Gardeners have been looking for more natural ways to try and repel squirrels and have come up with many solutions. However, has the use of blood meal proven itself to be effective in the fight against garden pests?
Do Squirrels Like Blood Meal?
Squirrels do not appear to like blood meal because it has high ammonia levels, and it smells, as you may expect, like blood.
Therefore, some people think it is an effective solution to repelling squirrels, although some have sited that it actually does not do much.
There are different reasons why it may not be working so, let’s look at how to properly use blood meal to repel squirrels.
How can to use Blood Meal to Deter Squirrels
Blood meal is easy to procure and, therefore, easy to use in your garden. Many nurseries and garden centres will have stocks of bloodmeal that you can purchase.
Sprinkle the blood meal around the commonly disturbed areas of your garden to keep squirrels at bay.
One thing to note is that you need to reapply the repellent after every instance of rain. Otherwise, it will lose its smell, and therefore it will not continue to work with repelling squirrels.
Is Blood Meal Bad for the Garden?
Blood meal is not bad for your garden. Actually, it acts as a fertiliser.
So, whilst you are not applying anything that will damage your plants, the presence of bloodmeal will affect their growth. Make sure to do some research on the plants that you are going to apply blood meal to.
This will help you to know if there are any undesirable outcomes that may mean you want to try a different method of repelling squirrels.
You also need to be careful as it does act as a very strong fertiliser. The high nitrogen content can cause damage to your plants if it is used in excess.
Does Bone Meal Work to Deter Squirrels?
If you weren’t aware, blood meal is dried blood that acts as a fertiliser because of its high nitrogen content. Bone meal is very similar in that it is a fertiliser powder made from animal bones.
Sometimes you can get a fertiliser that combines both blood meal and bone meal.
Bone meal does not seem to be as effective at deterring squirrels as blood meal is. This is likely because it does not have a smell that is as strong as blood meal.
Using a fertiliser that combines the two is not advised as it does lower the chances of it acting as an effective squirrel repellent.
Which Other Pests Does Blood Meal Deter?
Blood meal is also used to deter other types of pests that may be commonly found in your garden. Here are a couple of pests that people have said they can deter by the use of blood meal:
Moles
You are likely to know if you have a mole problem if you have a large number of molehills and dug up areas in your garden. Like squirrels, moles appear to be deterred by blood meal because of its strong and distinct smell.
Apply it in the same way, to also prevent moles from digging up your garden.
Rabbits
Rabbits are not a common pest, but if you commonly grow vegetables, fruits and herbs, they may try to feast on your crops. Once again, the reason for their dislike of blood meal is because of the smell, and they will be driven away by its presence.
It is believed that they are deterred by blood meal because it smells like blood. The smell of blood may elude to the presence of predators. Therefore, they will leave the area to keep themselves safe from any possible harm.
Summary
To summarise the main facts, here are some key points. Squirrels do not like blood meal because of its smell. It smells like blood which is said to scare squirrels away, and it also repels other pests like rabbits and moles.
Blood meal is a fertiliser, so it is not bad for your plant, but it can cause them damage if used in excess. Bone meal is not as effective as blood meal because it does not smell as strong.
If you use blood meal to repel squirrels, then you need to reapply it after it rains otherwise, it will not work.
