If they visited your yard once and liked it, they will come back."

A good starting point is to eliminate food sources and thinning trees and limbs outside, Nichols says.

You’re not going crazy.

Gray squirrel smelling a flower

Marco Scocco / Getty Images

Youll know its a squirrel if the noise intensifies at dawn or dusk.

Homeowners should also be aware of squirrel droppings, similar to rodent droppings but a bit bigger and darker.

How Much Does It Cost to Remove Squirrels?

Squirrel looking curiously in yard

Manoj Shah/ Getty Images

“The quicker you take action, the less damage,” Carpenter says.

Peppermint, garlic, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper are all scents squirrels hate.

Squirrels hate tastes and smells that are strong, sweet, and spicy.

A Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) eats from a bird feeder in a domestic garden in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Darren Lehane / Getty Images

How much does it cost to remove squirrels?Fixr.