Squirrels? Can't they leave me some?? - Page 3

cleo88 · August 10, 2011

I can't really defend my position. I have no problem slicing a hornworm in half with my shovel, but I can't see myself killing squirrels or deer, even if the completely razed my garden. I have no affection for squirrels and don't think they are "cute", and I would have no problem scaring the crap out of them or even traumatizing them (if I could only think of a way!), but I just draw the line at killing. I would say that it has to do with spending so much time trying to bring something (tomato plants) to life that killing seems out of place, but that doesn't explain how I am able to deal with the hornworms!

Plus, I have to note that I have never seen what exactly is eating all my maters, so a) can't start randomly killing squirrels when it could be another animal, and b) how do I know I would even be killing the right squirrels if I can't catch them in the act?

ScottinAtlanta · August 10, 2011

Actually, I don't think you can kill enough of them with a pellet gun to matter. Once they reach a certain population, they can reproduce so fast that the numbers are overwhelming. I can count 8 squirrels at a time in my yard, and half of them are gravid. Chicken wire is the only solution we use here in Atlanta, and even then they are constantly checking every inch and digging every few feet to see if there is a hole they can slide through. I am thinking now of electrifying the wire - now, that would be a real show!

b54red · August 10, 2011

Oh yes you can if you go out every morning and afternoon for a few weeks with a loaded, cocked and ready pellet rifle. Of course you have to shoot them once you get a clear shot. It isn't easy by any means but I was able to thin them out last year to the point where the damage they are now doing is manageable. During the peak damage they were doing last year they were eating or chewing on almost every blushing fruit before I could even pick them and I had around 50 plants producing. One day they destroyed over 30 tomatoes. During the spring and fall last year they ate almost every one of my broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants before they could even get started. They even went in my greenhouse and ate hundreds of seedlings of different plants, forcing me to replant over and over. I still have plenty of squirrels around but not so many that when they run across my roof it sounds like roofers working up there.

delltraveller · August 10, 2011

I don't think, generally, that the population density of squirrels up here can rival places like Alabama and Georgia. Reproduction stops in the winter and we have winter kill that thins the population.

Talon1189 · August 10, 2011

Does the dry weather and heat tend to make them attack tomato plants more frequently? I live in SE lower Michigan and the squirrels have no interest in tomatoes at all here @ this point

>>>>>>>>> Talon

cloz · August 10, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by delltraveller

I don't think, generally, that the population density of squirrels up here can rival places like Alabama and Georgia. Reproduction stops in the winter and we have winter kill that thins the population.

The rodent population in the Northeast is only too healthy. Between my cat and me we have removed over 40 chipmunks, 20 squirrels and about a half dozen voles and I am still loosing some every day. Lost 2 Black from Tula yesterday, an Azoychka today, a Paul Robeson 2 days ago and many cherries over the week. If all those rodents that were removed were here, I wolud not be eating any tomatoes now. Been there, done that when I only got 5 tomatoes for the entire season.

delltraveller · August 10, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talon1189

Does the dry weather and heat tend to make them attack tomato plants more frequently? I live in SE lower Michigan and the squirrels have no interest in tomatoes at all here @ this point

>>>>>>>>> Talon

That's the experience I'm having. I've got squirrels and chipmunks and voles and raccoons and opossums, and none of them are taking any interest in any of the tomatoes.

My problems are coming in the "worm" form---tomato hornworms, those black spotted guys, etc

At my aunt's rural place, it's the deer and the groundhogs that usually give her trouble.

I'll have to ask around. When I think about it, I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention squirrels going for the tomatoes.....maybe after generations of the blechy tomatoes most people grew around here, the squirrels here don't recognize that there could be tasty fare on those plants....

cloz · August 10, 2011

delltraveller:
I'll gladly trade you some of my rodents. They don't care if the weather is dry or wet, they will gladly eat what you are growing. I have a fence around my garden to keep the deer, bunnies and groundhogs out. The baby bunny ran right through the fence (2"x3" mesh) and I caught him eating the greens of my carrots. Wiped out my carrots. I removed him and now the rest of the bunnies are too big to get through the fence. I can't stop the raccoons because they climb over the fence and I am not spending the night waiting for them. The chipmunks, squirrels and lately the vole seems to be the biggest problem. Catbirds are also a major problem around here. They eat any berries that you grow and will also peck the tomatoes. If my tomatoes start having bird pecks in them I will have to thin them out too. Maybe I need a couple of more cats.

