View Full Version : Please help me!!!
Nana Nut
03-30-2009, 11:23 AM
Does anyone have ANY ideas on how to keep squirrels out of the banana plants?? I live in North Central Florida and have a lovely little stand of banana plants that are just starting to grow now that temps have warmed, but the squirrels climb up them and chew the absolute sh*t out of the core of the brand new leaves!
I have tried everything I can think of, even wrapping the stalks with layers of bird guard, foil, danging pans, smelly stuff, pepper...nothing works but to stand out there 24x7 with a slingshot...
Any ideas on how to keep these useless varmints out of my bananas would be appreciated. They look like they've been thru a chip shredder, and ALL the new baby leaves are shot.
Hey nananut, This seems to be the hot topic lately with people either discouraging or eliminating them. I've done both so am on both sides of that fence. Do a search for "squirrels" (search is at top right on blue line) to check out recent posts on this.
Richard
03-30-2009, 12:40 PM
1000 fps crack-barrel air rifle.
just j
03-30-2009, 12:49 PM
shot them or put a dish of anitfreeze next to your plants antifreeze is real sweat and they drink it up and die
Nana Nut
03-30-2009, 12:51 PM
Well, crap, this is depressing. It doesn't look like there's any hope for these chip-shredders with fur...
I live in town, and it's against the law here to catch them and release them someplace else, and when I call the local animal control, they won't dispose of them or relocate them, either.
So it's no bananas for me. I'm seriously deciding whether or not to dig them out for spite so that the little bas*ards can't have the satisfaction of destroying them.
Nana Nut
03-30-2009, 12:52 PM
Hmmmmm...... Antifreeze, eh?...
I'm going to consider that if I can figure out a way that it won't leak out and hurt the frogs and other critters that do no harm. :02:
Vickie H.
03-30-2009, 01:13 PM
Antifreeze will kill a dog or a cat too. I keep my pets home but I have cats that come around and once in a while a dog. Some dogs get loose sometimes. It would kill anything that drinks it and the poor dog or cat would go back home and die without the owners knowing what happened.
Patty in Wisc
03-30-2009, 01:33 PM
Squirrels are my worst garden pest!
I have a trap & when I get them, I throw the whole cage in my pond (I tell ppl I give them swim lessons) then dump them in a plastic bag & another bag & put them in the garbage. No one can see the trap or what's in my garbage.
They left a lot of claw marks in my nannas last summer from climbing but didn't eat the leaves.
Nothing works to keep them outso invest in a pellet gun or trap them & don't tell anyone around you.
I never heard of not being able to trap & take them somewhere else.
alpha010
03-30-2009, 01:51 PM
If the squirrels you have are brown, grey or black squirrels, try to find someone online or in a pet store near you and get 1 or 2 red squirrels. Reds wont harm plants like the others will and will also kill the others (and sometimes eat their young as well) since they are territorial to the extreme. The squirrel populous in your neighborhood may go down for a bit but in the end they just won't go near your area and only a few reds will be left!
Shaggy
Nana Nut
03-30-2009, 01:55 PM
I live in a city full of tree huggers. Also, I wouldn't be able to pop them with any kind of weapon since the bananas are along a fence between me and a neighbor, and there are two small children that play in the yard.
I do like the antifreeze suggestion, and am trying to think of some way of attaching a cup or something to the back fence away from the kids.
just j
03-30-2009, 01:57 PM
caster bean plants also kill them and mice and moles too the easyest way is to get yourself a case of beer and sit out side all afternoon and shoot them dig a hole a bury them or put them in the garbage like patty said i would start getting rid of as many as u can now before they start having babies cause then u shoot one and 30 will show up for the funeral
Patty in Wisc
03-30-2009, 02:11 PM
Caster bean plants won't do a thing. Only thing they keep away are deer. Animals know not to eat them and they will just go around them. They are smart.
The seeds are deadly...so I painted them yellow (summer '07) & set them all over my deck hoping the squirrels would think they are corn & they didn't touch any of them.
