On Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:07:50 -0700, Billy
wrote:
:In article ,
: Dan Musicant wrote:
:
: On Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:31:54 -0700, Dan Musicant
: wrote:
:
: :They all seem to look pretty much alike, orange/brown, bushy tales,
: :don't know how else to describe them except that they are very common in
: :Berkeley, CA. What exact variety of squirrel is this? One in particular
: :has been raveging my pumpkin/squash patch, having eaten most or part of
: :at least 11 of my current crop. I'm trying to research the beast. I have
: :a trap on order, but until it gets here, well, I'm getting at least 2
: :casualties a day.
: :
:
an
: :
: :
: :Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net
:
: This squirrel is smart, very smart. It did a Houdini to escape my live
: squirrel trap, just bought on eBay, 16 x 6 x 6 inches. It definitely was
: in the trap and escaped. I think it's probably a red squirrel. I tried
: the live trap again, and the damned thing got the bait out of the trap
: without going inside. Masterful! I had peanut buttered the last 5" or so
: of a stick and set it into the trap from above. Hard to believe the
: rodent figured out how to get that stick out, but it did and ate all the
: PNB. I think it's probably the same squirrel that's been harassing me
: for 3 years or so, but he's getting better and better. He stopped
: hitting the rat traps I have out there (around 6, all baited with PN
: butter).
:
: I deduced that the live trap isn't big enough. This is a BIG squirrel. I
: saw it again today and I think the nose to end of tail it's about 20-22
: inches. The tail keeps the gate from closing on the trap and it somehow
: got out, either turning around inside or lifting its tail and backing
: out. I thought of returning the trap and ordering a bigger one but
: instead I modified the trap today, adding 10" to the length with some
: wire mesh I had lying around. I have it set now, and think this time I'm
: likely to get the bugger. I'm going to let it out several miles from my
: house.
:
: Dan
:
:
:
: Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net
:
o you have too many trees to put chicken wire collars around them, or
:wrap your fruit in? I certainly understand your anger, but is there any
:concession you could make to keep the squirrels happy without destroying
:your plants. I give mine a walnut a day, away from the garden, and
:loosely wrap chicken wire, 5' to 6' up around the trees where they
:access my garden. It has worked for me, YMMV.
I don't care if they climb my two plum trees. I see them in those trees
frequently, and they can have all the plums they want. There's more than
I can use in anycase. Birds get a lot of them, but again, I don't care
particularly.
But the pumpkins are another matter. I can't keep them safe from a
squirrel determined to eat them. What I do do is grow them up trellises
made of long bamboo. This protects most of the crop from squirrels, and
95% of my currently maturing crop is so situated. The ones on the ground
have either been picked by me or at least partially eaten by
squirrel(s). More than a dozen were hit by squirrel(s). There are maybe
1/2 dozen left on the ground, mostly seemingly not noticed by the
rodent(s). I have a few tucked into ~1' high containers, where the
rodent(s) can't see them. I haven't checked the lengthened (now 26")
trap this morning. Want to give time for the rodent to hit the patch (I
read in Wikipedia today, that they like to go out foraging after dawn
and about dusk to avoid both predators and noon-day heat), but it's been
only a sometime thing lately, so maybe, maybe not.
Dan
Email: dmusicant at pacbell dot net