I was reviewing my notes for squirrel deterrence for planted bulbs a few weeks ago. I ran across a lot of tips I have saved, including baby powder. I knew I had a bottle in the garage, never used, that I must have bought for just this purpose. I mostly wanted it for tulips. Even though I use wire mesh cut into squares and pinned down, this is not enough for the determined and vicious squirrels in my neighborhood. They tunnel in from the side, unless it is cut very wide, and that does not always fit the little niches where I want to tuck a few tulips.

I did the baby powder and (knock on wood) it worked very well. I sprinkled the perimeter of all the wire mesh I had pinned down. Plus a tiny sprinkle in each hole. I did the wire mesh for the tulips and other squirrel candy bulbs, not hyacinths or alliums.

I could tell it was a deterrent because they started to tunnel from the side, then stopped as soon as they hit a sprinkle of powder. At one place I accidentally left a gap of about an inch and a half. They tunneled in at that exact spot. I don't know whether they got all the way in. It didn't look like it, but the dirt would have collapsed into the hole if they had and covered their tracks. If they had tunneled up to the bulb, they would have hit the powder in the hole.

It's a bit tricky to apply when you are actually bent over each hole, because it puffs up everywhere. I found I had to use a dust mask. (The way this stuff floats around, I find it amazing that anyone would ever use it on a baby. I sure wouldn't. I didn't when I had babies.) Even after a rain, the powder was still somewhat visible. I re-applied to play it safe. They usually forget in a few weeks.

I did sprinkle a bit on top of the hyacinths and alliums, as they sometimes dig those up to check, even if they don't eat them. I found an allium bulb in one of my hanging baskets.

YMMV. It was scented baby powder. I don't know if it is the scent or something else.