Suet ? hard fat trimmed from beef ? is a great food to attract many
woodpeckers and other insect-eating birds. But the suet cakes sold in stores usually have added grain that may cause squirrels to tear them apart, and they're more expensive than suet you can get from a butcher shop.

In order to save money and squirrel-proof your bird feeder, you can buy a big bag of suet from a butcher for just a couple dollars. Cut the suet into pieces that will fit into your suet feeder, then store extra in your freezer. (Some supermarkets sell suet but others get all their meat pre-cut and boxed, and the workers in the meat section may not even know what suet is. The best place to obtain suet is at a local butcher shop that processes whole beef.) If you don't add any extra nuts or seeds, the squirrels won't bother the suet.