How Can I Get Rid Of Squirrels?

[Mairzydotes]

We moved in to a house backing on to a school playing field in 2009. We consider ourselves lucky - we enjoy hearing the children at their sports, and have a row of mature trees in the lane between us and the field which give us pleasure, as the colours change through the seasons.
There have always been just a couple of squirrels, which have been no trouble. However this year has seen a population explosion of them, and they are making our lives a misery.
We have a peach tree, a plum tree and a fig tree and this year have had NO fruit at all. All the immature fruits have been nibbled and thrown to the ground. We didn't have a single taste of any.
We have two 'bird stations', each having four hooks for feeders at the top of a long pole. This year the squirrels have shinned up the poles and stolen the birds' food from the feeders, run off with the fat balls and chewed the string of the peanuts in shells I fixed to the feeder (to give the birds a bit of exercise in getting the nuts out) then sat happily on the ground eating the lot!
I have sorted that problem by buying two Squirrel Baffles (available on Amazon) which resemble large inverted pudding bowls in clear plastic. These, when screwed high up on the feeder pole making it impossible for the pests to get at the feeders - I take great delight in seeing their expressions of frustration when their heads hit the inside of the bowl!
However they have saved their worst until last. Last week I paid a handyman who does various jobs for us, to plant over £35 worth of spring bulbs in pots, and in the borders - at 86, I can no longer do such things for myself.
The wretched creatures have dug up and eaten the lot!
So I would welcome ideas on anything I can (legally) do to get rid of these creatures, and failing that, how can I protect my fruit and bulbs in the future? HELP PLEASE!

[smudge]

'scuse mistakes, I thought we could edit on here?

[diddlydo]

Stop feeding the birds - end of!

[ladybirder]

The birds will be eating your fruit as well Mairzy, not just the squirrels. And you will most probably have rats as well who will be eating the food that falls to the ground as well as getting to the feeders. I have had to give up feeding the birds because of the rats attracted to the food. I hate not being able to feed them and I know I will feel even worse as the winter weather deteriorates and the birds struggle to find food. While there is a source of food both squirrels and rats will keep coming to your garden. Sorry not to be more positive.

[Chipchopper]

All you can really do, is aim for damage limitation and try to make your area attractive for the type of birds you want to attract and less of a haven for grey squirrels. I find the baffles a great deterrent providing they can't find a way of bypassing it, like jumping from a branch or fence etc from near-by.
Squirrels are suckers for easy pickings but often will lose interest it the task is too difficult to achieve, especially if they can get it easier else where.
Try not to over-feed it could leave a surplus of crumbs, little and often seems the best way forward and hopefully they will find the pickings easier else where

[ladybirder]

How about growing plants that your birds will feed on instead of doing it via the feeders Mairzy? There are lots.

http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plant-inspiration/top-10-plants-for-birds/

[woofgang]

LB, I have found there is no need to give up entirely. I only put feed out very close to the house where there is plenty of human (and dog) activity and I put out little and often throughout the day...no more than about three teaspoons at a time in each of three feeders. I try very hard for there not to be any food left when dark falls.

[ladybirder]

Woofy thank you but I can't do it. I live in a small block of flats and I am truly going to cheese everyone off if I start feeding them again. It cost us to get rid of the rats last time. My dog eats anything edible in the garden so there was never anything left on the ground overnight. He would sit waiting for droppings LOL. I did actually see two rats run up the metal pole of one feeder and start eating the fat balls. In daylight. If I lived in a house it would be different but I don't want to upset people and be blamed for attracting them back.

[Mairzydotes]

Thank you all for taking the time to give me your ideas. I'm going to comment on some of the answers, but I really am grateful for them all.
I know fruits are cheap in season, but my trees were bought by people I love as presents, and I would like to be able to benefit from their kindness.
A cat or a dog might help, but I'm afraid we couldn't afford to have such a pet these days, on a fixed pension, and also neither of us can
walk very far, so exercising a dog would be beyond us.
Our garden is very small, and we inherited full borders that need low maintenance, so it would be hard to plant things the squirrels don't like without digging up the lot. Again -at 86 and 89, not the easiest thing to do.
I shall try as many of your suggestions as I can - apart from the shooting one - and I won't stop feeding the birds. I'm going to buy some moth balls to scatter, and also try the chilli pepper idea. I have an electronic scarer someone gave me which I have not yet used so I'll try that too.
I hope I haven't given the impression that we are pathetic old folk, far from it but sadly there are things we can't do physically, or afford. Thank you all again, and any more flashes of brilliance will be welcomed.

[thugulike]

I barked and barked at our squirrel after he emptied the sunflower seeds onto the ground. Seems to have worked as it hasn't been back

[andres]

The squirrels coming into our garden used to shin up the poles and eat the birds food until I started to put the monkey nuts in shells in one particular place in the garden . Now they just concentrate on getting the monkey nuts and never touch the bird seed. Don't know how you would stop them eating the fruit though.