Help...!!!

Go find some hot pepper powder and sprinkle the plants liberally with it. Also, you might try feeding the squirrels something they will like better.

Or, you can use a .410. ;-)

Ray

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Ray
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Squirrels attacking my tomatoes. Even eating the green ones. Tried mothballs. Yeah right. Trapped and released one. Two more showed up this am. any ideas ASAP. I haven't had a ripe tomato in a week and I've got 15 plants. VR, Tom

Reply to
tom hooper

I tried hot pepper powder to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeders. Dangs things sat bold upright and laughed their butts off at me "while" munching on the newly flavored seed!

I bought 2 Pestacators (sp) and one ultrasonic device for in the house for a rodent problem. The Pestacators plug into the wall and make a pulsing with the wires (?) and the ultrasonic device emits noise. One of the Pestacators also has an ultrasonic component. After I bought these devices, I did a little research and despite the general theory they don't work, they are proving to be effective for us. No rodents even the tree rodents anywhere near the house. I feed the blue jays peanuts every morning. I've watched the tree rodents come as far as the sidewalk then scatter the other way. They don't come into the yard! Either they don't like the rodent devices or they don't like the peanuts. My guess is on the rodent devices.

DH component of one of our friend couples shot a squirrel as it was going up a tree. Seems he was ticked at the squirrel eating through his garden. Head was off but rest of body stuck to the tree with the claws dug straight into the bark. DW component was not impressed! DH component used a shovel to pry the carcus off the tree while the tramatized kids cried and DW yelled. Not good ;-) You'd be best to use a canon and make sure you get all of the tree rat to save your family from going through such a Kodak moment!

Reply to
nutNhoney

I put up a squirrel feeder filled with corn mixed 50/50 with sunflower seeds in plain view if what I was trying to keep them out of (the bird feeder). It worked as long as the squirrel feeder contained goodies. When it got empty, they were at the bird feeder. Might work around your gardens also.

Dwayne

Reply to
Dwayne

Reply to
tom hooper

Ironically, there was no squirrel and bird feeder problem in my yard

*until* I feed the rotten things. I left corn cobs out for them and they started destroying the feeders while leaving much of the corn untouched.

My main feeder is now an open feeder, gazebo style, mounted on a 4-inch

6-foot high PVC sewer pipe, fastened with a toilet flange. Because the flange fits over the pipe and is screwed to the bottom of the feeder, it lifts off easily for cleaning while being secure in the stiffest winds. The squirrels cannot climb up the PVC! Of course, you don't want anything near it they can jump from onto it.

Glenna

Reply to
Glenna Rose

Try live animal traps and re-locate them to a wild-life area. I take these to a large park on a lake near me. There they have food and water. Taking them early in the year (before August/September) gives them time to store for winter.

Most squirrels will go right into the trap with a bait of sunflower seeds, walnuts or peanut butter. I say "most" because the apricot destroyer isn't interested in any of that. My best hope is that somewhere he will be become a roadside casualty.

Glenna

Reply to
Glenna Rose

Live trap him and let him loose?

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Reply to
Ray

Yeah. The only one that I'd like to see bite the big one is the apricot terror. I figure the worst that can happen is that they will become hawk/eagle food, but that is the natural order of things. Not likely to happen where I release them as there are ample trees, both nut and evergreen. However one ran back to the road which would have made him/her prime target for the soaring ones.

I'll check out these web pages later.

Reply to
Glenna Rose

Now, if you can come up with a way to get that apricot eating squirrel. Maybe you need to find a bait that tastes even better to him than apricots. Or, there is always the motion activated sprinkler mentioned in another thread. ;-)

Ray

Reply to
Ray

I have a friend that would probably eat it if I got the dratted thing.

The problem is he *doesn't* eat the apricots. A herd of squirrels couldn't have eaten all he has destroyed. (Do squirrels have herds, flocks, litters, what?) He just takes a bite out and drops it all, cot and bite. This past week, he has started taking the pit, or it seems like it as there are apricot halves on the ground. Of course, there are also a good supply of pits as well so he may be just pulling them apart and dropping the entire fruit.

I really wouldn't mind sharing, because if he were eating them, there would have been plenty for us all. It's the total waste that is angering. That and the horrible mess under the tree which will now be attracting hornets, ripe apricots all over. Because so many are in pieces, it's impossible to pick it all up off the ground. :-(

Also, if he ate them, he'd make a good apricot sauteed squirrel dish!

If I thought it would work, I'd do it. He doesn't like water; if I could stand out there with the garden hose all day, I'd have apricots. However, the sprinkler, because of the tree movement (wind in the branches) would be set off all the time. Even my light goes off constantly because of it and it's "aimed" low to try to avoid the problem.

Thank you for the reminder, however, about the sprinkler. A friend told me about a noise thing that I will try if I have a good crop next year, but it's too late for this year. As I type, the only cots left are in the top of the tree, beyond my reach. :-(

It would have been nice to be able to take some to FISH, they are so very good and not that common in our region (Portland, Oregon, area) since our climate is not the best for pit fruit. It would have been a nice treat for folks. Maybe next year. Does this mean I should hope for another cold winter?

I'm trying to be grateful he's not in the garden. However, if he were, I'd have used a shotgun on him a long time ago. Well, maybe not, but would have a better chance of getting him into a trap. At least I can dream. I've even set the trap on on the roof hoping he'd go in it there, but no, he doesn't like walnut halves, peanuts (raw or roasted), peanut butter, sunflower seeds, or corn.

Glenna becoming a squirrel detestor and hoping this one doesn't bring youngsters to teach them!

Reply to
Glenna Rose

squirrel.

That is, truly, frustrating.

attracting

My eventual plan is to graze the chickens in the orchard. They will efficiently pick up all the deadfalls and most of the bugs.

Hmmm... I just got a wicked idea! Some breeds of geese are known for their bad temperment. Maybe a half dozen big mean geese would keep the tree rats away.

roasted),

Have you ever seen those tangle foot mouse traps? They are, essentially, really thick fly paper for mice. I don't like them because I don't think they're very humane. [1] The mice in our new place, however, are very good at removing the bait from the snap traps without setting them off. I think the previous owners bred them for subtlety. ;-)

Anyhow, perhaps you can get a bunch of them and attach them to the trunk of the tree. Then, you would turn your tree into a sundew plant. Once you catch the squirrel, however, you are going to have to kill it to keep it from suffering. Unless you have some kind of solvent, getting a furry animal unstuck isn't likely.

Ray Drouillard

[1] When we use them, we check them frequently, and quickly kill any trapped mice. Unsticking a mouse from one of those traps is nigh impossible.
Reply to
Ray

Since he's popping open the apricots for the pits, why not try almonds as a bait? Maybe smear almond paste on the trap pan...

There are professional baits for squirrels (which I've used to live trap chipmunks) that smell fantastically good. I bought mine from bugspray.com.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

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