Possums!!!
 

Yes, those damned possums... a never-ending battle here.
My poor fruit trees and silver birches in particular have taken a
hammering this year.

One thing I have found effective is a mixture of lard and kero - I
wiped some around my young silver birches trunks (and any nearby
posts) and 6 months later, no further damage thus far.
But I can't do that to every tree, of course.

Anyway, what I really want to find out is - how high can a possum jump
from ground level? I reckon the only way I can keep my fruit orchard
possum free is to build a corrugated iron fence around the whole
orchard, then a large frame over the lot and cover with bird netting -
this should keep all birds and possums out. The fence will have other
benefits, too, such as keeping the wind out and providing a new pen
for poultry.

The only question is how high to build the fence, anyone have any
ideas on that?

Thanks.

Possums!!!
 

Jeßus wrote:
Yes, those damned possums... a never-ending battle here.
My poor fruit trees and silver birches in particular have taken a
hammering this year.

One thing I have found effective is a mixture of lard and kero - I
wiped some around my young silver birches trunks (and any nearby
posts) and 6 months later, no further damage thus far.
But I can't do that to every tree, of course.

Anyway, what I really want to find out is - how high can a possum jump
from ground level? I reckon the only way I can keep my fruit orchard
possum free is to build a corrugated iron fence around the whole
orchard, then a large frame over the lot and cover with bird netting -
this should keep all birds and possums out. The fence will have other
benefits, too, such as keeping the wind out and providing a new pen
for poultry.

The only question is how high to build the fence, anyone have any
ideas on that?

Thanks.

Do you mean these

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum

or these?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppossum

David

Possums!!!
 

On Mon, 1 Apr 2013 09:42:57 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

Jeßus wrote:
Yes, those damned possums... a never-ending battle here.
My poor fruit trees and silver birches in particular have taken a
hammering this year.

One thing I have found effective is a mixture of lard and kero - I
wiped some around my young silver birches trunks (and any nearby
posts) and 6 months later, no further damage thus far.
But I can't do that to every tree, of course.

Anyway, what I really want to find out is - how high can a possum jump
from ground level? I reckon the only way I can keep my fruit orchard
possum free is to build a corrugated iron fence around the whole
orchard, then a large frame over the lot and cover with bird netting -
this should keep all birds and possums out. The fence will have other
benefits, too, such as keeping the wind out and providing a new pen
for poultry.

The only question is how high to build the fence, anyone have any
ideas on that?

Thanks.

Do you mean these

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum

or these?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppossum

LOL. I'm an Aussie, posting on an Aussie group.
So, the former :)

Possums!!!
 

Jeßus wrote:
On Mon, 1 Apr 2013 09:42:57 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

Jeßus wrote:
Yes, those damned possums... a never-ending battle here.
My poor fruit trees and silver birches in particular have taken a
hammering this year.

One thing I have found effective is a mixture of lard and kero - I
wiped some around my young silver birches trunks (and any nearby
posts) and 6 months later, no further damage thus far.
But I can't do that to every tree, of course.

Anyway, what I really want to find out is - how high can a possum
jump from ground level? I reckon the only way I can keep my fruit
orchard possum free is to build a corrugated iron fence around the
whole orchard, then a large frame over the lot and cover with bird
netting - this should keep all birds and possums out. The fence
will have other benefits, too, such as keeping the wind out and
providing a new pen for poultry.

The only question is how high to build the fence, anyone have any
ideas on that?

Thanks.

Do you mean these

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possum

or these?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppossum

LOL. I'm an Aussie, posting on an Aussie group.
So, the former :)

The possum of Oz is fearsome opponent, the sight of a net will make it want
to chew holes and the sight of a fence will make it want to climb. They do
both very well. Unless your fence is smooth metal that has no grip for
strong little claws I would be running an electric wire on standoffs to
deter it. If they get to the bird net they will get in. In a tree they can
jump quite a distance, a metre or more I guess, whether they would jump from
ground to mesh over a gal iron fence I have no idea.

D

Possums!!!
 

Je?us wrote:
Anyway, what I really want to find out is - how high can a possum jump
from ground level? I reckon the only way I can keep my fruit orchard
possum free is to build a corrugated iron fence around the whole
orchard, then a large frame over the lot and cover with bird netting -
this should keep all birds and possums out. The fence will have other
benefits, too, such as keeping the wind out and providing a new pen
for poultry.

Netting should effective on birds, but I doubt it will not be effective
against a possum that gets over your fence. You should trim or remove
trees within 3 meters of your fence so a possum can't jump from a tree
onto your netting.

NOTE: A possum is a rabbit that lives in a tree and should be given
the same respect with which we treat rabbits. Eradication!