J, since I don't have a dog anymore I'm going to try your antifreeze trick! Nice thing about that is they drink it here & go somewhere else to die (I hope).
...Nananut, put a dish of the antifreeze on your back porch or near your back door where the kids won't be around. The squirrels will find it.
1000 fps crack-barrel air rifle.
My personal favorite! Won't go into detail here but they are more than enough for squirell.
harveyc
03-30-2009, 03:33 PM
I an fortunate to not have problems with squirrels. I farm chestnuts commercially and some people have big problems with them. A article a year or two in a nut grower publication indicated that the Kania trap proved the most effective and several individuals seem to really praise it. I provides a quick and silent death, perhaps very suitable for an urban location. You can check it out at Squirrel traps, mink traps, rat traps, and other small pest traps (http://www.kania.net)
Good luck!
mskitty38583
03-30-2009, 04:25 PM
you can look up the post" post a pic of your pups...and i mean the 4 legged kind", that will keep the nut eaters out your yard.....or you can go to the pound and adopt a psyco killer kitty cat. LOL
lorax
03-30-2009, 04:54 PM
A 12-gauge with rock-salt shells is the only thing I've ever found that really really works.
Patty in Wisc
03-30-2009, 05:03 PM
My 22 caliber pellet air gun worked just fine except I have a neighbor who would call police if he heard the pop.
lorax
03-30-2009, 05:10 PM
I guess a spuddie would work too, or if you've had a lot of practise, you can shoot pea gravel at them using a slingshot.
Patty in Wisc
03-30-2009, 05:27 PM
Lorax, what is a 'spuddie'?
I like the slingshot ... I could have fun with that LOL, but it would only chase them away temporary. Unless you hit them hard where it penetrates & kills them.
lorax
03-30-2009, 06:15 PM
A spuddie is also known as a potato gun or spud gun. It shoots little pellets of potato at whatever. It's not technically lethal.
However, if you're good with a slingshot and pea gravel, it will kill squirrels. I used that method when I was living in the city - if you upgrade the sling's arms to 8-gauge surgical rubber tubing, the kind that hospitals use for major tourniquets, then you can get enough push behind the gravel to drive it right through a squirrel. Of course, this predicates on your upper body strength. I also shoot simple and compound bows, so the pull on a slingshot was not a problem for me.
(and before you ask why I didn't just use arrows, it was illegal to shoot those within city limits outside of the archery ranges.)
Lagniappe
03-30-2009, 06:46 PM
Here's a blast from the past :
Darn Squirrels - Bananas.org (http://www.bananas.org/showthread.php?p=49504#post49504)
Remember the trusty "Squirrel -a-pult" ?
Chironex
03-30-2009, 06:48 PM
Although untested on squirrels, I have read that mothballs (paradichlorobenzene) in an old nylon stocking will repel bats and most birds. Another repellent is nicotine sulphate. If someone tries it, please let us know if it works. I would think the mothballs would eventually evaporate, so they may need refilling periodically. I imagine panty hose, fill the each foot portion about half full and tie into a knot at the ankles. Then sling one over the top of the pstem (being careful not to obstruct new growth). Keep them close to the new growth area for maximum 'fumes' where the squirrels like to dine.
Lagniappe
03-30-2009, 06:50 PM
Ooops! That video was removed.
Here's a link to another :
Squirrel a pult - LiveVideo.com (http://www.livevideo.com/video/9CC08D2C794A49E2BD546611753AD6DC/squirrel-a-pult.aspx)
bananimal
03-30-2009, 07:28 PM
Whatever method you choose, contact Randy4ut or Lagniappe for the appropriate recipe. Any leftovers send them to MsKitty.
The tree rats eat your stuff - why not return the favor. "What's your favorite part of the Squirrel?" A quote from the old Bob Newhart TV show.
Dan
willy1der
03-31-2009, 01:52 AM
warfarine and peanut butter works well,if they only knew what there fighting over!!!
frog7994
03-31-2009, 03:45 AM
ya some people have problems here too. My problem is ratcoons they are very mischivious and have very little fear. Not sure how to handle squirrels.
