Squirrels decimating mangoes
Just Me
mind thesquirrels helping themselves, but this year's more modest crop is
suffering.
When ripe mangoes fall if you don't get them right away, the squirrels will
eat portions out of every one. Wouldn't beso bad if they finished eating one
before moving on to the next, but of course that's nort what they do. They
just take a few bites out of everything.
Lately, since the crop has been sparse, they're even chomping on the unripe
ones still in the tree! I found a whole pile of unripe "mango chips" littered
around the tree this morning. Arggh!
In a few weeks, my avocados will be ripe too......
Any non-shotgun suggestions?
Kesavan Radika
Predator urine is available in some garden supply stores here; some
people claim that it is a very effective deterrent against marauding
squirrels.
We had similar problems with squirrels in our neighbourhood until some
kind neighbours got cats which roam through our backyards - the squirrel
problem vanished. These cats appear to be very polite in not using our
backyard as their own private litter-box, but the potential for *that*
problem exists with the cat solution.
--
Radika
GURUSHAKTI
tree, just as the fruit was starting. I now have one mango left on the tree and
it's big, so I don't think it will be touched until it nears ripening. I'm
going to put a net around it because I AM going to get a piece of fruit off
that tree!!!! LOL
Does anyone have any idea what ate that early budding fruit? The tree is too
small and weak in the trunk, I think, for a squirrel to get up there. I know
that there are some wild parrots around here, that got loose from a pet store
some years ago and I'm wondering if they could be the culprits.
I had the same thing happen with my papaya trees -- all the fruit was taken at
the early budding stage. With the papaya, something ate the whole top tip of
the bus.
I have a cat and there are three others in the immediate neighborhood, but
obviously they are not deterring the culprit.
Regards,
June
Just Me
We have marauding cats, but the squirrels just scoff at them.
Now the predator urine thing might work. Can you suggest the specific stuff?
And how do you extract it? (just kidding)
I'm starting to feel a bit predatory myself and am having images of taking out
the old pellet pistol...
Seriously though, do you know more about the urine thing?
In article <3CFD1748...@yahoo.com>, Kesavan Radika
Jon and Courtney
my flower beds and potted plants. Any garden supply store should have it as
it's also used as a nitrogen fertilizer. I just sprinkle it in the area I
want to protect and moisten it with water. Maybe you could just put some in
the lower branches of your mango trees. I'm totally envious of you mango
tree owners--they're out of the question in my climate!
Good luck.
(The shot-gun solution would bring a certain satisfaction.)
Courtney
"Just Me" <local_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3cfd1...@news1.prserv.net...
Tsu Dho Nimh
>Mango question -- something ate all but one of the mangoes on my new mango
>tree, just as the fruit was starting.
>Does anyone have any idea what ate that early budding fruit?
>I had the same thing happen with my papaya trees -- all the fruit was taken at
>the early budding stage. With the papaya, something ate the whole top tip of
>the bus.
Nocturnal caterpillars? I found them on my mesquite, eating the
new beans.
Tsu Dho NImh
--
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?
--Epicurus
JewelOfTheGnarf
be the culprit. Even budgies love mango.
Angela and Keith Copi
> Good suggestions.
> We have marauding cats, but the squirrels just scoff at them.
>
> Now the predator urine thing might work. Can you suggest the specific
stuff?
>
> And how do you extract it? (just kidding)
>
> I'm starting to feel a bit predatory myself and am having images of taking
out
> the old pellet pistol...
>
> Seriously though, do you know more about the urine thing?
Try to find "Shake Away" made by "Bird-X". They have coyote and fox urine
in a convenient powdered form. I don't know how well it works, but have
heard some positive feedback.
Keith
Kshuller2
>In a few weeks, my avocados will be ripe too......
>
>Any non-shotgun suggestions?
>
CATS!!!!!! Mine kill the squirrels and bring them to the doorstep for show and
tell. LOL. Gooooooooooooood kitty.
Kshuller
GURUSHAKTI
those papayas and my one remaining mango!