What are the laws on trapping possums? If legal, it should be less
expensive than the cost of the fence. I have two Rabbit traps and
catch 3 to 4 rabbits a day - more on the weekend when I have time to
reset the traps more often.

The only question is how high to build the fence, anyone have any
ideas on that?

Given a large possum is 30 cm, I doubt they could jump over a 1 meter
fence. But they could climb it if they could sink their nails into
the fence.

Dick

Possums!!!
 

Dick Adams wrote:
Je?us wrote:
Anyway, what I really want to find out is - how high can a possum jump
from ground level? I reckon the only way I can keep my fruit orchard
possum free is to build a corrugated iron fence around the whole
orchard, then a large frame over the lot and cover with bird netting -
this should keep all birds and possums out. The fence will have other
benefits, too, such as keeping the wind out and providing a new pen
for poultry.

Netting should effective on birds, but I doubt it will not be effective
against a possum that gets over your fence. You should trim or remove
trees within 3 meters of your fence so a possum can't jump from a tree
onto your netting.

NOTE: A possum is a rabbit that lives in a tree and should be given
the same respect with which we treat rabbits. Eradication!

What are the laws on trapping possums? If legal, it should be less
expensive than the cost of the fence. I have two Rabbit traps and
catch 3 to 4 rabbits a day - more on the weekend when I have time to
reset the traps more often.

It is legal to trap possums but not to kill them (you have to let them
go again) which is a complete waste of time,If you release them far away
another will take their place.


The only question is how high to build the fence, anyone have any
ideas on that?

Given a large possum is 30 cm, I doubt they could jump over a 1 meter
fence. But they could climb it if they could sink their nails into
the fence.

Dick

Possums!!!
 

On Fri, 12 Apr 2013 03:07:27 +0000 (UTC), (Dick
Adams) wrote:

Je?us wrote:
Anyway, what I really want to find out is - how high can a possum jump
from ground level? I reckon the only way I can keep my fruit orchard
possum free is to build a corrugated iron fence around the whole
orchard, then a large frame over the lot and cover with bird netting -
this should keep all birds and possums out. The fence will have other
benefits, too, such as keeping the wind out and providing a new pen
for poultry.

Netting should effective on birds, but I doubt it will not be effective
against a possum that gets over your fence. You should trim or remove
trees within 3 meters of your fence so a possum can't jump from a tree
onto your netting.

NOTE: A possum is a rabbit that lives in a tree and should be given
the same respect with which we treat rabbits. Eradication!

What are the laws on trapping possums? If legal, it should be less
expensive than the cost of the fence. I have two Rabbit traps and
catch 3 to 4 rabbits a day - more on the weekend when I have time to
reset the traps more often.

The only question is how high to build the fence, anyone have any
ideas on that?

G'day my local MP's namesake,

Just to be clear, I'm referring to Australian possums...

Yes, bird netting isn't much defense but I would be able to build a
corrugated iron fence around all 33 trees - just need to work out how
high to build the fence... there is no way they could climb up the
corrugated iron, but could jump over it if not high enough...

Then, either bird wire or netting over the top of the lot, sitting on
a framework. That's the plan anyway...

Given a large possum is 30 cm, I doubt they could jump over a 1 meter
fence. But they could climb it if they could sink their nails into
the fence.

Hmm. Come to think of it, it may be they don't seem to like to jump
vertically from the ground... at least when I think about which trees
have sustained damage around the property, all have had posts or
fences nearby making climbing easy.

Cheers

Possums!!!
 

On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:47:45 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:


The possum of Oz is fearsome opponent, the sight of a net will make it want
to chew holes and the sight of a fence will make it want to climb. They do
both very well. Unless your fence is smooth metal that has no grip for
strong little claws I would be running an electric wire on standoffs to
deter it.

Yep, which is why I want to use corrugated iron, with the fence
framework and posts on the *inside* of the orchard. There's no way
they could climb up corrugated iron.

If they get to the bird net they will get in. In a tree they can
jump quite a distance, a metre or more I guess, whether they would jump from
ground to mesh over a gal iron fence I have no idea.

That's what I need to find out - how high can the buggers jump
vertically off the ground? There is plenty of clear space around the
orchard so they won't be able to jump from another object either.

Possums!!!
 

"Jeßus" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:47:45 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:


The possum of Oz is fearsome opponent, the sight of a net will make it
want
to chew holes and the sight of a fence will make it want to climb. They
do
both very well. Unless your fence is smooth metal that has no grip for
strong little claws I would be running an electric wire on standoffs to
deter it.

Yep, which is why I want to use corrugated iron, with the fence
framework and posts on the *inside* of the orchard. There's no way
they could climb up corrugated iron.

If they get to the bird net they will get in. In a tree they can
jump quite a distance, a metre or more I guess, whether they would jump
from
ground to mesh over a gal iron fence I have no idea.

