Baiting a trap for ground squirrels?

I live in Arizona and am plagued by ground squirrels eating my vegetable garden. Last year I had a little luck with rat traps, but my dilemma is what to bait them with. Peanut butter and cheese just melts in our hot AZ sun (it is 9:30am here and already at least 80 degrees in the sun). I tried peanuts, but Curve Bill Thrasher (a local bird) comes along and pecks at each peanut, setting off the trap. So what can I bait with that won't melt and won't be attractive to the birds? All ideas are welcomed.Baiting a trap for ground squirrels?
gv girl,





Pamela has a good idea with using certain plants. Also, you may want to check what type of trap you're using. I have one that is humane and yet birds won't usually mess with it. It's rectangular and about 18 inches long with an hinged door. Squirrels will eat a lot of different things, but try using a nut with a harder shell, maybe acorns if available, or some other hard-shelled nut. Other types of natural food, bits of fruit like apple should also work. Even deer corn is a treat for that squirrel varmin....Baiting a trap for ground squirrels?
If you get an eco - friendly trap, then put the peanuts in that, the bird won't be able to get to them.





Here are a few ideas:





http://www.havahart.com/resource/images/鈥?/a>





http://www.allotment.org.uk/greenhouse/a鈥?/a>
Have you tried companion gardening?


Maybe you might want to plant some garlics and onions along with your other vegetable, sometime they don't like the smell and won't get close.


Try the book: carrot love tomatoes


that is a great book to read and it will help you with your pest problem, as well as giving you advice to take advantage of the relationship between plants to make them grow healthier
Use noise/vibration to run them off. They hate constant noise.


Get a solar repellant http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stor鈥?/a>


Or you can bury a bass speaker and run it 24/7