March is the start of the breeding season for the brown rat and the house mouse, and gardeners need to act now or they could soon be facing a full blown infestation. Rodents can have up to seven litters a year and often enter gardens in early spring in search of enough food to feed their young.
Rats and mice are constantly searching for food during this season, and it is common for them to settle in gardens with bird feeders because spilled seeds provide an easy food source. However, you do not need to stop feeding birds to keep these pests away, as Tim Travis, the president of Goldner Walsh Garden Centre, has said rodents will often avoid areas where they can smell hot peppers. Tim said: “Hot pepper animal repellent is a natural deterrent to keep unwanted animals and pests away from plants and garden areas. It combines the properties of both hot peppers (capsaicin) and dish soap to create a safe, cheap, and effective repellent”
Hot peppers, cayenne pepper and spicy sauces can help keep rodents out of your garden because they contain capsaicin, the compound that gives these foods their heat.
Rats and mice have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and when they detect capsaicin it can create a burning sensation in their noses that makes the area very uncomfortable for them.
The strong smell can also make it more difficult for rodents to locate food or navigate, so they are more likely to avoid the area.
If rodents taste capsaicin it can irritate their mouths, and it will often discourage them from eating seeds from a birdfeeder or other food in your garden.
What makes capsaicin particularly useful is that birds are not affected by it in the same way as mammals, so it will not stop robins, blackbirds or other garden birds from visiting.
Pour the water, white vinegar, cayenne pepper and hot sauce into a large mixing bowl. Cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for at least eight hours or overnight.
Strain the mixture through a sieve of a kitchen towel. This helps turn the mixture into a smooth liquid that will stop clogging up your spray bottle when your try to use it.
Please note that this mixture will be extremely spicy, and it will greatly help to wear gloves or even eye protection when handling it otherwise, it can be irritating.
Use a funnel to add the mixture to a spray bottle, and then also add the washing-up liquid. It is important to add washing-up liquid as it will help the mixture stick to surfaces and last longer in a garden.
Spray the rodent underneath a birdfeeder, around fences, near sheds, around planter boxes or anywhere else rodents could nest. It should help stop rats and mice staying in your garden so you can keep feeding birds without worrying about pests this spring.
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