Squirrels are an introduced pest in most locales including my town. It is OK to dispatch them in my town using traps but not with poison or pellet guns. They have done damage in my garden and chewed pumpkins on porches around Halloween. I had to take care of these pests after one damaged 40% of my corn crop one year. They take usually one bite with a lot of saliva, which ruins the fruit. In fruit trees they bite and drop the unripe fruit! Mine is a suburban subsistence garden as I'm disabled and on a limited budget. These animals are getting smarter for food sources as time goes on. Your chocolate is the latest, but the proposed welfare food boxes are next! They cause damage average of $20,000 per nesting in attics in my area before these critters get discovered.
You must rid of these! Don't be squeamish! Trapping and releasing elsewhere may not help and may be illegal to be released in certain areas such as agricultural land. At the local parks may be OK but the squirrels already there are territorial and will drive them out. Besides, releasing them within several miles from your house is close enough for these critters to return. Check your local laws!
I noticed as I bump off the alphas in the area, the younger ones that quickly take over are dumber and don't explore the garden for awhile. There were no pumpkins on the porches molested last Halloween on my block due to my efforts! I wedge the trap under my tomato cages and I get a lot of them there. I even caught one without bait! These critters are curious of anything resembling a tunnel. I also have to trap the mice with the little Victors near the squirrel trap as they tend to get at the bait first. Bait with a trail of peanut butter on cracker pieces from outside of the trap, through the front and into the rear of the trap and past the trigger ramp.
Joelene