Nana Nut
03-31-2009, 06:22 AM
Thanks for the many suggestions. I rather love the Kania trap idea, though............... I'm not usually violent, but they've driven me over the edge! :2169:
harveyc
03-31-2009, 09:18 AM
Being driven over the edge reminds me of an experience I had 5-6 years ago. We have ground squirrels around here and they haven't been a problem in my orchard and are easier to control than the tree squirrels. I planted corn in my open fields and noticed an area where the stand was very poor so I investigated and learned that squirrels had eaten 99% of every corn plant in about 8 rows by 200 feet within a period of about a week. I promptly bought them some treated rolled oats which they consumed and the population was greatly reduced. Very destructive critters!
If I had tree squirrels I'm sure I'd give the Kania trap a try.
Nana Nut
03-31-2009, 09:23 AM
Does anybody know where in the U.S. one can get a Konia trap??? It looks like it's a Canadian company with outrageous postage. I haven't been able to Google anything in the U.S. at this point, so if anybody's got a U.S. lead for me, I'd be truly grateful for the help!
Since I'm prohibited from live trapping them or shooting them, KILLING them somehow once and for all would suit me just fine!!
harveyc
03-31-2009, 09:53 AM
Sorry, I don't know of another source. However, the shipping isn't quite so bad when you consider it's listed in Canadian dollars. Still, total cost for one trap runs about $67 with shipping.
Patty in Wisc
03-31-2009, 01:48 PM
I have a problem with squirrels, racoons & opossum. My trap is good for all. Since last June I trapped 13 racoon, 11 possum & 70 squirrels. I don't know where the possum & coons lived...they only come out at night.
harveyc
03-31-2009, 02:03 PM
Wow, you've got a lot of critters, Patty!!!
I had problems with racoons and opossum when we used to leave food out for the cats but we changed that practice and they don't bother coming around.
Patty in Wisc
03-31-2009, 02:36 PM
Harvey, and I live in a highly populated area too.
I know this sounds strange, but I weighed a few. I never touch them but when they are in plastic bag, I stand on scale holding the bag & figure the diff of my weight alone. A few weighed 27-28 lbs! That's BIG. I think they like my pond too. They have knocked plants in during night prolly while drinking.
Also, I called health dept on my neighbor for leaving out piles of old bread - thinking they were feeding birds...grrr. They don't anymore & we all have big garbage carts so animals can't get in. I don't know where they get food - other than my fruits & veggies! But that's mostly from squirrels.
bananimal
03-31-2009, 07:57 PM
Patty,
How heavy are the squirrels? The tree rats here in So Fla, as well as my last place in Charlotte, NC were little scrawny things. Way back when, in NJ and NY, they were the healthiest, fattest critters on the block - as well as the ground hogs and skunk. Dry weather much of the year means low mast yield, and I suppose that is why they stay small - no food.
Just give me a couple fat tree rodents and the buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese dip with celery and I'm in t-rat heaven. Fact is, I spent too much time in the Army down south and developed odd tastes in food. Ft Gordon, Ft Benning and Ft Polk. And that leaves me one last thought - nobody in So Fla knows how to do grits done right!!!!!!
Dan
mskitty38583
04-01-2009, 12:40 AM
A 12-gauge with rock-salt shells is the only thing I've ever found that really really works.
hahahahahahaha. so much for live and let live......this was GREAT!
mskitty38583
04-01-2009, 12:44 AM
Ooops! That video was removed.
Here's a link to another :
Squirrel a pult - LiveVideo.com (http://www.livevideo.com/video/9CC08D2C794A49E2BD546611753AD6DC/squirrel-a-pult.aspx)
youd really have a problem if it was an actual flying squirrel.....it might fly farther and hit your neighbor in the head who is sleeping in the hammock...can you just picture that? they would be seeing a theropist for years to come about ufo's that drop squirrles on sleeping people. you guys wont kill a snake but youll launch a squirrel into outerspace.....whats wrong with this picture?http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=7568 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7748) this is what you need....4 tails a wagging
Patty in Wisc
04-01-2009, 01:31 PM
Dan, most squirells I got were fat & weighed about 3 lbs from what I remember but I'll weigh the next ones. Don't forget, they are very furry & look big. I know ppl do have ways of cooking them & do all the time. Too bad you don't live nearby. I could not get myself to gut & clean them for ya or I would & send them in dry ice LOL. Someone told me to sell the tails to bait/lure companys. They buy them....I coulda been rich!
mskitty, I have no problem killing a snake. Or, I'd put one in the trap for the coons to have for their last dinner LOL.
