If You Have A Bird Feeder Near These Trees In Your Yard, You Should Move It ASAP

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Bird feeders are fun and engaging additions to your yard and garden. They allow you to supply a source of food for different kinds of birds to watch and enjoy. There are many benefits to having a bird feeder in your yard. If you also have fruit trees in your garden, you may be tempted to place your bird feeder near or on them. After all, if you have squirrels that eat off your fruit trees, the bird feeder seem to be a good deterrent as a separate food source. Unfortunately, hanging your bird feeder in that location can attract other scavenger animals besides squirrels (like chipmunks and racoons) to become more present in your yard. Thus, if you have a bird feeder near fruit trees in your yard, you should relocate the bird feeder as soon as possible.

Fruit trees can be an excellent place for birds, butterflies, and other pollinators in your yard. The problem is that they are also a welcome place for squirrels and other food stealers to live. Including a bird feeder can even end up encouraging the birds to eat from your fruit trees, too. Rather than give the critters a separate place to eat from, they'll come more often. The feeder acts as an extra food source for squirrels to partake from, which can overrun your garden or yard. Squirrels in particular have enormous appetites and will steal food from bird feeders to store away and eat it in large quantities.

To keep the rodents from getting on your trees and in your bird feeders, you can surround your fruit trees with other plants that they don't like, such as daffodils and hyacinths. This may also help keep your bird feeder safe, but it is better to relocate it to another area in your yard or garden, far from the fruit trees. If you need to hang the feeder or mount it on a tree, keep it six feet or more away from the trunk or any branches. If you have fruit trees in your front yard, it's preferable to place your bird feeder in the backyard. Hang your bird feeder with a wire rather than mounting it to a tree or fence, since this makes it easier for the squirrels and other rodents to access. 

There are several other methods you can adopt to keep squirrels, chipmunks, and other non-bird species from accessing your bird feeders and fruit trees. You can invest in a bird feeder that is specifically designed to keep them off, such as the Buteafly Metal Bird Seed Feeder with Bilateral Weight-Activated Perches. The tray area is weight-sensitive, so squirrels and other critters cannot stay up on the feeder to steal the food. You might also want to sprinkle some hot pepper oil around the bird feeder as a squirrel deterrent.

Squirrels eat a variety of foods like fruits, seeds, grains, and rice that may be in your bird feeders. They look for opportunities to get food easily so that they can store it; thus, your best bet is to make obstacles so that they can't get to things easily. It may help them give up their attempts to reach your fruit trees and feeders. One way to prevent squirrels or chipmunks from eating all the fruit from your trees is to use netting around the trunk of the tree; that can help keep them from climbing up. You can purchase some inexpensive bird netting that is heavy and protects your fruit trees, like this KLEWEE Bird Netting. 

You should also trim back your fruit tree branches, which can make it harder for squirrels to sit on them or climb them. You should also keep a close eye on your fruit so you can pick and bring them in a little bit sooner in the harvest season before the squirrels have a chance to get them. Finally, include a baffle or barrier on your bird feeder to protect it from the squirrels, like this 18-Inch Barrier for Bird Feeders. You could even consider hanging these barriers around your fruit tree branches and limbs to keep the critters away, too!