In certain circumstances, where other methods aren't effective, WBU Hot Pepper Products may be the best option for deterring squirrels and other mammals. When feeders and food are placed in certain trees, on decks, or near windowsills, it may be difficult to keep away mammals including squirrels, raccoons, deer and rodents. In these situations, seed, suets, No-Melt Dough, Bark Butter, cylinders or Stackables™ with hot pepper may be a good solution. Only use products where the hot pepper is bound tightly in the product, such as our WBU Hot Pepper Products.
When to Use WBU Hot Pepper Products?
There are some scenarios in which it is virtually impossible to defeat squirrels, for example, window feeders on a brick house (squirrels can climb brick) and feeders on a deck setup. In such situations we always first recommend a good squirrel resistant feeder (The Eliminator **cough cough**), however when options such as a baffle, a good squirrel resistant feeder or cages aren’t an option, WBU Hot Pepper Products are a wonderful alternative. We recommend using safflower, baffles, cages and Squirrel Buster Feeders first as a way of deterring mammals, as these options on their own or in combination can deter most mammals.
How to Feed WBU Hot Pepper Products?
When offering WBU Hot Pepper Products they must be the only thing in a feeder. In other words, you can’t mix WBU Hot Pepper Products with other non-hot pepper options. For example, you wouldn’t want to mix regular Bark Butter with Hot Pepper Bark Butter as animals will just eat around the spicy option. WBU Hot Pepper Products must be fed on their own to be effective.
Hot Pepper Safety
As pointed out by Jim Carpenter in The Joy of Bird Feeding, capsaicin coated seeds can bother people when it comes into contact with our eyes, nose, mouth and lips. It’s important to take care when using our WBU Hot Pepper Products. Rubber dish gloves would be a good accessory to have on hand when using these foods or washing feeders.
Can’t I just Make My Own Hot Pepper Products?
Items with hot pepper (capsaicin) cause a reaction in humans. If eyes, noses or lips are rubbed, then a reaction to hot pepper could range from mild to severe. Choosing products where the hot pepper is bound to the products (such as our WBU Hot Pepper Products), and taking caution when filling or washing feeders, is an important part of using these products safely. Do not attempt to make hot pepper products at home. Our WBU Hot Pepper Products have been specially formulated and tested to ensure they are safe for the birds. They are made in a facility where staff wear the proper safety equipment to ensure they don’t experience a reaction to the capsaicin. If you try making hot pepper deterrents at home it may not be safe for the birds or you!
Hot Pepper Products
Fiery Feast™: Feed your birds while discouraging squirrels and other critters! This hot-pepper treated version of our best-selling No-Mess blend contains a mix of sunflower chips, chopped tree nuts, and shelled peanuts to attract a variety of birds, and is 100% edible. Birds flock to it and leave no messy shell waste behind. The bag features a special pour spout for easy feeder filling without having to scoop or touch this hot pepper food. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 8 lb
Hot Pepper No-Mess Stackable®: Made of sunflower chips, peanuts, tree nuts, and cherries, our Hot Pepper No-Mess seed Stackable® is a tidy dining option that your birds will enjoy and squirrels won't! No shells means no mess and no wasted food, making this Stackable a great value. Our seed stackables include a hole down the center of the food that slides onto our seed cylinder feeders. Perfect for perching birds as well as clinging birds. Our Seed Stackables allow you to offer more than one food at a time and cater to the preferences of the birds visiting your yard. With several unique flavors of Seed and No-melt Dough Stackables to mix and match, you can have fun creating various combinations. (Disclaimer: our hot pepper products are hot--please handle with care and avoid contact with skin!) Weight: 11 oz
Hot Pepper Cranberry Stackable®: Made of pecans, sunflower chips, peanuts, safflower, black oil sunflower and cranberries, our Cranberry seed Stackable® is a dining option that your birds will enjoy, but squirrels won't! Our seed stackables include a hole down the center of the food that slides onto our seed cylinder feeders. Perfect for perching birds as well as clinging birds. Our Seed Stackables allow you to offer more than one food at a time and cater to the preferences of the birds visiting your yard. With several unique flavors of Seed and No-melt Dough Stackables to mix and match, you can have fun creating various combinations. Weight: 11 oz
Hot Pepper Stackable®: Seed cylinders are the easiest, longest-lasting way to feed your birds, in convenient Stackable form. Made of tree nuts, black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, peanuts, and hot pepper, the Hot Pepper cylinder is perfect for enticing a wide variety of birds to your yard, but not the squirrels. Our seed cylinders include a hole down the center of the food that slides onto our seed cylinder feeders. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 11 oz
Hot Pepper No-Mess Cylinder: Seed cylinders are the easiest, longest-lasting way to feed your birds. With hot pepper oil to discourage squirrels, and packed with sunflower chips, peanuts, tree nuts, and cherries, you will entice a variety of birds with this enjoyable, tidy option. No shells means no mess and no wasted food, making this seed cylinder a great value. Our seed cylinders include a hole down the center of the food that slides onto our seed cylinder feeders.Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 1.75 lb & 5.19 lb
Hot Pepper Cranberry Cylinder: Seed cylinders are the easiest, longest-lasting way to feed your birds. Our Cranberry seed cylinder is packed with pecans, sunflower chips, peanuts, safflower, black oil sunflower and cranberries – everything you need to get lots of birds to visit your backyard, but with hot pepper to discourage squirrels. Our seed cylinders include a hole down the center of the food that slides onto our seed cylinder feeders. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 1.75 lb & 4.5 lb
