How to deter squirrels from ground feeder?

Question

I did buy a ground guard but what it neglected to mention on the packet was that squirrels fit through the gaps - the only creatures the guard is effective against in my garden are the woodpigeons! I don't really fancy going out and buying another ground guard with a smaller mesh right now as they're not cheap. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

LRB · Accepted Answer

At the risk of repeating myself (i do that sometimes), i would suggest investing 1 or 2 pounds on the hottest chilli powder you can find.....put some in a bag with your feed, shake it up until the feed is completely covered and stuck to the feed (but without any excess dust), then put it out on your ground feeder. Birds will take the food with chilli with no problems while the burning sensation will make the squirrels think twice. 
 Making the mesh smaller may work, but as others have said smaller squirrels may get through, and you may keep out some of the birds you want to feed..... 
 Remember that the squirrel just wants to feed - they don't know the food isn't for them, so you have to find ways of putting them off the food, or from getting to it, (which is harder said than done!), or both. 
 Good luck!

LRB · Answer

Yep they will - Birds are not affected by "capsaicin" - the active ingredient in chilli peppers. Research has shown that there is no evidence that birds code capsaicin as an irritant at concentrations as high as 20,000 ppm (the hottest chilli is about 2,000 ppm). Mammals, such as squirrels and rats, reject capsaicin concentrations as low as 1-10 ppm 
 The reason behind it is evolutionary....Most botanists and ornithologists believe that chilli peppers evolved this way so that small mammals would avoid the hot taste, while birds freely eat the pungent pepper pod thereby resulting in wider ranging dispersal of the seeds to ensure the natural growth and long term survival of the chilli pepper plant. 
 Chilli pepper seeds consumed by birds pass through the digestive tract unharmed, whereas those consumed by mammals do not germinate at all. The presence of capsaicin in the fruits therefore protects them from being consumed by mammals, which have molars that can kill seeds. 
 
 Studies show that mammals, including squirrels, have receptors on the tongue and in the mouth that react to chilli peppers by sending heat signals to the brain. Although there's no actual damage, the sensation makes it seem as though the mouth is on fire (much the same as ourselves). Birds lack the receptors that make chewing chilli peppers such an eye-watering experience for mammals -- they can eat peppers all day long and never feel a thing! 
 
 Hope that answers your queries (and it wasn't too boring.......)