Bird Feeders?

Avid bird watchers and all those keen on attracting migratory feathery guests have surely experienced this at least once: the bird feeder they have carefully selected, located, and set up has been discovered by plundering rodents, its contents picked through and scattered about the yard. It's bad enough when the culprits are squirrels, but all too often, even more undesirable members of the rodent family are at fault.

Squirrels, mice, and — perhaps worst of all, rats — might be drawn to a backyard bird feeder by the promise of an easy meal, but there are all-natural remedies that can be leveraged to show them the door, so to speak. Some gardeners have observed that certain flowers can repel squirrels, but if you don't have the time to overhaul your flower beds, don't worry. There are other options out there for you.

You might try out some natural ways to repel squirrels from the garden using spices. Garlic is one ingredient that some people swear by as a humane rodent deterrent. With their keen sense of smell, rats and their relatives might avoid garlic due to allicin, the strong-smelling volatile organic sulfur-containing compound (VOSC) produced and released by garlic after cellular damage as a defense against hungry herbivores and parasites. Other strong-smelling or strong-tasting kitchen ingredients such as apple cider vinegar and hot chili or cayenne pepper might also help to turn away particularly determined rodents.

As a bird feeder rodent repellent, garlic can be as versatile as it is in the kitchen. There's not much hard science behind the garlic hack, but it stands to reason that the strong smell could deter unwanted critters. The simplest ways to use garlic around your bird feeders might be to just to sprinkle garlic powder around the ground or hang whole cloves of garlic around the feeder. Of course, not everyone likes the vampire hunter aesthetic, so you can consider other ways to get rid of squirrels, rats, and other rodents, like using garlic spray every few days. 

One simple method of making garlic spray calls for about 4 cups of water, an entire head of garlic, and some dish soap. Peel all of the cloves and either finely chop them or place them in a food processor with 1 cup of water. Add the rest of the water and 2 tablespoons of dish soap, mix well, then let it steep overnight. Strain the liquid into a spray bottle and refrigerate between applications. 

Avoid spraying garlic directly on the seed itself, as some birds may also greatly dislike the flavor of garlic and will avoid it. If you're nervous about the possibility of your feathered friends disliking garlic, consider mixing chili or cayenne pepper directly into the seeds instead. Unlike garlic, peppers get their spicy effects from the irritant capsaicin, which birds lack the receptors to detect; basically, pepper plants prefer birds to eat their fruit for optimum seed dispersal, so hot peppers are only spicy to mammals — like humans, rats, mice, and squirrels!