Talon1189 · August 11, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by cloz

delltraveller:
I'll gladly trade you some of my rodents. They don't care if the weather is dry or wet, they will gladly eat what you are growing. I have a fence around my garden to keep the deer, bunnies and groundhogs out. The baby bunny ran right through the fence (2"x3" mesh) and I caught him eating the greens of my carrots. Wiped out my carrots. I removed him and now the rest of the bunnies are too big to get through the fence. I can't stop the raccoons because they climb over the fence and I am not spending the night waiting for them. The chipmunks, squirrels and lately the vole seems to be the biggest problem. Catbirds are also a major problem around here. They eat any berries that you grow and will also peck the tomatoes. If my tomatoes start having bird pecks in them I will have to thin them out too. Maybe I need a couple of more cats.

Very amazing how a few thousand miles will make. I only have 5 tomato plants

I guess that I am very lucky to report that "No Squirrels" bother my small harvest. I see the red "tree rats" I really think that it is all about the varmints being "Thirsty" in a drought situation .......... Just my own opinion here.

cloz · August 11, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talon1189

Very amazing how a few thousand miles will make. I only have 5 tomato plants

I guess that I am very lucky to report that "No Squirrels" bother my small harvest. I see the red "tree rats" I really think that it is all about the varmints being "Thirsty" in a drought situation .......... Just my own opinion here.

Your thirst and drought situation theory does not hold water here. We have had no drought this year. I've only watered my garden 3 or 4 times all year so far. There is a clean birdbath full of water within a few feet of the garden and there is a lake literally within a stones throw of my property. My lawn is green and I have not watered it at all. Usually it will brown out at this time of the year without water. Not this year. It only takes one squirrel to "show the way" for easy food and the rest learn.
If I only had 5 tomato plants, only the animals would have tomatoes. As I've said here earlier, one year I got a total of 5 tomatoes from 18 plants. The squirrels got the rest. The next year after removing a couple of dozen squirrels during the gardening season, I got over 200 tomatoes from the exact same number of plants. The chipmunks are a new problem the last 2 years and they are worse than squirrels.

b54red · August 11, 2011

I never had a problem with squirrels until a few years ago. Once one of them finds the delights of a nice garden I think they spread the word to all of their friends and relatives and they seem to have a lot of them. A friend of mine who lives only a few miles away and has squirrels has never had a problem with them. I think tomatoes must be like crack to a squirrel in that it is never a problem til they take that first hit and then they can't seem to get enough.

ScottinAtlanta · August 11, 2011

Here is the only solution I have found in Atlanta. Cost me $300 in materials and lots of time, but the Spawn of Satan finally were thwarted. They were ripping off whole branches, eating fruit, biting off blossoms, digging in roots, and generally acting like seniors on prom night.

Raffles · August 11, 2011

I'm told a little peanut butter on the pan of a rat trap (try tying a piece of bread under the pan with the PB) is a wonderful education tool for the creatures. They do tend to get a bit listless and limp after being hit by the bail at 60 MPH though.

beatpoet · August 11, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

I never had a problem with squirrels until a few years ago. Once one of them finds the delights of a nice garden I think they spread the word to all of their friends and relatives and they seem to have a lot of them. A friend of mine who lives only a few miles away and has squirrels has never had a problem with them. I think tomatoes must be like crack to a squirrel in that it is never a problem til they take that first hit and then they can't seem to get enough.

lol, you could be right there. I have tons of squirrels in my yard(had a couple get into the space between the roof and my ceiling this winter) and they have yet to touch my tomatoes. I'm hoping it stays that way.

Keiththibodeaux · August 11, 2011

I confess to having limited observations, but I wonder if it is the gray squirrels that cause most of the damage. When I lived in Baton Rouge, the gray squirrels caused most of the damage to gardens, homes, etc. Where I live now, we have red squirrels and I rarely hear of them causing problems. On my property the Red ones they stay well away from gardens, homes, and people.

