Keeping the squirrels out of your bird feeders is a tough assignment. There are a whole host of squirrel proof feeder designs around these days, but the common theme seems to be a mechanical blocking mechanism of some sort.  Hot pepper suet feeders take a different approach that works surprisingly well.

For many birds the toughest time of year is winter. Many of the normal food sources are not easy to come by. The bushes have no berries, the insects have gone in hiding for the winter, and the snow and ice often covers what little food is naturally available. To help our birds survive the winter, we look for quality food sources to give them, and suet is often the choice.

Bird suet is a high energy food, and with it’s high calorie count it’s a great food for those cold winter months. Suet is a simple rendering of the fat some some cuts of sheep and cattle, and to attract a variety of birds often it will include other high energy foods like peanuts, which results in a bird food high in energy and easy to eat in winter. Since it’s common for naturally rendered suet to spoil at temperatures above 70 degrees its usually sold as a wintertime food. There are suet products that are not made from 100 percent naturally rendered suet that can stand more heat and may let you put suet out in the summertime in your area.  You simply put it in a suet birdfeeder and the birds love it.

The problem with suet is that many pests like squirrels find it just as attractive as the birds to, and the challenge is keeping them out of the feeder.  There are many types of squirrel proof feeders that are are on the market today, with spinning parts or moving doors that work to keep the squirrel out.

Nature has provided its own ingenious solution. It turns out that over the years, peppers have developed their heat by creating capsaicin, the chemical responsible for the “hotness” of peppers and other capsicums. But the birds are unaffected by it, and so will eat foods that have it without hesitation. But the mammals like squirrels can find the heat most offensive.

Armed with this knowledge, we can try adding pepper to our suet to offend the local pests like squirrels and rodents. With hot pepper suet the birds are unaffected, but the feeder pests can’t tolerate it. You can get rid of the squirrels without expensive motorized feeders, just a little bit of nature.