The Chipmunk/Squirrel problem

[VitaVeggieMan]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread to report my on-going battle with squirrels. I've got 10 tomato plants in containers on my deck, and just as the toms were starting to ripen a few weeks ago, I started finding them on the ground, half eaten or maybe just a few bites taken out. I caught the fuzzy-tailed rats in the act a few times. They seem to prefer my biggest tomatoes, although they ate many of my cherries too.

After searching the web for potential solutions, I tried covering about half the tomatoes with ziplock sandwich bags. They continued stealing tomatoes, but not the ones with the baggies on them. I bagged the rest of them, and also sprayed the bags and nearby leaves with Deer Off, which claims to repel squirrels as well. The smell is so bad that it certainly repels me, but my dogs seem to actually like it. Its supposed to last for 2-3 months, but after only 3-4 days (and no rain), a squirrel decided to remove the stinky plastic bag and eat my largest ripe tomato, which was well over a pound. He didn't even pull it off the plant -- just sat on the tomato cage and chomped on the fruit.

I decided to pick all of the tomatoes that were starting to ripen and let them finish inside, about 20 in all. They've eaten some green tomatoes as well, but not as many, so I'm hoping to save as many as possible by picking them when they first show some color.

I don't have to tell you how maddening it is to lose half your crop to a critter after carefully tending these plants from seed since February. If they keep stealing my toms, I'm going to try trapping and moving them.

[ChrisK]

I'll add a "me too" to this thread. They never bothered my garden here in Raleigh until this year. They stripped the peach tree bare and now take off with tomatoes in all stages of ripeness and leave them scattered around the yard half eaten. Pellet gun usage is dodgy given the proximity to neighbors and being illegal to discharge within city limits.

It's also illegal to relocate them w/o written permission from the recipient land owner. To further complicate it you actually have to have a depredation permit, for a limited # of squirrels, from the state after you show min. $50 damage! Netting the tomatoes works for a while but they are persistent at finding a way in.


Is drowning the little monsters cruel?

[BigBrownDogHouse]

It has started, I have spotted the dreaded black squirrel hanging around the backyard. He's been up on my deck and back and forth on the fences.
My neighbors and I have also spotted Mr. Chipmunk that likes to travel back and forth amongst the yards.

I bring it up becuase last week I found a few of my younger green tomatoes half eaten still on the vine.
I know there was another thread about some fruit that was half eaten on the vine and I was going to post in that thread but got busy and forgot. It wasn't a hornworm!
The pictures looked identical to what I had and there was only damage to two smaller fruit higher up on the plant with no other plant damage. There was also a bit of poop on the leaves below the fruit.....not hornworm poop.

My wife, while picking up the yard over the weekend, found a small dead squirrel.....no fur yet. Never seen that before especially in the middle of summer. She was sure it wasn't a chipmunk but she disposed of it before I saw it.
I was completely thrown off by that but figured perhaps there is a family of squirrels including some young ones pretty close by.

However, the point is, the battle has begun and I will start getting on the offense.
I'm in the same boat. I'm in a sub-division and there is no way I can pull out the bb rifle and start pegging 'em.

I have the hanging CD's and the shinny spinny wheels(they both do nothing to deter critters), a big scary looking fake owl and three dogs that the critters seem to totally ignore.

Looks like it is time for the chili powder, sprays and fox urine.
Here we go again!

[Raffles]

I thankfully live in a place with a load of barn cats hunting around my garden. Failing that if someone hears my .22 go off their reaction is, "I hope he got the little SOB", and not to call the cops.

[cloz]

I hate to say it, but the only real solution is a pellet gun. You will find that there is a lot more than one squirrel that is eating your tomatoes. If you don't do something to eliminate your squirrels and chipmunks you will not get a harvest. If you are going to trap them, you can always dunk the trap in water and drown them. Sounds horrible but it's them or your garden produce. I've had to remove 15 to 20 squirrels per year from my property in order to get any tomatoes. This year the biggest problem has been the chipmunks, but they currently seem to be under control. My cat has been a big help with them. She likes to play with them till they don't play anymore. I get disposal duty. Over 30 chipmunks this year. I thought there were about a half dozen. There are always many more than you see.

