squirrels, squirrels and more squirrels
 

The squirrel population has more than exploded again this year and they are devastating my garden once again. If they aren't eating my vegetables they are digging up my raised beds like an army of tiny excavators.

I am working as hard as I can to remove them from this world but they are still increasing in numbers faster than I can decrease them. My fall and winter plants are ready to go out into the garden but the plants that I already set out are now chewed down to stumps. I guess I will have to invest in a large bag of blood meal because it does deter them but has to be sprinkled around and on the plants after every watering or rain and the stuff is expensive. It is the only thing I have found that deters them. My eight dogs and the neighborhood cats don't seem to bother them at all. I think they just wait in the trees and watch for the dogs to take a nap and then go to work chowing down on Bill's Buffet.

Last year I was unable to grow a single Brussels sprout because they ate them before I even got them set out in the garden. I had placed the trays of Brussels sprouts on a table in the middle of the yard to harden off before planting them and the next morning I looked out to see a half dozen squirrels happily munching away at them. I'm hoping for better results this year but it is looking grim because I am running out of time. The plants are ready to go out right now but there is no way I am feeding the little furry tailed rats my hard work.

I'm just a bit frustrated and needed to vent. I know the only solution is to thin them down mercilessly. From looking at the huge number of nests in the surrounding trees it looks like I have a huge job ahead of me. The one big oak near my garden has around a dozen nests in it and all the other trees seem to have at least three apiece in them and there are a lot of trees around here.

Bill :panic::panic:x---

It sounds like a real problem. I have some squirrel issues but not like that.

Sounds like they need to be thinned out a bit. Here they are allowed to collect acorns from our two 100 year old oak trees but the bird feeders and gardens are off limits. A few well placed .22 shots discourage the offending tree rats.

Stop feeding the dogs.

All I can see is a constant supply of meat.

Worth

On this island we are just starting to see black and grey squirrels. They are not native to the area and may displace our indigenous ones that are only half the size and strictly forest dwellers. One story has it that some researcher imported some to experiment with and some got away. Every year I see more on my walks though none in my yard yet.

One gardening friend thinks nothing of it, the more the merrier. Soon enough she will know why they are undesirable. I have noticed one old greenhouse type structure covered in wire mesh . That looks to be the way of the future, now, against squirrels though the wire cage was meant to keep deer at bay. An expensive investment but better than losing everything.
Seems a hopeless problem for a farmer but at least shooting is possible on a farm. What other methods of control are there? Do they go for poison bait the way rats do?

[QUOTE=GrowingCoastal;598513]On this island we are just starting to see black and grey squirrels. They are not native to the area and may displace our indigenous ones that are only half the size and strictly forest dwellers. One story has it that some researcher imported some to experiment with and some got away. Every year I see more on my walks though none in my yard yet.

One gardening friend thinks nothing of it, the more the merrier. Soon enough she will know why they are undesirable. I have noticed one old greenhouse type structure covered in wire mesh . That looks to be the way of the future, now, against squirrels though the wire cage was meant to keep deer at bay. An expensive investment but better than losing everything.
Seems a hopeless problem for a farmer but at least shooting is possible on a farm. What other methods of control are there? Do they go for poison bait the way rats do?[/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://www.momgoesgreen.com/wp-content//cast-irn-pn.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2012/03/squirrel.jpg[/IMG]

I have the same problem and they get into everything. Now is a bad time for them due to winter coming and they just keep gardening in the garden and containers. By gardening I mean burying pecans and acorns for winter but they tear up the plants in the process and they've been braking eggplants off the plants along with some of the branches. They've also been ripping the insulation off of the hose bibs at the garden to make nest with.

My neighbor/Uncle used to keep them in check by trapping with a box trap using peanut butter as bait but he quit because he can't give them away fast enough and the freezer is full. I guess I'll thin them out over winter and make a few gumbos.

[QUOTE]What other methods of control are there? Do they go for poison bait the way rats do? [/QUOTE]
Yeah, as per the Cajun, I was just about to type that squirrels LOVE peanut butter and it would make a good base for poison, as well as a trap bait. You could mix rat poison in.
Trouble is, other things love PB too, even birds, and you risk collateral damage.