August 10, 2011	#35
Talon1189 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Farmington, Michigan. Zone 5b/6a Posts: 421	Does the dry weather and heat tend to make them attack tomato plants more frequently? I live in SE lower Michigan and the squirrels have no interest in tomatoes at all here @ this point >>>>>>>>> Talon __________________ Always looking for a better way to grow tomatoes ..........

August 11, 2011	#45
Keiththibodeaux Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Louisiana Posts: 587	I confess to having limited observations, but I wonder if it is the gray squirrels that cause most of the damage. When I lived in Baton Rouge, the gray squirrels caused most of the damage to gardens, homes, etc. Where I live now, we have red squirrels and I rarely hear of them causing problems. On my property the Red ones they stay well away from gardens, homes, and people. Last edited by Keiththibodeaux; August 11, 2011 at 04:42 PM.

August 10, 2011	#31
cleo88 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Sharon, MA Zone 6 Posts: 225	I can't really defend my position. I have no problem slicing a hornworm in half with my shovel, but I can't see myself killing squirrels or deer, even if the completely razed my garden. I have no affection for squirrels and don't think they are "cute", and I would have no problem scaring the crap out of them or even traumatizing them (if I could only think of a way!), but I just draw the line at killing. I would say that it has to do with spending so much time trying to bring something (tomato plants) to life that killing seems out of place, but that doesn't explain how I am able to deal with the hornworms! Plus, I have to note that I have never seen what exactly is eating all my maters, so a) can't start randomly killing squirrels when it could be another animal, and b) how do I know I would even be killing the right squirrels if I can't catch them in the act?

August 10, 2011	#32
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	Actually, I don't think you can kill enough of them with a pellet gun to matter. Once they reach a certain population, they can reproduce so fast that the numbers are overwhelming. I can count 8 squirrels at a time in my yard, and half of them are gravid. Chicken wire is the only solution we use here in Atlanta, and even then they are constantly checking every inch and digging every few feet to see if there is a hole they can slide through. I am thinking now of electrifying the wire - now, that would be a real show!

August 10, 2011	#33
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Oh yes you can if you go out every morning and afternoon for a few weeks with a loaded, cocked and ready pellet rifle. Of course you have to shoot them once you get a clear shot. It isn't easy by any means but I was able to thin them out last year to the point where the damage they are now doing is manageable. During the peak damage they were doing last year they were eating or chewing on almost every blushing fruit before I could even pick them and I had around 50 plants producing. One day they destroyed over 30 tomatoes. During the spring and fall last year they ate almost every one of my broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants before they could even get started. They even went in my greenhouse and ate hundreds of seedlings of different plants, forcing me to replant over and over. I still have plenty of squirrels around but not so many that when they run across my roof it sounds like roofers working up there.

August 10, 2011	#34
delltraveller Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	I don't think, generally, that the population density of squirrels up here can rival places like Alabama and Georgia. Reproduction stops in the winter and we have winter kill that thins the population.

August 10, 2011	#38
cloz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Southern Connecticut Posts: 435	delltraveller: I'll gladly trade you some of my rodents. They don't care if the weather is dry or wet, they will gladly eat what you are growing. I have a fence around my garden to keep the deer, bunnies and groundhogs out. The baby bunny ran right through the fence (2"x3" mesh) and I caught him eating the greens of my carrots. Wiped out my carrots. I removed him and now the rest of the bunnies are too big to get through the fence. I can't stop the raccoons because they climb over the fence and I am not spending the night waiting for them. The chipmunks, squirrels and lately the vole seems to be the biggest problem. Catbirds are also a major problem around here. They eat any berries that you grow and will also peck the tomatoes. If my tomatoes start having bird pecks in them I will have to thin them out too. Maybe I need a couple of more cats.

August 11, 2011	#43
Raffles Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Northern Vermont Posts: 700	I'm told a little peanut butter on the pan of a rat trap (try tying a piece of bread under the pan with the PB) is a wonderful education tool for the creatures. They do tend to get a bit listless and limp after being hit by the bail at 60 MPH though.