Hot Pepper Seed Cylinder: Seed cylinders are the easiest, longest-lasting way to feed your birds. Made of tree nuts, black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, peanuts, and hot pepper, the Hot Pepper cylinder is perfect for enticing a wide variety of birds to your yard, but not the squirrels. Our seed cylinders include a hole down the center of the food that slides onto our seed cylinder feeders. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 2 lb & 4.5 lb
Hot Pepper SuperSuet™ (No-Melt): Take your suet feeding to the next level! We’ve reached our highest level of fats and protein by blending rendered beef fat, mealworms, roasted peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts and calcium. Calcium helps support egg and bone growth. Added hot pepper deters critters from stealing from your birds, and this suet won’t melt in high outdoor temperatures. Great for offering year-round. Birds can’t get enough of this ultimate suet blend. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 11.75 oz
Hot Pepper SuperSuet (No-Melt) Plugs: Take your suet feeding to the next level! We’ve reached our highest level of fats and protein by blending rendered beef fat, mealworms, roasted peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, pepper (red) and calcium. Offer year-round. Added hot pepper deters critters from stealing from your birds, and this suet won’t melt in high outdoor temperatures. Great for offering year-round. Birds can’t get enough of this ultimate suet blend. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. 4 plugs in package. Weight: 11.75 oz
Hot Pepper SuperSuet™ No-Melt Cylinder: Take your suet feeding to the next level with this suet cylinder! We’ve reached our highest level of fats and protein by blending rendered beef fat, mealworms, roasted peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts and calcium. Calcium helps support egg and bone growth. Added hot pepper deters mammals and critters from stealing from your birds, and this cylinder won’t melt in high outdoor temperatures. Great for offering year-round. Birds can’t get enough of this ultimate suet blend cylinder. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 2 lb
Hot Pepper Bark Butter®: A formula representing years of research and development, we’ve finally done it. Our ever-popular Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter® now truly can be used anywhere to attract the widest variety of birds without worrying about squirrels and other critters. With 150 (and counting!) bird species reported eating Bark Butter, it’s a great way to attract a variety of birds to your yard. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Great to offer year round. In warmer temperatures use in the shade. Calcium helps promote egg and bone development. Weight: 19.5 oz
Hot Pepper Bark Butter® QuickBites®: It doesn’t get any easier to attract 150 (and counting!) species of bird than Hot Pepper Bark Butter® QuickBites®. A single serving of Hot Pepper Bark Butter sits in a recyclable cup that drops into our QuickBites and Double QuickBites feeders. Cups can also be opened and used with any Bark Butter feeder, or apply straight onto a tree! Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Great to offer year-round. In warmer temperatures offer in shade. Weight: 1.13 lb
Hot Pepper Bark Butter® Brick: No other food attracts a wider variety of birds. Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter® is enjoyed by more than 150 different bird species, now with hot pepper to deter critters from stealing your bird food!. Offer in any suet cake or tail prop feeder to attract a variety of birds, including many that do not normally visit feeders. Bark Butter bricks are the same size as a suet cake (and fit in a suet cake feeder) and are very easy to use. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Great to offer year-round. No-melt formula. Weight: 11.75 oz
Hot Pepper Bark Butter® Bits: Now with hot pepper to deter squirrels and other mammals, no other food attracts a wider variety of birds! Over 150 different bird species have been attracted to Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter®. Bark Butter Bits are bite-sized nuggets made of rendered beef suet, soy oil, roasted peanuts, corn, oats and calcium carbonate. Feed alone or mix in with your favorite Wild Birds Unlimited seed blend. Attract a variety of birds, including many that do not normally visit feeders.Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Great to offer year-round. No-melt formula. Weight: 3 lb
Hot Pepper Bark Butter® No-Melt Cylinder: We know Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter® is popular with birds (150 species and counting!) and we know how popular our cylinders are for hobbyists. It was only natural to bring the two together to attract birds to your yard in a new, convenient format. With added hot pepper, this cylinder will deter squirrels and other critters in your yard without bothering your birds. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Great to offer year-round. No-melt formula. Weight: 2 lb
Hot Pepper Bark Butter® No-Melt Stackables®: You’ll love the versatility of our Stackables®. Formulated from no-melt Hot Pepper Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter®, this stackable can go on any cylinder feeder along with nearly unlimited combinations of suet and seed. Offer your birds the best, with even more variety. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Great to offer year-round. No-melt formula. Weight: 14.5 oz
Hot Pepper No-Melt Suet: If you are looking to feed just the birds without feeding squirrels, our Hot Pepper no-melt suet may be the problem solver for you. Made of roasted peanuts, rendered beef suet, corn, oats, and red pepper, it’s perfect for enticing a wide variety of birds to our yard, but not the squirrels. Great to offer year-round. No-melt formula. Contains a strong irritant to eyes, nose and skin. Wash thoroughly with soap and water and after handling. Keep out of reach of children. Weight: 11.75 oz
Insect + Hot Pepper Suet Balls (6 pack): Pacific Bird's Insect + Hot Pepper Suet Balls, a no-melt formula, include whole insects and high-quality ingredients to attract insectivorous birds while the hot pepper discourages mammals. Pack contains 6 suet balls. Hot pepper additives can cause pain or discomfort, please handle with care and wash hands immediately with soapy water. Weight 1.3 lb