They are fun to watch.  They have soft fluffy tails.  They scurry and scamper.  They steal food out of the bird feeder whenever possible.  They prefer nuts, but will eat your pet’s food or trash.  They will gnaw on almost anything to file their teeth down.  They nest in trees, bushes and sometimes at ground level.  Sometimes they decide that your attic or walls are the best place to reside.  Sometimes they can cause great damage to your property like biting through electrical wires and causing fires.  Aaahhh, you gotta just love those squirrels!

Cayenne pepper is said to be a good deterrent to keep squirrels away from your garden.  One home owner recently decided to test out that theory on a much grander scale.  He was experiencing the joys of squirrels living in his attic and wanted to get rid of them fast.  He decided to use a leaf blower to spread cayenne pepper through his kitchen exhaust fan up into his attic.

Unfortunately things did not go quite as he had planned.  The cayenne pepper went into the hot motor of the exhaust fan and the unthinkable (apparently) happened…help…fire!  There were old rags in the attic which did not help the situation either.  The pepper and the rags quickly caught fire and spread throughout the entire house causing $70,000 worth of damage.

The moral of the story is…leave the pepper in the cabinet and don’t try this at home!  If you are having trouble with squirrels in NYC or NJ, call a NYC/NY wildlife control specialist instead.