Regards,
June
Repeating Decimal
kshu...@aol.com wrote on 6/5/02 10:23 PM:
Cats are as much if not more of nuisance than squirrels. They are just
annoying in a different way. I have had to scrape off cat doo from my shoes
more times than I care to remember. That is always a fun job.
Bill
Ray Stern
Kshuller2 <kshu...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020606012313...@mb-mw.aol.com...
Bribery may provide a non-lethal solution. The squirrels used to raid my
bird feeders until I installed a squirrel feeder and stocked it with peanuts
and sunflower seeds. Now they don't bother the feeders.
If you can't beat'em, feed'em.
Ray
Polar
Now he tells me! I feel thick not to have thought of that all
the years when they were scoring my avocados with their teeth, so
they (the avocados) fell off the tree before ripening. As well as
my plums! I got to the point where I tied little paper bags
over the few that remained, so they would ripen for the relatives
that were staying at my place while I was out of town.
--
Polar
Just Me
Oh no! I got my first "scored" unripe avocado yesterday, just like you
describe! Question is, after having spend gazillions pruning, irrigating and
fertilizing, will I get to harvest any fruit of any kind at all?!
I thought the bribery suggestion was pretty creative, and I may well end up
trying that. But it does rather seem like throwing more money into a big
sinkhole and what guarantee is there that the beats won't just save the
mangoes and avocados for dessert, all the while inviting their distant
cousins and neighbors in for a season-long feast?
I think the first line of defense will be the pellet gun. A few squirrel
heads impaled on strategically placed stakes might get an effective message
across with a minimum expenditure of resources. I understand hat there are
people who actually eat squirrels and who have recipes for them. Not my bag,
but my "kinder & gentler" self is definitely beginning to receed into the
background...
JM
In article <5ic3gu85hvoh1tlut...@4ax.com>, sme...@mindspring.com
wrote:
Polar
Suggestion: Keep yard shoes outside the door and change back
into house shoes when re-entering.
I miss my cat so much! I still automatically start to put orange
peels or moth balls on fresh ground to repel her toilet impulses.
Wish she were still here, so we could continue our long feud...
--
Polar
John Savage
>Oh no! I got my first "scored" unripe avocado yesterday, just like you
>describe! Question is, after having spend gazillions pruning, irrigating and
>fertilizing, will I get to harvest any fruit of any kind at all?!
Here in Australia we know none of the delights of feeding squirrels. But
we do have to contend with possums (different from the American possums).
It has been reported by Australian gardeners that spraying the tree (or
maybe just the fruit) with a fish emulsion fertiliser (intended for
enriching the soil) is an effective deterrent against raids by possums.
Apparently the possums are repelled by a strong smell of decaying fish.
There is also a particular fungicide which possums don't like the taste
of, so some gardeners spray their roses, etc., with that fungicide for
the express purpose of deterring possums. Perhaps you could look on the
supermarket shelves for a liquid fertiliser made from fish and try it.
I have no idea whether it will work for squirrels, but it might be worth
a try. If nothing else, the tree will grow better with the fertiliser!
--
John Savage (for email, replace "ks" with "k" and delete "n")
B.Server
wrote:
>
I guess it might work but my bet would be that it would merely permit
the squirrel population to increase to absorb the increased resources.
Sooner or later, they will want the dessert course.
Patrick Greaux
One thing that works for me to stop rodents and birds is to use steel wire mesh bags like the ones on the website QYFIRST (or type QYFIRST in the Amazon search bar). I use them to protect my mangos and avocados and no loss of fruits since I started using them. I even protect my tomatoes from rats with them. They can’t chew the steel mesh. Works perfect!
T
Get you one of these. Make sure you are not
eating or drinking anything when you watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VVxWuIvBto
I laughed my a*** off.
-T
T
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG9n7ymR4z4
The fun starts a 0:59
Lots of slow motion from several angles. You
can almost hear the squirrels yelling "OH S***!".
And when they land and run back for more, you can
almost hear them yelling "AGAIN! AGAIN!"