My wife puts out some cayanne pepper and egg concoction for deer and it seems to work but I saw the squirrels and chipmunks romping everywhere she had sprayed it so I doubt that would stop them from eating tomatoes.

Good Luck and I hope you can save your tomatoes.

[BigBrownDogHouse]

Originally Posted by cloz

Good Luck and I hope you can save your tomatoes.

So far, knock on wood, I've picked about a dozen red tomatoes with no teeth marks or chunks out of them. Surprisingly, it was just a few of the green ones.

I grow so many that I wouldn't even mind if they ate a few here and there. It's just when they start going from tomato to tomato sampling everyone.

Pellet gun? I'd have to be like Carl from Caddyshack doing it at night with a flashlight on my gun. The folks behind us pulled out a bb gun about 10 years ago to rid there trees in the backyard from some birds and it caused a mini uproar with the surrounding neighbors.
They had a pool and didn't want the birds around it.

However, my neighbor next door has told me she has just about had it with the chipmunks and it sounds like she might be trapping some and taking them for a deep swim so perhaps the sentiment is changing.

It's hard eliminating them from the entire area because in a sub-division, I cannot go from tree to tree in the area and take them out. I can only deal with those passing through my yard.

Cats really sound like a great solution. Can't happen here though.

[Mark0820]

Just set out a Havahart trap and smear a little smooth peanut butter on it, and you won't have to go from tree to tree to find them.

[BigBrownDogHouse]

I just got some LIQUID FENCE along with some other stuff. Anyone try this before?
I know it says it is for rabbits and deer(I also have rabbits) but I figured I would give it a shot.

I cannot believe how badly this smells, what stench!
I thinking with a smell like this, it has to work! Wicked nasty!

[PeteD]

Originally Posted by BigBrownDogHouse

So far, knock on wood, I've picked about a dozen red tomatoes with no teeth marks or chunks out of them. Surprisingly, it was just a few of the green ones.

I grow so many that I wouldn't even mind if they ate a few here and there. It's just when they start going from tomato to tomato sampling everyone.

Pellet gun? I'd have to be like Carl from Caddyshack doing it at night with a flashlight on my gun. The folks behind us pulled out a bb gun about 10 years ago to rid there trees in the backyard from some birds and it caused a mini uproar with the surrounding neighbors.
They had a pool and didn't want the birds around it.

However, my neighbor next door has told me she has just about had it with the chipmunks and it sounds like she might be trapping some and taking them for a deep swim so perhaps the sentiment is changing.

It's hard eliminating them from the entire area because in a sub-division, I cannot go from tree to tree in the area and take them out. I can only deal with those passing through my yard.

Cats really sound like a great solution. Can't happen here though.

You could consider a Gammo Whisper or the like - pretty quiet. I recommend a .22 pellet gun to be as humane as possible to the squirrels/chipmunks. If not using a Whisper, try to make sure the .22 pellets don't break the sound barrier. One way to do this is to use very heavy pellets, sometimes called magnums. The heavier the pellet, the lower the muzzle velocity, but they still have good stopping power.

One way around the neighbors is to set up some peanuts or something else irresistible to squirrels/chipmunks in view of a window in your house. Open the window/screen, stick just the tip of the barrel out of the window, and blast away. It will help your aim to have a rest for your forward hand to ensure better accuracy.

(This coming from the guy who placed the windows on his tool shed so that it could double as a squirrel blind, mind you.)

Do check your local laws. Even in very gun strict Massachusetts, as long as you are 18, on your property, and do not fire the pellets across a public way, you are perfectly within your rights to kill the rodent pests on your property.

BTW, your neighbor who wanted to shoot the birds was most likely violating federal law, unless they were going to shoot rock doves (pigeons), house sparrows or European starlings. Everything else is protected by the migratory bird laws.

[ChrisK]

I've received the sniper recommendation before as well! ;-)

I looked up the municipal code for Raleigh and it's amusing.

