What is the potential risk associated with dedicating a separate area to offering corn or sunflower seeds to squirrels?

Answer

Making food too accessible can encourage them to frequent the area, increasing the overall risk of digging damage nearby.

While offering a dedicated feeding spot containing squirrel-preferred foods like corn or sunflower seeds is suggested as a coexistence strategy to divert attention, this tactic must be managed carefully. If the supplemental food source makes the area too consistently accessible and appealing, it can inadvertently attract and retain a higher population of squirrels in the immediate vicinity of the prized garden beds. This increased presence, even if they are initially satisfied elsewhere, raises the overall probability that they will engage in exploratory digging or opportunistic foraging near high-value, newly planted items like asters, negating the intended benefit.

What is the potential risk associated with dedicating a separate area to offering corn or sunflower seeds to squirrels?

Related Questions

Which underground storage organs do squirrels show a strong preference for raiding in gardens?What role do Asters, black-eyed Susans, and coneflowers serve near vulnerable crops?If an aster is yanked out sideways with scattered soil, what is the primary cause of the damage?What physical method is recommended for protecting small, newly established asters from burrowing damage?Why is cayenne pepper effective as a selective deterrent against squirrels near asters?What describes the general foraging nature of tree squirrels regarding their palate, influencing their attraction to gardens?What specific precaution must be taken when applying capsaicin-based sprays to aster foliage?What materials can be applied as soil topping to frustrate squirrels attempting to dig near newly planted asters?What is the potential risk associated with dedicating a separate area to offering corn or sunflower seeds to squirrels?Which group of herbs is noted as being left alone by some ground squirrels, similar to the general avoidance of Asters?If observers note squirrels stripping leaves off violets without consuming them, what behavior is suggested?
foodastersquirrel