What to Bait Squirrels With: What Works, and the Law First

Peanut butter, pecans and sunflower seed out-perform everything else. The bait table, why trapping rarely solves it, and the legal check that comes first.

By Zakaria November 2, 2026 4 min read Save to Pinterest

In-shell peanuts heaped in a glazed bowl on sacking — Photo: guvo59, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay

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Peanut butter wins on scent and stickiness. But the honest version of this article starts elsewhere: check the law, and ask whether trapping will solve anything, because in most gardens it does not.

Before the bait: two questions

1. Is it legal where you are? Trapping native wildlife is regulated in many jurisdictions, and relocating a trapped animal is restricted or prohibited in a great many of them. In Britain it is an offence to release a trapped grey squirrel. Your state or national wildlife agency is the authority, not a hardware store.

2. Will it work? Trapping removes one squirrel. It does not remove the dry roof cavity, the deck void, or the bird feeder spilling seed on the lawn — and those are what brought the squirrel. The usual outcome of trapping without exclusion is the same job again next season.

Relocation is often the worst option even where it is legal

A squirrel moved several miles into unfamiliar territory has no caches, no nest and no knowledge of the local predators, and it is moving into ground already held by other squirrels. Survival is poor. Relocating a nursing female also leaves kits to starve in the nest.

The bait table

bait	why it works	notes
Peanut butter	strong scent, sticky, slow to remove	the standard; smear on the trip plate
Whole pecans, walnuts in shell	squirrels carry rather than nibble, so they trip the plate	wire one in place
Black oil sunflower seed	cheap, familiar, high oil content	scatter on the approach
Hazelnuts, almonds	good scent	raw and unsalted only
Apple or orange slice	adds moisture in hot weather	dries out fast
Shelled corn	cheap	less attractive than the above

Peanut butter plus a few sunflower seeds is as good as this gets. More exotic baits are mostly marketing.

Placement beats bait

Set the trap on the route, not in open ground — fence tops, the base of a wall, along a gutter run, on the branch line they already use
Pre-bait for two or three days with the trap wired open, so the animals learn the spot is safe
Smear the plate, scatter a trail of seed to the entrance
Level, stable footing. A trap that rocks does not get entered
Shade. Direct sun on a trapped animal is a welfare problem within an hour
Wear gloves when handling the trap, and keep human scent down

Welfare, which is not optional

Check at least twice a day, and more often in heat or frost. Many jurisdictions set a legal minimum
A trapped squirrel injures its face and teeth trying to escape — time matters
Cover the trap with a towel once an animal is in it; dark calms them
Never handle a trapped squirrel. The bite is deep and the animal is terrified
Do not set traps you cannot check. Exclusion work waits for you; a trapped animal does not

What never to use

Poison bait. Not legal for squirrels in many jurisdictions, slow, and it kills the owls, hawks, foxes and cats that eat the poisoned animal
Chocolate. Toxic to squirrels, and used as bait it is simply a slow poison
Glue traps. Indiscriminate, inhumane, and banned in a growing number of places
Bread and processed food. No nutritional value, and it draws rats

The thing that actually works

Spend the effort on exclusion instead:

Move bird feeders 15–20 ft from the house, sweep the spill, and switch to hulled or pepper-treated seed
Prune branches back about 10 ft from the roofline — squirrels jump 6–8 ft
Seal entry points in heavy-gauge metal mesh, never plastic or timber
Screen under decks with half-inch hardware cloth, turned outward in an L below ground
Fit smooth metal bands to posts and guards to downpipes

None of it requires a trap, none of it requires a permit, and all of it holds after you have stopped paying attention.

Common questions

What is the best bait for a squirrel trap?

Peanut butter is the standard, because it is strongly scented, hard to remove without working at it, and sticks where you smear it. Whole pecans and walnuts in the shell work well where the animal has to carry rather than nibble, and black oil sunflower seed is the cheapest effective option. Smearing peanut butter on the trip plate and scattering a few seeds along the approach works better than a pile at the back.

Is it legal to trap squirrels?

It depends on your state, region or country, and on the species. Many jurisdictions regulate trapping of native wildlife, and relocating a trapped animal is restricted or prohibited in a great many of them. In Britain it is an offence to release a trapped grey squirrel. Check with your state or national wildlife agency before setting anything, because the rules differ between neighbouring areas.

Does trapping actually get rid of squirrels?

It removes the individual, not the attraction. A roof space, a deck cavity or a garden with a well-stocked bird feeder suits the next squirrel as well as it suited the last, and the vacancy generally fills within weeks. Exclusion — sealing the building, screening the deck, moving the feeder — is what changes the outcome. Trapping without exclusion is a task you repeat.

What should you never use as squirrel bait?

Anything poisoned. Rodenticide is not legal for squirrels in many jurisdictions, it kills slowly, and it kills whatever eats the poisoned animal — owls, hawks, foxes and cats. Chocolate is toxic to squirrels, and bread and processed food do them no good. Glue traps are indiscriminate and inhumane and are banned in a growing number of places.

Where should I put the trap?

On the route rather than at the destination. Squirrels travel along fence tops, branches, gutters and the base of walls, so a trap set flat on a travelled surface with the approach pre-baited is taken far faster than one placed in open ground. Shade matters: a trapped animal in direct sun overheats quickly, which is why traps need checking at least twice a day and more often in heat.

How often must a live trap be checked?

At least twice a day, and more in hot or freezing weather — many jurisdictions set a legal minimum. A trapped squirrel has no water, no shade and no escape, and it will injure its face and teeth trying to get out. If you are not able to check that often, do not set the trap: exclusion work can be done on your schedule and trapping cannot.

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A grey squirrel sitting on a shingle roof ridge, beside a gap in the ridge line of the kind squirrels use to get into a loft

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