As stated in the title, I have found a way to prevent most critters away from chewing, or nesting in the engine bay all year round. I have tried dryer sheets, traps and mothballs. All of them failed and stunk really bad. So I used Tomcat Aerosol spray
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tomcat-1...0605/302683092. This does not stain the engine, does not stink or enters the cabin. You only need to use it once a month. Started applying this in January and a light coating on the entire engine and potential entry areas once a month. I have not seen a single branch/mud/dogfood/trash or chewed on component since then. Works for me and just wanted to share this idea with you! It does smell like peppermint/garlic when first applying but quickly goes away. I know it specifically says not to use it on the engine bay/ cars but I did and it works.
