Tip: Keeping Squirrels off of Fruit Trees
Archived on 08/31/2009
Keeping squirrels from harvesting your apples and pears. Puncture a hole in a few aluminum pie plates, tie them singly with twine to the lower branches of your fruit trees. The clanging will scare them away.
By Chell
Feedback:
RE: Keeping Squirrels off of Fruit Trees
Here is a recipe called Squirrel Beaters Tonic
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2 Tbsp. of cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp. of tabasco sauce
- 2 Tbsp. of chilli pepper
- 1 Tbsp. of Murphy Oil Soap
- 1 quart of warm water
Mix all together and pour in a hand sprayer and spray all over fruit. Hope it works for you. I have not tried it yet but plan to.
(05/20/2008)
By Raymond
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Request: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Archived on 08/31/2009
This year, we are over-run with squirrels. They are even picking green apples off my tree, taking a bite out of them, then tossing them to the ground. A late freeze killed most fruits, so I'd like to keep the few apples I have left. If anyone has ideas on what to do to deter these pests, I'd appreciate all the help I can get.
Susan from Arkansas
Feedback:
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Let them eat, squirrels are not a pest, they are an essential part of nature. Enjoy them in their habitat, leave them alone.
Solution: Squrrels can't go to the shops and buy apples, you can, so why not do that. (06/17/2007)
By A Drachmann
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I guess that I did not make myself clear in my first post. The problem is not whether or not I get apples, but with the sheer number of squirrels we are bombarded with this summer. We have a pecan tree that was planted when our house was built in 1902 that is huge. We also have an oak tree. Neighbors have numerous trees, so there is always plenty of food for them, yet they are not happy.
They have destroyed my garden (this summer I've planted it 4 times), have raided my berry patches (strawberry, raspberry, gooseberry, and blueberry), dug up and killed several plants in my flower beds, made their way through my flower boxes, and dug up most of my potted plants on my porch --who knew squirrels liked avacado pits that had already grown into trees? They go into my German shepherd's pen when he is asleep, to eat his food and squeeze into my cat's pen when he is in the house to eat his cat food. I've put out squirrel feeders that you place corn cobs on hoping that they'd leave other things alone, but that idea failed. They've destroyed a bird feeder I paid over $150 for that was supposed to be squirrel-proof (metal is only a minor deterrent to them). They have eaten through our phone and cable TV lines, dug into our home's eaves trying to nest in our attic (we have a 3-story house, so it's no small matter to repair the damage), got caught in our electric lines where they've gotten fried so badly that we've lost our electricity at times, and dug out the cement between the bricks of our chimney to nest in it. Did I mention that they've destroyed our roof to the point that it had to be replaced? Do you know how hard it is to find someone to reroof a home as tall as ours with a pitch this steep in a small town? The reroof cost us $20,000, we are not rich people.
Living in town, these animals are able to jump from tree to tree to fence to house to garage, to get around. Now I love animals. I take ones in that others have thrown out and find homes for them. I volunteer at our local shelter. I'm the person who carries dog food in the car to put out for starving dogs I cannot catch. But these squirrels are a destructive nuisance. There are far too many to catch and I simply am bewildered on how to handle them.
Suggestions would be appreciated. (06/17/2007)
By susanmajp
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
My friend used pepper spray. Spray it as close to the nests as possible. Spray them if you can. They hate it! Guess what? Every squirrel left their yard. No more at all! Neighbors might be upset because the move elsewhere but they can buy spray too! : ) (06/18/2007)
By Debbie Columbia, SC
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Jerry Baker, garden "expert" claimed the squirrels are just thirsty and that if you keep a bird bath full of water nearby, they will not eat the apples. This works for us. Good luck and God bless you. : ) (06/19/2007)
By Lynda
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Coyote urine works for me, don't try and just use it around 1 tree, put it around your entire property, maybe even your neighbors. The stuff isn't cheap but if you are clever you can find ways to stretch it. (06/22/2007)
By reallybarb
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Feed them some peanuts and give them water. They love peanuts much more than apples. (06/27/2007)
By gardenman
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I have just experienced raccoons eating apples from a new dwarf trees. I am very frustrated. We are in a residential area. I was going to hang windchimes from the limbs to alert me when they were "stealing" but I would probably be asleep.
