"C & E" wrote in message
...
I just got back from the cabin where I found that something had been
chewing
on the T1-11 siding of the shed along the edges and eight feet up where a
ledger board allowed a toe-hold. This is the first time in the two years
that I've had the property that this has happened. A neighbor blamed
squirrels or porcupines for this kind of chewing. I've had squirrels
around
our home for years and never had any gnawing at all. Have any of you had
this issue? What did you discover and is there a deterrent? I thought of
mixing one of those insanely hot sauces that you dip a toothpick into to
spice up a quart of salsa and mixing it with water. Then, spray the
offended siding as a deterrent. My luck they would like it!


You might try a variation on Bitrex (sp?) as well. Extremely bitter to most
mammals and comes in a sprayable liquid.

I tried copious amounts of cayenne powdered peppers mixed into the surface
soil around my well enclosure for the squirrels that were digging burrows
into it. Didn't seem to faze them in the least.

If you have a specific area and surface you may have better luck with a
liquid application. I know we once had a crazy cat that liked to chew the
power cord to my sump pump in the basement. We coated it with a habanera
sauce and that certainly was effective in that case.