On 7/7/2011 6:22 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Steve Peek wrote:
"j" wrote in message
...
On 7/7/2011 9:01 AM, Frank wrote:
On 7/7/2011 8:38 AM, j wrote:
I've got about a 4 year old peach, and a few blueberries.

Last year, the peaches mysteriously vanished one day, even though
I had sorta draped netting over them.

Is there an alternative, and when should I be ready for the
assault?
Netting an 11' tree is no easy matter!

Also, I have some clusters of peaches, should I thin out the
extras?
Jeff

Possible deer problem.

Not here.

If so, netting will work used as a fence around
the tree. You want space between net and tree.

I've also seen fallen peaches eaten by groundhogs but never had a
bird problem when I had peach trees.

Squirrels? The grounds are patrolled by guard cats though.

My neighbor claims it is birds, and she has never harvested a peach.
Other neighbor has a dwarf that has no problems.` Maybe rug rats...

Jeff


I would suspect either squirrels of some variety of 2 legged varmint.
With squirrels you would find some evidence of the fruit (skins and
bits of pits), only two legged varmints carry away everything.
Steve

Here possums will take away everything.

There was nothing left last year, it was like they never had fruit.

Possums are not uncommon here. I had several that used the cat door
and were perfectly at home with the cats. Took a while to trap and
remove. Used to also see racoons, very clever critters. The cats were
not friendly to them, but did not pick fights.

I'm on the edge of woodlands here in Atlanta. No deer though.

I do see mass migrations of blackbirds, among others, but I would
have thought they were messy eaters and would leave a lot of damaged
fruit. Here, nothing.

j


D