"It shall be unlawful for any person to shoot or discharge within the corporate limits of the City, any air rifle, gun or pistol, or any spring gun, pistol, or other similar device which impels with force any shot or pellet of any kind. The Chief of Police or any member of the Police Department is hereby authorized to seize and hold subject to order of court, any such air rifle, gun or pistol or spring gun or pistol, or other similar device which impels with force any shot or pellet of any kind, which shall be used, shot, or discharged within the City, in violation of this section. <snip stuff about hunting clubs and such>"

Here is the amusing part:

"Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a person over twenty-one (21) years of age using a .22 calibre rifle with blank or shot cartridges upon property owned or occupied by him from firing upon pigeons, squirrels or rats (when not in violation of state law) upon or around an apartment or dwelling or, with written permission of the owner and occupant, another occupied facility, if such person shall first procure a permit from the Chief of Police for such purpose. The permit shall run for not more than ninety (90) days, and shall authorize firing during daylight hours on weekdays only upon premises owned or occupied by the applicant, and shall be revocable by the Chief of Police upon a violation of its conditions or upon complaint that the permit holder is not exercising his privilege in a careful and prudent manner and with due regard to life and property. Permits shall not be issued for property located within one hundred fifty (150) feet of a school or park."

There is a specific exemption for pigeons, squirrels and rats, but one must use .22 cal shot cartridges (sometimes called rat-shot) that have incredibly short range, velocity and penetration power. And you still have to have the depredation permit from the state.


Municipal codes can be found here:


http://www.municode.com/Library/Library.aspx

[Sherry_AK]

We've trapped them in a Havahart trap and relocated them (we use crunchy peanut butter). I don't care (and don't know) whether it's legal or not!

[bcday]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

"Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a person over twenty-one (21) years of age using a .22 calibre rifle with blank or shot cartridges upon property owned or occupied by him from firing upon pigeons, squirrels or rats (when not in violation of state law) upon or around an apartment or dwelling or, with written permission of the owner and occupant, another occupied facility, if such person shall first procure a permit from the Chief of Police for such purpose.

Good grief. The neighbor behind me had a guest one day who was taking aim with a .22 at a squirrel in another neighbor's yard. In the line of fire if he missed? -- the other neighbor's 4-year-old daughter who was playing in the same yard where the squirrel was. And the city code here does not allow discharging firearms or have any exceptions that allow shooting squirrels, pigeons, rats, etc.
Fortunately the little girl's father saw what was going on and the would-be shooter decided it would be best to forget the whole idea.

[ChrisK]

Sounds like your would be shooter needs to go back to gun safety 101.

We're allowed to use *rat-shot* not "regular" .22 ammunition. Rat-shot is tiny pellets in a capsule on the cartridge (think tiny-shotgun shell) and has a very short range (~10 yds) with minimal penetration power. You basically have to be a few feet away from the squirrel to dispatch it.

I just don't want the issues with the neighbors like this guy:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1457771/posts



H-A-H and CO2...quick and painless.

Originally Posted by bcday

Good grief. The neighbor behind me had a guest one day who was taking aim with a .22 at a squirrel in another neighbor's yard. In the line of fire if he missed? -- the other neighbor's 4-year-old daughter who was playing in the same yard where the squirrel was. And the city code here does not allow discharging firearms or have any exceptions that allow shooting squirrels, pigeons, rats, etc.
Fortunately the little girl's father saw what was going on and the would-be shooter decided it would be best to forget the whole idea.

[ScottinAtlanta]

I live in Atlanta, and was losing 100% of my tomatoes, squash, and sweet peppers to the Spawn of Satan (squirrels). Here is my solution - chicken wire - and it works.

[PeteD]

Originally Posted by Sherry_AK

We've trapped them in a Havahart trap and relocated them (we use crunchy peanut butter). I don't care (and don't know) whether it's legal or not!

As a reformed re-locater, I encourage you to reconsider. It is often illegal to transport the wildlife. Also, unless you are relocating 100 miles from anyone else, you are bringing your problem to them. Imagine someone bringing their squirrels to your neighborhood to dump them.

In my opinion, any animals trapped in a HAH trap need to be released in your yard (because you trapped them in the house or other building you want to remove them from), or put down. If you don't have the heart to kill them, then just use fencing or other means to keep them out of your garden.

I do use fencing (hardware cloth) to keep them out and if I start to have a problem, then I will start shooting pellets (with a good backstop of course). But most yards in my area are more than 1-acre, so there is room to do this safely. Obviously, not an option for some people.