Squirrel terrorising my fruit trees

Dear all

Last year, every last apricot and plum from my lovely hard working trees was taken and eaten by squirrels. Nearly all the apricots were bitten into and discarded although some had the stone removed (presuming this is what the squirrel was after?)  My poor apricot tree is on its last legs yet insists on still bearing fruit for me and it is heart breaking for me to see that it is all in vein.  I covered the tree in net last year and was spraying lots of squirrel deterrent spray mixed with a bit of chilli pepper as i have heard they don't like it.  The rains washed it off and the squirrels bit through the net and ate the fruit again. Please can someone give me some more tips on what to do? The squirrels will be back with their young. I also feed the birds (but not the squirrels) could this be a problem as feeding birds also attracts squirrels, although the bird feeder is squirrel proof? Thanks in advance.