Plastic netting is cheap. So is pvc conduit. If you are only using it to support netting, you could get away with a much less sturdy structure than what would be required to support greenhouse plastic. I have bought "wildlife netting" fencing at Menard's. It was I think $25 for 7' x 100'. It could be stitched together, I am guessing, and used to enclose a garden.

Last year, the squirrels got just about every tomato I grew. It's heartbreaking to watch a tomato develop only to find it on the ground with gnawed holes in it.

I determined that it was worth it to trap them. So I started last winter. I used peanut butter, peanut butter mixed with oats, peanut butter in a dish in the trap, etc. The squirrels learn fast but they do get trapped. I enlarged my garden and had many wonderful tomatoes with no losses!

Before the last big storm, I found a hole that they chewed in the base of my chimney. I was doubly glad I thinned the herd.

Just this week I saw the first squirrel in my garden. Getting the traps back out . . . .

To each his own as always but I am dead set against poison of any kind.
In my opinion it is one of the most inhumane things a person can do to kill an animal.

Worth

[QUOTE=dmforcier;598538]Yeah, as per the Cajun, I was just about to type that squirrels LOVE peanut butter and it would make a good base for poison, as well as a trap bait. You could mix rat poison in.
Trouble is, other things love PB too, even birds, and you risk collateral damage.[/QUOTE]

This "feeder" along with the suggestion above may help. It protects pets, birds and other "non target" critters. They also sell squirrel bait, but apparently they can only ship it to seven states.

[url]https://www.amazon.com/Wilco-Ground-Squirrel-Bait-Station/dp/B000GXSH6A/ref=pd_bxgy_86_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MF1F43WNC8EGE9FC50F0[/url]

I have tried just about every bait there is including peanut butter but after one squirrel is caught it is like he sends out a signal to all the others and they usually won't fall for it again. These are city slicker squirrels. My neighbor used traps for 3 years and only got two squirrels using every bait he could think of. I still can't believe they wouldn't fall for the shelled pecans and peanuts. They won't touch rat poison even when it is placed in the trees near their favorite perches. I used to think rats were worse but at least you could thin them out quickly with poison and I don't care how inhumane it is. At this point I would water board them before poisoning them. :P Rats are disgusting, disease carrying vermin and city squirrels are getting almost as bad living and breeding in peoples attics and outbuildings.

I actually had them chew right through the asphalt shingles on my roof about 6 years ago in two different places to get into my attic. They nearly caused one of my neighbors houses to catch fire from chewing on the wiring running through her attic. I now have a metal roof and hardware cloth protecting all my attic vents and had most of the lower limbs on all my trees trimmed off to limit their access to my house. My next door neighbor just gave up and had all his trees removed because of the aggravation they constantly were causing them. They keep chewing through our cable lines causing loss of tv and internet until a line can be replaced. They have actually become a plague in this part of town and the city linemen and cable people hate them because of how many lines they destroy yet the city government won't allow them to kill squirrels. They are so cute.:no:

I never cared if critters took a bit of my gardening bounty but a few years ago they got too plentiful and have been taking their share and a lot of mine and sometimes all of mine.:evil:

Bill

Bill it sounds horrible and even if I am against poison and think it is inhuman doesn't mean I wouldn't do it as a last resort.
It just needs to be kept away from friendly critters.
But as you said they wise up, squirrels and rats are smart.

Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;598610]Bill it sounds horrible and even if I am against poison and think it is inhuman doesn't mean I wouldn't do it as a last resort.
It just needs to be kept away from friendly critters.
But as you said they wise up, squirrels and rats are smart.

Worth[/QUOTE]

Rats don't seem nearly as smart. Usually when they show up I can rid myself and my garden of them in less than a week. I would really hate it if they were as slick as squirrels. They are even dumb enough to be occasionally caught by my little dachshunds who futilely try to catch squirrels every day with no luck. I use a dog safe bait station for rat poison and it works really well.

Was going to try to dispatch a few this morning but I guess a front is moving in even though it was only down to the mid 60s last night the wind was blowing like crazy and the tree rats were no where to be seen. Maybe it will actually be cooler tomorrow

Bill

Bill:

That does sound horrible!

Do the squirrels steal the bait from the traps? Or, do they just not go in the traps again no matter what you bait the trap with?

Can you legally shoot low powered air guns?

[QUOTE=jtjmartin;598656]Bill:

That does sound horrible!

