"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101ced93e3b9aca00434c696a.1ced9dd@p mug.org...
writes:

They are squirrel recipes.

I have a friend that would probably eat it if I got the dratted thing.


Now, if you can come up with a way to get that apricot eating
squirrel.
Maybe you need to find a bait that tastes even better to him than
apricots.

The problem is he *doesn't* eat the apricots. A herd of squirrels
couldn't have eaten all he has destroyed. (Do squirrels have herds,
flocks, litters, what?) He just takes a bite out and drops it all,
cot
and bite. This past week, he has started taking the pit, or it seems
like
it as there are apricot halves on the ground. Of course, there are
also a
good supply of pits as well so he may be just pulling them apart and
dropping the entire fruit.

That is, truly, frustrating.



I really wouldn't mind sharing, because if he were eating them, there
would have been plenty for us all. It's the total waste that is
angering.
That and the horrible mess under the tree which will now be
attracting
hornets, ripe apricots all over. Because so many are in pieces, it's
impossible to pick it all up off the ground. :-(

My eventual plan is to graze the chickens in the orchard. They will
efficiently pick up all the deadfalls and most of the bugs.

Hmmm... I just got a wicked idea! Some breeds of geese are known for
their bad temperment. Maybe a half dozen big mean geese would keep the
tree rats away.



Also, if he ate them, he'd make a good apricot sauteed squirrel dish!
g

Or, there is always the motion activated sprinkler mentioned
in another thread. ;-)

If I thought it would work, I'd do it. He doesn't like water; if I
could
stand out there with the garden hose all day, I'd have apricots.
However,
the sprinkler, because of the tree movement (wind in the branches)
would
be set off all the time. Even my light goes off constantly because of
it
and it's "aimed" low to try to avoid the problem.

Thank you for the reminder, however, about the sprinkler. A friend
told
me about a noise thing that I will try if I have a good crop next
year,
but it's too late for this year. As I type, the only cots left are in
the
top of the tree, beyond my reach. :-(

It would have been nice to be able to take some to FISH, they are so
very
good and not that common in our region (Portland, Oregon, area) since
our
climate is not the best for pit fruit. It would have been a nice
treat
for folks. Maybe next year. Does this mean I should hope for another
cold winter?

I'm trying to be grateful he's not in the garden. However, if he
were,
I'd have used a shotgun on him a long time ago. Well, maybe not, but
would have a better chance of getting him into a trap. At least I can
dream.g I've even set the trap on on the roof hoping he'd go in it
there, but no, he doesn't like walnut halves, peanuts (raw or
roasted),
peanut butter, sunflower seeds, or corn.

Glenna
becoming a squirrel detestor
and hoping this one doesn't
bring youngsters to teach them!


Have you ever seen those tangle foot mouse traps? They are,
essentially, really thick fly paper for mice. I don't like them because
I don't think they're very humane. [1] The mice in our new place,
however, are very good at removing the bait from the snap traps without
setting them off. I think the previous owners bred them for subtlety.
;-)

Anyhow, perhaps you can get a bunch of them and attach them to the trunk
of the tree. Then, you would turn your tree into a sundew plant. Once
you catch the squirrel, however, you are going to have to kill it to
keep it from suffering. Unless you have some kind of solvent, getting a
furry animal unstuck isn't likely.


Ray Drouillard





[1] When we use them, we check them frequently, and quickly kill any
trapped mice. Unsticking a mouse from one of those traps is nigh
impossible.

Glenna Rose said:

I'm trying to be grateful he's not in the garden. However, if he were,
I'd have used a shotgun on him a long time ago. Well, maybe not, but
would have a better chance of getting him into a trap. At least I can
dream.g I've even set the trap on on the roof hoping he'd go in it
there, but no, he doesn't like walnut halves, peanuts (raw or roasted),
peanut butter, sunflower seeds, or corn.

Since he's popping open the apricots for the pits, why not try almonds
as a bait? Maybe smear almond paste on the trap pan...

There are professional baits for squirrels (which I've used to live trap
chipmunks) that smell fantastically good. I bought mine from bugspray.com.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)