[Sca-cooks] fruit trees

[Huette von Ahrens]

--- Daniel  Phelps <phelpsd at gate.net> wrote:

> Was written:
> 
> > I haven't found any effective bird and squirrel deterrents.  My mother
> used to cover the ultra
> > dwarf peach tree with cheesecloth, but that really didn't do any good.
> The apricot trees
> > are 40' and 30' tall.  There isn't much one can do to protect such large
> trees.  Other than
> > perhaps a squirrel stalking cat.  Hmmm ... I should look into hawks and
> owls too, although
> > they probably wouldn't like living in an urban area.
> >
> You can get plastic/fiberglass fake owls, they are used to scare birds and
> might scare squirrels as well.

My neighbor to the south had two of them for the birds.  They didn't scare the birds and
then didn't scare the squirrels.  I have a picture that I took somewhere of a pigeon sits
on one of the "owls".

  There are several types, some are just a
> roosting owl but I think some have wings that move with the wind.  You will
> probably need to move them around.  Is the area the trees are located in
> fenced and the trees placed such that squirrels need to cross open ground to
> get to them? 

Sometimes they do, but these little beggars can jump at least 20 feet.  In mating season, when
the males are chasing each other off from a nubile female, I have seen them jump even farther.

 If so getting/borrowing a dog might work.   

No.  The little beggars would then just go around a dog.  I was hoping that a tree climbing
cat would be the answer.  But I guess not.  I have seen them jump from our 150' pecan tree onto
our shed [about 20 feet], then on to the north fence [4-5 feet], jump from our fence to the
patio cover [4-5 feet] and finally from the patio cover to the apricot tree [about 15 feet].

When they aren't chasing each other, they usually take the easy way ... the ground.

Regards squirrels
> there are always wire noose snares 

how do you make a wire noose snare?

and if the area is sufficently rural the
> old 22.  They may be rats with good PR but they are tasty rats.

Not rural at all.  Very urban.  I would be arrested for shooting them.  The sheriff station
is not far from our house.

Huette


Remember that while money talks, chocolate sings.


		
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