Last Updated on March 6, 2024 by Michelle
Squirrels on a Maple Syrup Farm
If you’re a sugarmaker, chances are you’ve gone head-to-head a few times with a squirrel who is after the same sweet sap that you are. Whether you own a large, professional maple syrup farm, a rural sugarbush (like our family), or just tap a tree or two in your backyard, squirrel troubles can be an irritating reality.
Of course the little furry guys with big tails practice sugar maple tapping too. The North American squirrel is known as Sciurus carolinensusk, for those who are into binomial nomenclature… (I happened to love that chapter in high school biology.)
But no matter what you call the little devilish things, squirrels are effective tappers during sugaring season. They gouge the bark of young maple trees with their two front teeth and drink the sap that flows. And they’ll chew through tubing or plastic collection bags, not to mention do anything they can to access sap buckets.
So how can you avoid the problems that squirrels bring to a maple syrup farm or just your backyard maple-syrup-making operation so you, ultimately, can bottle the most delicious syrup possible?
Read on, my friend. And be sure to grab a copy of my book, Sweet Maple, or my course, Making Maple Sugar, if you want to know every detail about all things maple. Remember to snag the $75 worth of bonuses that come with Sweet Maple (see the list of bonuses here) & take advantage of the $53 worth of special bonuses that come with my maple sugar course as well. (See that list here.)
Some links in this article take to you affiliate products that I use and love. If you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission.
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6 Ways to Outsmart the Squirrels
If you happened upon this page wanting to know more about how to make maple syrup, you may want to start here. Otherwise, if you need some tips to deter squirrels. read on.
1. Use buckets, not bags.
Bags tend to attract bothersome squirrels who want easy access, because chewing through a plastic collection bag is a piece of cake for a determined rodent. I explained in Sweet Maple that we prefer buckets over bags for this very reason.
On the other hand, plenty of folks buy and use collection bags like these with great success. So it’s worth noting that people who use collection bags instead of buckets say they like working with the bag better than a sometimes awkward bucket and they like that they can see how full the bag is from quite a distance, knowing if they need to empty them on any given day.
2. Use a different cleaner.
Louis Plante, a professional who runs a family maple syrup farm in New Hampshire, found that changing the solution they were using to clean their lines at the end of the season made a big difference in their squirrel troubles. Their previous solution was appealing to the annoying little rodents, who apparently liked the taste. Once they switched what solution they were using to sterilize their lines and taps, they noticed a lot less squirrel destruction. Read other suggestions Lou has for backyard sugarmakers right here and in Sweet Maple as well.
And, if you’re in the market for purchasing some maple syrup, I’ve been recommending Lou’s family’s delicious syrup for years, made on the family’s maple syrup farm in Hinsdale, NH. Go here to order their all-natural, wood-fired maple syrup.
3. Use gloves around the maple syrup farm.
Brenda Chmielewski, a sugarmaker in Vermont, shared a tip with me that makes a lot of sense. She recommended always having clean gloves on when installing or working with your tubing. Squirrels seem to be attracted to the taste of salt, and if your hands are at all sweaty, you leave a delicious taste behind for the tree rats, encouraging them to take a few bites, which of course will lead them to the even more appealing non-ending trickle of delicious, sweet sap.
4. Use some hot stuff.
Dameian Edgerly, a backyard sugarmaker in in Ohio, recommends slathering a hot mess on your lines where the squirrels seem to be attracted. He mixes an unappealing concoction of Vasoline and Tabasco Sauce or hot peppers. (Ground hot peppers will hold the spiciness a little better in the rain and/or sunlight exposure.) Bonus, if you’re worried about the well-being of your tree rats, this concoction is non-lethal to the squirrels. It will, of course, need to be reapplied after heavy precipitation.
5. Use some ammo or a good 4-legged friend.
If, on the other hand, you’re NOT worried about saving a rodent’s life, many sugarmakers insist that it’s necessary to cull the squirrel population in their woods annually. Others swear by the importance of having a good dog around the sugarbush often to keep the squirrel population under control. Bixby would second this notion.
I would also add that our barn cats do an amazing job of critter control around our little farm. While they don’t traverse the woods as much as Bixby does, the squirrels are happy to come to them. For this E.B. is eternally grateful.
6. Use a chainsaw.
Finally, if you’re able to clear out your softwood trees you will notice a lot less squirrels wreaking havoc around the maple sugar farm or in your backyard.
3 Things you Need
Other articles you may enjoy about troubleshooting problems around a maple syrup farm:
An article about how to save money making maple syrup.
Read this to find out why you should throw away the ice in your sap.
Everything you need to know to bake deliciously with maple syrup.
A list of the products our family uses for making maple syrup.
A collection of podcasts, print, and online articles about making maple syrup.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
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