Thanks for your help.

Trying to protect pecan's in the average pecan tree is a tall order to say the least. Animals like squirrels can access them from so many angles it's not possible to protect the tree directly. Bad tasting agents can ruin the crop and pecan trees can grow so large their not practical to shield.  In the end the best option is a non direct approach. This means reducing the threat which is clearly the squirrels. So, how do you reduce the local population?

If you take some time to review our SQUIRREL CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll find we have many LIVE TRAP options listed. This is definitely the way to go. Placing out 2-4 live traps around the tree or trees you want to protect baited with PECAN PASTE will quickly catch the culprits. Once trapped you can relocate them at least 10 miles away so they don't return. In the end, you should be able to trap and relocate enough to where the population will be small enough so it will not matter.

Here are direct links to the products and information listed above:

Squirrel Control:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/squirrels.html

Live Traps:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/traps/squirrel_trap.html

Pecan Paste:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page784.html

This is going to be a tough problem to resolve. When squirrels have had access to a property for this long, they will not give it up willingly. You will have to trap and relocate all which are active using one of our squirrel traps. Since there are strong scent trails in place to attract them from quite some distance, I suspect you could be catching a lot before the trapping process is complete. If you have 5-10 squirrels on the house now that you know about, it means you'll have to catch at least 10-20. The good news is that the squirrel trapping will be very easy. Simply place it outside the house, alongside the house on the side which has all the activity, and you'll be getting them every day or two. Use some Pecan Paste with the trap sets to insure a quick catch and within 30-60 days, you should be mostly squirrel free.

Over the next year or two squirrels will routinely be curious because there are strong smells around so don't be surprised by any new activity. This will happen till the odor wears off which will take some time as explained in our squirrel control article. If you see any one squirrel hanging around more than a day, you'll have to trap it out even if it's not living in your house. If given the chance, they will move in given the history of scent trails in place so this is to be expected. Two things to remember; take trapped squirrels at least 10 miles away for relocation to insure they don't come back. And don't seal up any holes till you've relocated all the squirrels which are active. This will probably be after a couple of months. Good luck!