They have traps for catching mice that work very well. I would think one could construct one larger for raccoons or squirrels and then take the occupant on a nice drive. It is a rectangle with one door that lets them push in to enter and get the goodie, but then is too long for them to push back out.
I also had more fun watching squirrels I was trying to detract from my bird feeder by tying peanuts in the foot section of a pair of tights. When I used string like rope, they got them down in 1 min. But when I used an electric cord they could not chew through so easily it stayed on the tree limb. They could not chew through the tights either. It was on a limb in a fir tree and they were hanging on it and that limb would go way up and down like a bungee cord while they were trying to get the nuts. They hung on for dear life as it kept going up and down. It was wild watching them.
Also, another thought, if seeds are left on the ground it could attract rodants. (09/28/2007)
By Shaleena
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Squirrels are a huge problem in my yard. They eat the buds, flowers and fruit if there is any left on my apple and pear trees. The neighbor feeds them peanuts, filberts, walnuts, corn plus there are several bird feeders. We also have 3 birdbaths and a pond where they can get water. So it is not because they don't have anything to eat. We also have 19 fir trees so they eat the pine cones also. They chew on my wooden mason bee houses and bird feeders of which I don't fill anymore. One of the squirrel proof feeders I purchased, they learned how to unhook the latch. I thought it was accidental or coincidental but it is not. It has been repeatedly unlatched. Last year I hung pouches of fox urine crystals in the fruit trees and had limited success. I am going to try hanging moth balls in the trees this year. (04/15/2008)
By Mars
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I read that hanging 1-foot long nylons filled with mothballs at various places in the tree will deter the squirrels. After three years of EVERY apple disappearing after growing to 1-2 inch diameter, I'm trying it this year! (05/14/2008)
By Ernie
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I put an oscillating sprinkler under my almond tree, one of those long ones that go back and forth, and this seems to scare the squirrels away. I almost have a full crop this year. (5/26/08) (05/26/2008)
By Bill
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I've always had a dog who chased the squirrels when given the chance. She died last year and the squirrels have started to eat our strawberries as well. If you can get a dog that would work good, if not definitely do not befriend the squirrels. (06/21/2008)
By Ken
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Relax people, let these critters live. They don't know that the apples "belong" to someone. They are merely trying to survive. A.drachmann is right- go to the store and buy apples. Let these creatures eat. (06/29/2008)
By maddy
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Try bottle rockets, they're loud and harmless, just sit out on your porch quietly and launch at the first sign of trouble. They should hopefully relocate to get away from the fireworks. (09/19/2008)
By Chris
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I use the cheap rubber snakes available in the toy section of your dollar store or other. Hang them in your trees, changing their location everyday or so. Works for me. (09/30/2008)
By Toebeanie
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Thanks for all the ideas, I think I will try the mothballs next year. I had baffles under the tree which helped for a while then as the apples matured they wiped them all out in one week. Since they are small trees, I could not get the baffles any higher than 4 ft. So much for spraying weekly.
I had tried years ago to trap them in Have a Hart traps but after trapping approximately 40 and moving them to a location 2 miles away on the other side of a lake I noticed I trapped the same one a week later. Did I move the same one all the time?
Since then I read that you need to move them 20 miles or so and with the price of gas, so much for trapping. (10/23/2008)
By Don B
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
To find out if you are deporting the same squirrel from your block. Catch the squirrel, hung a jingle bell to it's neck, paint the tell with a florescent paint, red, yellow, orange and release it. (07/06/2009)
By shabazwarda
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I have been fighting those beautiful animals for several years, I have pear, apple, peach trees, cherry trees, and grapes. They chew on the apple and pear until they get to the seed, they eat the seeds and through the rest. Very wasteful.
Each Squirrel has its own zone of trees, if you get rid of one, you are resting for at least 10 days, until the rest of squirrels know that nobody own that zone, they they move in fighting each others until one of them wins.
(07/06/2009)
By shabazwarda
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Request: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Archived on 06/16/2007
Q: Is there a way to discourage squirrels from feasting in my garden? They have eaten every apple on my three trees.
Diane
A: Diane,
This is a tough problem. Other than tying a cat or dog out to guard your tree, your best line of defense is trying to discourage squirrels from climbing it in the first place. Here are a few suggestions:
Attach a 2-3 ft wide metal collar/baffle around the trunk about 6 ft. up from the ground. Use one that is fastened with springs to allow for expansion as the tree trunk grows.