Do the squirrels steal the bait from the traps? Or, do they just not go in the traps again no matter what you bait the trap with?

Can you legally shoot low powered air guns?[/QUOTE]

They won't go into the traps at all anymore. The worst thing I saw was one morning right about sunup a few years back I looked out across my garden and saw two squirrels each sitting atop two of my traps and gnawing the broccoli heads next to the traps. I was trying to get them to stop eating my broccoli that spring not aid them in their endeavors.:shock:

Bill

My first year with quite a lot of tomatoes outdoors, some got very little attention outside the main garden area and after awhile I noticed a squirrel-sized hole under a tree root near by.... and yes it took awhile to figure out that fruit were disappearing quietly one by one ("Why are they so late to ripen any?").:evil:
Also the first year I had really a lot of green fruit not worth my picking (started too late) and ended up trashing a heap of tomatoes in the special tomato plant compost pile... which developed an interesting burrow shaped hole in the top. So I poured water down it, deliberately, while stacking up the next layer. Now from my window I can see two burrow holes on either end of one side...Looking like a real work of engineering. :(:o And ravens or crows have been perching up above hooting and hollering like they are very displeased.

Been worrying that it could be a rat, mostly because our little red squirrels are normally so noisy, especially if they see food, they can't resist squawking about it.:o On the other hand, squirrels and indignant birds are proper hand in hand. They detest the tree rat, seriously.
I went and googled the red squirrel and they do burrow in the ground for winter shelter (and cache of food). Maybe they're only quiet when they're hiding stuff... :P
I guess I'll find out when the snow falls.... squirrels don't drag their tails in the snow.

[QUOTE=Worth1;598505]All I can see is a constant supply of meat.

Worth[/QUOTE]

That made me LOL. Around here people are always going squirrel hunting.

[QUOTE=Spike2;598871]That made me LOL. Around here people are always going squirrel hunting.[/QUOTE]

I dont know what happened to our culture I think the old White House cook book has recipes for these critters.
speaking of which about the time I brought up eating them again here they diapered.
Every time I bring up eating squirrels here they run off.:?
Worth

This is what I do with squirrel.
[URL=http://s243.photobucket.com/user/barney097/media/squirrel013.jpg.html][IMG]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff95/barney097/squirrel013.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=http://s243.photobucket.com/user/barney097/media/squirrel015.jpg.html][IMG]http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff95/barney097/squirrel015.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

DROOL

My bait was disappearing from my squirrel Have a Heart traps, and I thought chipmunks were sneaking in.

Last week I was watching when a brown thrasher swooped down, looked around, then hopped into the trap, pecked up the peanut butter, hopped out, and escaped the scene of the crime. These animals work together.

Ah, Hellmans, now you got me wishing we had BIGGER squirrels. :roll::lol:

[QUOTE=ScottinAtlanta;599048]My bait was disappearing from my squirrel Have a Heart traps, and I thought chipmunks were sneaking in.

Last week I was watching when a brown thrasher swooped down, looked around, then hopped into the trap, pecked up the peanut butter, hopped out, and escaped the scene of the crime. These animals work together.[/QUOTE]

I use unsalted peanuts in the shell for bait in Have-A-Hearts for squirrels. Take about six inches of twistable wire and wrap the peanut with one end twisted around it. Hang it down from the ceiling in the back of the trap(after the tray). The critter has to move about to get the peanut out of the wire. All the stepping about guarantees you a catch every time.

That's a good idea.

I like Hellmanns remedy.:yes:
Worth

I have been slowly but surely thinning the population of squirrels out; but I really can't wait any longer to start planting my broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts for fall and winter since it is nearly time to start my spring seed planting of these crops. The nights are now in the 40s and days mostly in the 70s with a few 80s. It may even be too late to beat winter freezes but I am starting to plant today even though no rain has come for months. I have spent hours and hours every day lately trying to get the moisture level up high enough in the beds I will be planting in so the plants can thrive. I just hope I thinned out the tree rats enough and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Bill

Obviously I haven't thinned the tree rats enough. I set out 24 Brussels sprouts day before yesterday and by late afternoon yesterday had already lost three to the varmints. I also set out 6 cauliflower plants and had lost one of them also. I want to set out my broccoli today but wonder if any will be left alone long enough to ever produce.

Bill