Squirrel Control?

[Rvrfshr]

My apple & plum trees are being stripped of their fruit.

Does anyone have a tried and true manner of getting rid of these pests.

Have used the shotgun approach with minor success, but they are wily critters that know when you aren't around.

This is my best year so far for apples since I planted the trees 6 years ago.

Any proven suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[digitS']

I am afraid that the peaches on my lone fruit tree will have the same fate.

One thing, don't have a neighbor who decides to feed the birds based on a whimsical purchase of a bag of birdseed. The feeder attracts every squirrel around, the seed supply very quickly ends (only about a week), and the squirrels keep coming back looking for something to eat.

We may not have any strawberries either if they don't go back to their side of the road & the walnut trees over there.

I don't have any good ideas and I can't shoot them here. I've kept birds out of things by having a toy cat - that likes to kind of hide and moves around a couple times a day. That has worked real good. Maybe a rubber python . . .

Steve

 

[lesa]

I have seen people cover a tree with netting... Not sure how big your trees are, but it might work. What about the opposite approach? How about feeding the squirrels something that you don't care about- like corn, or cheap seed? Maybe it would be enough to distract them?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

I'm not real fond of those bushy tailed rats since they chewed off the flashing around a roof vent that allowed my house to take water damage when I lived in the New Orleans area. It's amazing how much water one of those storms in that part of the country can put in your house. To make matters worse, the flashing rolled down to the gutter and blocked it. That caused the water to back up and splash in the back door. It's really thrilling to go out in a thunderstorm with all that lightning to unblock the gutter, plus crawl around in the attic trying to position a bucket to catch the water. I'm really not that fond of those bushy tailed rats.

It was not unusual to see five to seven squirrels playing in my back yard at any one time when all that happened. I got a couple of live traps and removed over 50 squirrels from my back yard in just under a month. There were so many in my neighborhood that more would come in as I removed them. I was quite successful using black oil sunflower seeds as bait. I'd scatter a few on the ground in front of the trap and leave a trail into the trap. They are not really that bright.

I never got rid of all the squirrels in the neighborhood but I did finally thin them out a little.

I don't know what the laws are where you live. In many places it is illegal to trap and release, especially without permission. A friend would trap them in his back yard, take them across Lake Pontchartrain and release them on a friend's property out in the country. In season, they really enjoyed squirrel hunting out there.

 

[Rvrfshr]

There are plenty of black hickory nuts for the squirrels to feed on, so distracting them with other food isn't working.

Just picked up a couple of boxes of high brass #6 shot and slung a hammock within range of the fruit trees.

I guess my day will consist of reading, shooting, bagging, reading, shooting etc..

I see in some cities that the bases of trees are wrapped with thin sheets of aluminum. Wonder of this deters these limb rats?

 

[catjac1975]

Cats and a dog will be a great deterrent. Netting should be a big help. There are guards for bird feeders, but squirrels can jump from tree to tree.

 

[Rvrfshr]

Cats and a dog will be a great deterrent. Netting should be a big help. There are guards for bird feeders, but squirrels can jump from tree to tree.

If they can't climb a tree they won't be able to jump?

I'm headed into town to find some sort of cheap metal sheeting that I can wrap the bottoms of a couple of sample trees with.

This is war!

 

[catjac1975]

They can jump pretty high.

 

[Rvrfshr]

They can jump pretty high.

I guess we'll have to see what athletic abilities these varmints have. I still plan to wait in my hammock and see what happens, after I get back from town. Just finished trimming sheep hooves and need to get cleaned up, also need some lunch. I'm weak from worrying about these ^%#^#@ squirrels.

 

[catjac1975]

When we moved into our home many years ago I would get home from work and dozens of squirrels would go running away. We have 3 outdoor cats and rarely see a squirrel. A live one that is.