If possible, remove branches less than 6 ft from the ground and those that come within 6 ft of other trees or buildings.
If squirrels are using a telephone or cable wire to access you tree, you can slip a plastic disk or some 10-inch PVC tubing over the wire to prevent squirrels from crossing it. CAUTION: DO NOT do this to power lines! It's very dangerous!
I have a flowering crab tree in my backyard. I feed birds from feeders in my front yard. For the past 5 years I have offered the squirrels and chipmunks a pan of black-oil sunflower seeds a few feet away from the feeders at the base of another tree. So far this has successfully kept them from raiding the rest of my feeders and my apple tree. I haven't noticed any increases in their population, but I admit there may be other forces at work-a large predatory bird population and (unfortunately) several neighborhood cats on the prowl.
By Ellen Brown
More Answers:
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Could it be raccoons? They love apples too. And they will come at night and seem to have very large tummies. (08/29/2005)
By valleyrimgirl
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I hadn't thought of raccoons - maybe they are in on this too. I have seen the squirrels boldly sitting in the trees eating though. Whatever it is, I desparately need a solution. After all the work of pruning and spraying, it is very discouraging to watch the apples disappear before they even ripen. (08/29/2005)
By Diane
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Raccoons do NOT like the smell of vinegar. My mom just read that in a magazine article to me last night. Place jars with vinegar at the base of the tree and poke holes in the lid of the jar. This supposedly works to keep the raccoons out of a corn patch. I would think that they would then not climb the apple tree.
If it is squirrels... I do not know if that would work. Squirrels jump from tree to tree. Do you have netting that you can put over the tree? What about picking the apples? Are they close to being ready...even if you have to make all of them into apple pies (with lots of sugar) at least you would get to eat the apples, not the squirrels. What about giving the squirrels an alternate source of food (to deter them)?What about spraying a mixture of cayenne pepper on the tree? They HATE that taste. All you would have to do later is wash the apples off.
What do you think? (08/29/2005)
By valleyrimgirl
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
If you have a lot of trees around your's and the neighboring properties, it is like you are in a squirrel run!
If you and your neighbors have bird feeders in yards that squirrels can get to, it will encourage them to hang around. For us it was a problem keeping the squirrels from eating from the bird feeder. Eliminate food sources is a help ... not always the answer ... but a start.
There are traps that you can trap and release to another area; we have a park that hubby releases them to. We have released hundreds over the years. We have three traps ... one high price purchased and two cheaper ones purchased at a yard sale.
Squirrels are smart little things, and it always seems like they have the upper hand in figuring out how to get the fruits! It is a battle of the witts!
I don't think there is any perfect solution.
(08/31/2005)
By syd
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
Source: http://www.garden.org/pestlibrary/animals.php?q=show&id=1795
These furry rodents are regulars at many backyard birdfeeders and will also attack a variety of garden targets such as young seedlings, berries, fruits, and vegetables. They even have been known to decapitate flowers such as tulips -- seemingly just for fun. Chipmunks are particularly good at unearthing bulbs, eating freshly planted seeds, and munching on maturing root crops.
Control
These rodents are smart. Given time, they'll find a way to get to their desired target. As with birds, it's best to vary your approach every so often to keep the rodents off balance. An good exclusion trick is to place a baffle on fruit tree trunks or bird feeder poles. New "squirrel-proof" feeders appear frequently in catalogs -- they may feature counter-weighted or electrified perches that surprise the critters when they visit the feeder. Some gardeners have had success spraying animal repellents such as cayenne pepper mix, predator urine, mothballs, and commercial formulas on or around plants. Others have had short-term success using ultrasonic noisemakers or setting up separate squirrel-feeding stations to lure them away from the garden. Trapping is the surest way to remove problem rodents. Live traps are very effective for particularly pesky squirrels or chipmunks. However, don't expect to control a whole population with trapping -- there are always more squirrels and chipmunks waiting to move in. (09/04/2005)
By Anonymous, NY
RE: Squirrels Eating My Apples
I had a problem with squirrels eating my strawberries.I put a electric radio under a 5 gallon pail and turned on the music to a country and western station. No more squirrel. And now wonderful berries. Hope this works for you. (09/09/2005)
By Kinga Duchin
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