This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will understand.
I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home we didn't
have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the fruit we had
rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had rats. Our
first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My question is how do
we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to cut them down, they
are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests. Any ideas?

On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 01:22:27 GMT, "99windstar"
wrote:

This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will understand.
I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home we didn't
have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the fruit we had
rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had rats. Our
first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My question is how do
we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to cut them down, they
are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests. Any ideas?


Dig up the trees and give them to the neighbors or get some snakes to
take care of the rats.

zhan

We have snakes too but they don't help with the rat population. We want to
keep the trees.
Anyone else have any suggestions?

"BillandJeny" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 01:22:27 GMT, "99windstar"
wrote:

This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will
understand.
I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home we didn't
have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the fruit we
had
rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had rats. Our
first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My question is how
do
we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to cut them down, they
are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests. Any ideas?


Dig up the trees and give them to the neighbors or get some snakes to
take care of the rats.

zhan

"99windstar" wrote in message
news:IzzOd.16620$uc.5312@trnddc04...
We have snakes too but they don't help with the rat population. We want to
keep the trees.
Anyone else have any suggestions?

"BillandJeny" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 01:22:27 GMT, "99windstar"
wrote:

This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will
understand.
I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home we didn't
have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the fruit we
had
rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had rats. Our
first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My question is
how
do
we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to cut them down,
they
are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests. Any ideas?


Dig up the trees and give them to the neighbors or get some snakes to
take care of the rats.

zhan

rat traps?

There exist fruit-set retardant chemicals (essentially plant hormones) that
will cause early flower drop and thus preclude fruit formation. These
chemicals are supposed to be innocuous enough, but be sure to investigate
them fully.

Short of that, I know that a pesticide called sevin (carbaryl) at the right
dosage may also cause flower abscission in the apple group, but I would put
up with the rats myself.,,,

Or get up on a ladder and wassail the darned fruits off.

Good luck

--
Mike LaMana, MS, CTE
Consulting Forester & Arborist
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net



"99windstar" wrote in message
news:nHyOd.16454$uc.13475@trnddc04...
This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will
understand. I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home
we didn't have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the
fruit we had rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had
rats. Our first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My
question is how do we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to
cut them down, they are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests.
Any ideas?

"99windstar" wrote in message
news:nHyOd.16454$uc.13475@trnddc04...
This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will
understand.
I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home we didn't
have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the fruit we
had
rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had rats. Our
first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My question is how
do
we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to cut them down, they
are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests. Any ideas?



Interplant with rat-traps?

More seriously after two years I would not be so certain that the only
reason rats arrive is the fruit. You need more information before coming to
a conclusion. Rodents often have quite cyclic population swings that may
have nothing at all to do with your fruit. Have you talked to neighbours
about the rats? Have you looked around for other sources of rat food and/or
shelter for them?

If you are convinced the rats come for the fruit you could trim off the
immature fruit after flowering I suppose.

David

In article nHyOd.16454$uc.13475@trnddc04,
says...
This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will understand.
I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home we didn't
have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the fruit we had
rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had rats. Our
first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My question is how do
we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to cut them down, they
are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests. Any ideas?

Figure out where the rat source is address the problem there if
possible.

--
Lar

to email....get rid of the BUGS

99windstar wrote:
This question is going to seem weird but I am sure you all will
understand.
I have an Apple tree and Pear Tree. Our first year in our home we
didn't
have any fruit. Last year we had fruit on both. Along with the fruit
we had
rats! We diligently picked up the dropped fruit but still had rats.
Our
first year when there was no fruit there were no rats. My question is
how do
we stop the trees from bearing fruit? We don't want to cut them down,
they
are nice trees but the fruit invite unwelcomed guests. Any ideas?

I doubt the trees are the sole source of rats. What do they live off
the other 11 months? Besides, they don't particularly like fruits. They
can manufacture most vitamins inside their body and they prefer more
caloric food (they are ,after all, squirrels without bushy tails). If
the trees are isolated from other vegetation, a metal disk three feet
up the trunk will impede access to the branches, and picking up the
dropped fruit will do the rest. If you feel like giving them a long
lasting memory, an electric fence wire wrapped around the trunks will
make them apple-shy for a long time. My electric fence has been in
disuse for 3 years, but the local mammals still remember it.