That video just cracked me up :). I bet that same squirell came back many times.
Patty in Wisc
04-01-2009, 01:34 PM
Some ppl eat racoon too. But possum? I'll bet Granny Clampet has a good recipe! :):)
Lagniappe
04-01-2009, 08:25 PM
I found this flying squirrel today. A basset hound puppy was barking at it and it was laid out on it's back with no obvious injuries. I hope it wasn't diseased!!! It could have been poisoned from the rat bait in my attic. I've had problems with them for a while now. My attic seems to be full of em'.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16402&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16402)
And NO, this is not the right time of year to eat flyers.:ha:
Patty in Wisc
04-01-2009, 08:48 PM
you guys wont kill a snake but youll launch a squirrel into outerspace.....whats wrong with this picture
LMAO mskitty :) That video was hilarious!!
Pete, don't show that thing...he looks too cute. I don't know if flying squirells damage a garden like grey ones here do, but I did have a problem years ago (when I started hating them) w/ them eating thru the eaves & nesting under attic floor boards. I remember hearing them at night. I evicted them & did aluminum covered fascia & soffit. GONE
The recipes offered were from 2 guys in LA :)..a couple were cajun style!
I don't know if flying sq. are good eating, but granny Clampet would know:)
BTW, I re set the trap & put out a dish of antifreeze. Only problem is I won't know if it will get to do anything. I hate suffering so I hope they won't suffer too long if they drink it.
mskitty38583
04-01-2009, 09:02 PM
i hope the neighborhood cats,dog or a little kid dosent get into the antifreeze. thats imo....is just horrible. ill stick with mine....
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=13134&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=13134). see the three kitties at the bottom of the left hand corner???? these are my furry rat killers. they also take care of the snakes that wonder into my yard.
island cassie
04-01-2009, 09:09 PM
Haha! I am happy with the tarantulas, snakes, lizards etc - but our problem is RATS! We poison and trap them but still they are here by the thousand with beautiful glossy coats from eating coconut. They have just gnawed the insulation off the cables on the generator so we have to have that repaired, in spite of our dominican jack russell type terrier who is a great ratter. At least we don't have monkeys!! I hate them from living in Africa!
Patty in Wisc
04-01-2009, 09:23 PM
Nope, no kids or other pets around or I wouldn't put poison out. My yard is fenced in - 6ft stockade.
We got rid of rats around here long time ago when there were a lot of stray cats - when I moved here.
If I saw a monkey in my yard I'd prolly try to be friends w/ him 'till I heard of the pet chimp recently who ripped off the trainers friends' face! LITERALLY!!
I'd like to pick who enters my yard. I like hummingbirds, finches, & once I saw some colorful mallard ducks in my pond! What a sight that was...& no damage done. Wish they'd come back.
Patty in Wisc
04-01-2009, 09:27 PM
mskitty, I only see two & the brown one in middle looks like a gremlin LOL.
mskitty38583
04-01-2009, 09:34 PM
there is a black one all the way to the left in front of the grey and white one. there is a bob tail to the right of the dwarf cavadish. they love my nanas, the grey and white one is sunny shine, the long tail black one is bat-man, and the bob tail is pugsley.
just j
04-01-2009, 10:01 PM
Haha! I am happy with the tarantulas, snakes, lizards etc - but our problem is RATS! We poison and trap them but still they are here by the thousand with beautiful glossy coats from eating coconut. They have just gnawed the insulation off the cables on the generator so we have to have that repaired, in spite of our dominican jack russell type terrier who is a great ratter. At least we don't have monkeys!! I hate them from living in Africa!