That's what I need to find out - how high can the buggers jump
vertically off the ground? There is plenty of clear space around the
orchard so they won't be able to jump from another object either.

The usual rule of thumb is "A creature can jump 6 inches higher than the
fence you erect"

This site has some useful info
http://treelogic.com.au/facts/2007/11/possums-trees/

"
How far can a possum jump?

The bushy-tailed Brushtails are agile climbers and are able to leap
significant distances as they traverse the urban forest. The distance they
can jump is dependent on their take-off platform, whether they can get a
run-up to it and also how far vertically they need to jump. The more
vertical the distance they have to cover, the shorter the distance they can
leap (Cavanagh, 2007).
An agile (young) possum can leap from a fixed, solid base, up to 2.5m
horizontally or downwards, around 1.2m at an angle of nearly 50º to the
horizontal (close to optimum of 45º) and with a run-up, 1.7 m upwards at an
angle of around 18º. Vertical jumping appears to be less than 1m (Cavanagh,
2007)."



And this site doesn't hold out much hope
http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2007/may07-1.html but does provide subject matter
for a blog.



Mike

Possums!!!
 

On Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:38:16 +1000, Jeßus wrote:

On Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:47:45 +1000, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:


The possum of Oz is fearsome opponent, the sight of a net will make it
want to chew holes and the sight of a fence will make it want to climb.
They do both very well. Unless your fence is smooth metal that has no
grip for strong little claws I would be running an electric wire on
standoffs to deter it.

Yep, which is why I want to use corrugated iron, with the fence
framework and posts on the *inside* of the orchard. There's no way they
could climb up corrugated iron.

If they get to the bird net they will get in. In a tree they can jump
quite a distance, a metre or more I guess, whether they would jump from
ground to mesh over a gal iron fence I have no idea.

That's what I need to find out - how high can the buggers jump
vertically off the ground? There is plenty of clear space around the
orchard so they won't be able to jump from another object either.

How far can a possum jump?
http://treelogic.com.au/facts/2007/11/possums-trees/


Not having possum problems, had a quiet chuckle at this one, though I can
understand the frustration.
See last sentence also; may be some value in contact?
http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2007/may07-1.html


Apparently 5 varieties of possum in Tassie
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=4867

HTH. Good luck with your trials and tribulations. Trust you can find a
possum friendly solution.

Agreed to you, these little possums are looking innocent but they are very danger for crop.

Possums!!!
 

Jeßus writes:
One thing I have found effective is a mixture of lard and kero - I
wiped some around my young silver birches trunks (and any nearby
posts) and 6 months later, no further damage thus far.
But I can't do that to every tree, of course.

I've heard Graham Ross say that he is having 100% success in keeping
possums off the fruit trees in his garden with ultrasonic horns. If
you look at some web sites you'll see these are large impressive
speakers, so they probably put out quite a screech to disuade the
inquisitive possum.

I suppose the device needn't be operating while the sun is shining, with
possums being usually nocturnal.

I'll take note next time when he mentions the manufacturer of the
unit he is using.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

Possums!!!
 

On 24 May 2013 16:43:50 GMT, John Savage
wrote:

Jeßus writes:
One thing I have found effective is a mixture of lard and kero - I
wiped some around my young silver birches trunks (and any nearby
posts) and 6 months later, no further damage thus far.
But I can't do that to every tree, of course.

I've heard Graham Ross say that he is having 100% success in keeping
possums off the fruit trees in his garden with ultrasonic horns. If
you look at some web sites you'll see these are large impressive
speakers, so they probably put out quite a screech to disuade the
inquisitive possum.

I suppose the device needn't be operating while the sun is shining, with
possums being usually nocturnal.

I'll take note next time when he mentions the manufacturer of the
unit he is using.

A belated thank you... I'll have a look at these ultrasonic horns,
cheers :)

Possums!!!
 

I had the same corrugated iron idea for possums, we had one possum living in our roof for years, when another one moved I put a fake rubber snake on the power line where it entered, after it left in the evening and it never came back. One of my friends, did a bulk buy of rubber snakes off the Internet and that kept allot of fruit bats off his trees. They pick up the shape with their sonar, the same snake fooled my cat. Might fool birds as well. Give it a try.

Possums!!!
 

On Sun, 3 Aug 2014 20:27:58 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I had the same corrugated iron idea for possums, we had one possum living in our roof for years, when another one moved I put a fake rubber snake on the power line where it entered, after it left in the evening and it never came back. One of my friends, did a bulk buy of rubber snakes off the Internet and that kept allot of fruit bats off his trees. They pick up the shape with their sonar, the same snake fooled my cat. Might fool birds as well. Give it a try.

Thanks, that might work on possums... not sure what the peacock and
geese would make of them though, the rubber snakes might not stay in
one piece for long if they got their beaks on them :)