IN TODAY'S VIDEO, I TEST TO SEE IF HOT PEPPER BIRD SEED ACTUALLY PREVENTS SQUIRRELS FROM EATING ALL THE FOOD AT YOUR FEEDING STATION!
In case you didn’t know, hot pepper birdseed is food that has been infused or coated with something incredibly spicy. For example, hot habanero chili peppers or cayenne pepper is often used.
So, why on earth would you put out birdseed that would make our mouths burn?
The reason might surprise you, and it’s not because birds have suddenly acquired a taste for spicy food. 🙂
Think of the last time you ate a hot pepper. The “heat“ that you feel in your mouth after eating one is caused by a compound called capsaicin. The reason we feel pain, discomfort, and burning after eating hot peppers is that capsaicin messes with specific nerve endings in our mouth.
So here is the crazy thing:
Only MAMMALS are affected by capsaicin.
Birds don’t have much of a sense of taste or smell, so they are immune. As a result, they can eat hot pepper birdseed all day long and have no ill effects.
Squirrels have SUPER sensitive noses, so all it takes is one smell, or maybe a small taste, and they will start looking for food elsewhere.
And please don’t worry about the birds eating spicy food as it’s completely safe. Products that contain capsaicin have been on the market for a long time now. There are no reports of any birders or ornithologists who have spoken on the adverse health consequences for birds.
Does this sound too good to be true?
So while using hot pepper birdseed is an effective strategy for stopping squirrels, it’s not perfect.
First, buying food that has been treated with capsaicin is EXPENSIVE when compared with regular birdseed that is not spicy. But on the flip side, you won’t be feeding squirrels anymore, so the supply of food should last longer.
Here's the link to the COLE'S HOT PEPPER BIRD SEED (10 LB) - amzn.to/3x3KAhV
Image(s) and/or Footage used under license from Shutterstock.com.