Haha, your ultrasonic experience matches mine exactly—pretty sure the squirrels were just dancing to it. Peppermint oil and hardware cloth is a solid combo though; I've recommended similar setups to tenants dealing with persistent critters. Cayenne pepper's great until the first drizzle...then it's back to square one. Your kryptonite cocktail idea might actually have merit, though I'd probably skip the ultrasonic part myself. Glad you finally got them evicted!
"Cayenne pepper's great until the first drizzle...then it's back to square one."
Haha, yeah, learned that lesson the hard way myself. Honestly though, peppermint oil never really did much for me either—maybe my squirrels just have a refined palate or something. Hardware cloth is definitely solid advice, but I've found that sealing entry points with expanding foam (the pest-resistant kind) has been a real game changer. It's messy as heck at first, but once it dries, nothing's getting through there.
Also, I know ultrasonic devices get a bad rap around here, but weirdly enough mine seemed to help a bit. Not sure if it was just luck or if my squirrels were particularly sensitive to noise. Either way, I wouldn't rely on it alone—more like an extra layer of annoyance for them.
Glad you got your critters evicted though; nothing worse than hearing tiny footsteps overhead at 3 AM and wondering what they're plotting next...
I've had mixed results with expanding foam, honestly. Worked great at first, but after a year or two, the squirrels chewed right through it. Ended up reinforcing with metal flashing—bit more hassle upfront, but it's held solid ever since.
Expanding foam never really worked for me either—seemed great at first, but critters always found a way to chew right through it eventually. I ended up switching to hardware cloth instead of metal flashing though. It's pretty cheap, easy to cut, and you can staple or screw it in place. Just measure the gap you're sealing, cut the mesh slightly larger, and secure it firmly around the edges. Once it's set, you can even spray a little foam over it if you want extra insulation or to hide the mesh visually.
Metal flashing sounds solid, but I wonder how well it conforms to irregular shapes or tight spaces? Did you find it tricky to install around corners or uneven spots?
I tried metal flashing once...let's just say it wasn't my finest DIY moment. Picture me, balancing awkwardly on a ladder, wrestling with a stubborn sheet of metal that refused to bend into the weird corner by my chimney. Ended up looking like a crumpled soda can by the time I was done. Hardware cloth sounds way easier—wish I'd thought of that before turning my roofline into modern art. At least the squirrels seemed amused...