im happy with the squerrils i can shoot them if i had big spiders i would freak out
lorax
04-01-2009, 10:43 PM
Monkeys
Don't get me started. Thieving little boogers!
mskitty38583
04-02-2009, 02:17 AM
i keep telling yall, get a psyco kitty from the pound( in case you need a reference watch the movie," mouse hunt", and the psyco kitty they got from the pound) it will kill spiders, nut eaters, birds, butterflies, dragon flies, snakes, wild canaries, and on the very slight occasion a hummingbird.( i only had one that was that good. 2 wild canaries and a hummer all in one day.) now i have one( the grey and white one...sunnyshine) who loves the taste of bluejays.
bananimal
04-02-2009, 07:10 AM
Cassie,
I know someone who has 3 Jack Russells. They bond real well and hunt very effectively as a pack. Get 2 more and your rat problem will dramatically decrease. Also, their behavior in the house is much calmer since they have each other to focus on other than you.
Dan
bananimal
04-02-2009, 07:29 AM
Listen up!!!! --- All you folks using poisons. I learned this from several professional pest control guys. When a critter eats poison it can meander off to somewhere other than your place and get eaten by other animals - like pets - dogs and cats. The poison then does it's job a second time. You can really leave yourself open to lawsuits.
I've been teasing the dog lately when she does somthing bad with "I'm gonna build a Pupapult if you don't cut that out!"
Best to stick with ratapults, squirrelapults and stuff like that. When I was a kid my uncle Frank and I used to walk the property in the evening before dark with 22 rifles loaded with birdshot rounds. But you need like the 10 acres he had to do that.
Dan
Lagniappe
04-02-2009, 07:39 AM
Listen up!!!! --- All you folks using poisons. I learned this from several professional pest control guys. When a critter eats poison it can meander off to somewhere other than your place and get eaten by other animals - like pets - dogs and cats. The poison then does it's job a second time. You can really leave yourself open to lawsuits.
I've been teasing the dog lately when she does somthing bad with "I'm gonna build a Pupapult if you don't cut that out!"
Best to stick with ratapults, squirrelapults and stuff like that. When I was a kid my uncle Frank and I used to walk the property in the evening before dark with 22 rifles loaded with birdshot rounds. But you need like the 10 acres he had to do that.
Dan
You're right, Dan. Most poisons can lead to a secondary kill.
Dog and cat foods are fortified with vitamin K for this reason. It's the 'antidote' for warfarin and other blood thinning rat poisons. Unfortunately, not all the animals out there eat dog and cat food.
It's best to use traps and such so that one has more control and keeps the damage confined to target pests..
stumpy4700
04-19-2009, 09:47 PM
Bump
saltydad
04-19-2009, 09:55 PM
Squirrel traps, mink traps, rat traps, and other small pest traps (http://www.kania.net/)
Patty in Wisc
04-19-2009, 11:47 PM
Thank you Jeff for "bump"
Nanna, if all that your read here does not help then forget it.
So far, no one has responded to the "bears ???" thing so it must not be good.
As far as I know, NOTHING repels them except for a few hours.
You gotta get tough & get rid of them & I told you how.
Get a trap as I described & either drown them or take them out at least 20 miles away & release them. period.
bananimal
04-20-2009, 06:51 AM
Forgot to mention they are good for spaghetti sauce. Don't waste gas relocating them. Relocate 'em to the stock pot. Treerat ragu!
A buddy of mine back in NJ told me his old Italian grandma used to prop up a screen door in the backyard with a 6 inch stick on a string leading to the kitchen window. She had put bread torn up in small pieces under the screen, and would pull the string when a few wild birds were inside. They all got a one way ticket to the sauce pot. Yum, Yum -- I think.
Dan
qwkslver
04-30-2009, 12:44 PM
I have been planting sage with my strawberries, bananas and peppers this year. The squirrels don't like the sage. Also coffee grounds deters them for a while. I think my neighbor is trapping them. I saw a trap in his yard and they seem to be diminishing. They're cute but I hate them gnawing on my plants. :02:
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