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Nana Nut
06-01-2009, 10:28 AM
I've posted before on the subject of squirrels, that are destroying completely my banana stand.

I have tried EVERYTHING including: traps (including the Kana, which cost me about 90 bucks and hasn't enticed one single squirrel after 30 days of use), pepper (they love it), mothballs, hanging pinwheels from the leaves, everything that's been suggested (except BB guns since I live in town and have kids on both sides of the property) I've used with no effect, except:

this: Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler Garden Tools - GregRobert (http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-2573)

or this: Amazon.com: Havahart 5265 Spray Away Motion Activated Water Repellent: Home Improvement (http://www.amazon.com/Havahart-5265-Motion-Activated-Repellent/dp/B000BO71NY/ref=pd_cp_hg_1?pf_rd_p=413863601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000071NUS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1FHNSBB8GAWKWMG1BPNK)

Has anyone used one of these products, and does it WORK????? I hate to spend yet more money trying to deter these little b@*tards unless it works, so any feedback would be appreciated.

stumpy4700
06-01-2009, 11:27 AM
I don't know about those, but if the past posts taught me anything I bet the Squirells bring a bar of soap and use it as a bath..........lol

ron_mcb
06-01-2009, 11:46 AM
well my mother has a few cats that love to eat squirrels. she says the squirrels are nothing but rats with fluffy tails.

they climb fruit trees and remove them,and take only one bite. she wouldnt mind them taking a few if they would actually finish eating them. taking as many as they can and leaving damaged fruit all over the ground is such a waste.
there is a squirrel that has been looking at my apples,and peaches awfully close. if i have a problem i will borrow one of those squirrel hunters.

i have allowed the thing to raise its young in my barn,and i havent had a serious squirrel problem so far. i have heard talk about how annoying they can become.

i wont post any control methods where you could personaly kill or worse only injure the squirrels. there would be so many overwhelming responses from squirrel lovers.

i would look into getting a cat with a taste for squirrel meat if i were you.
this is the only control method i will post here. its completly safe and natural.

Patty in Wisc
06-01-2009, 12:24 PM
I have a couple Scarecrows & sold a few. Yes, they work on squirrels, deer, other animals & even people LOL. I walked in front of mine a few times & it scared the bejeebers out of me. Make sure your hose doesn't leak as it must be connected & turned on all the time. You may need 2 - one at each end. They work to scare them away but will not get rid of them.

Nana Nut
06-01-2009, 12:29 PM
Thanks, Patty. I don't care if they live or not, I just want them the hell out of my banana plants.

I was just concerned that a) like everything else I've tried, it wouldn't work; and b) the squirrels would Borg and eventually not get scared away by it.

Thanks again.

harveyc
06-01-2009, 02:24 PM
What kind of bait have you tried in your Kana trap? When I read about the very successful use of the trap by some nut farmers a couple of years ago they mentioned something about the baiting of the trap, but I don't remember what they said. I'm glad I don't have tree squirrels around here. I did see a ground squirrel the other day but haven't seen it since. I'll shoot it, if I can. Sometimes away from my orchard I've had ground squirrels and have set poisoned grain out for them (stuff sold by our county agricultural commissioner).

Good luck,

Harvey

Nana Nut
06-01-2009, 02:28 PM
I'm using peanuts AND peanut butter in the Kania. The ants love the peanut butter, but NO squirrels.

harveyc
06-01-2009, 02:37 PM
Maybe they read about the peanut butter that was tainted with salmonella. Sorry, couldn't pass up on that. I wonder if leaving some peanuts along the fence top or some other area would get them to give them a try and acquire a taste for them and then go looking for more. Otherwise, I guess you've got to find something else that they would find more attractive than the banana plants they're eating.

How do the squirrels get into the banana plants? Do they climb up them from the ground? If so, you can use some sheet metal flashing like I've seen used on palm trees in Hawaii and elsewhere. If they run along fence tops maybe the trap needs to go along the top of the fence. Maybe mix some cyanide with peanut butter and past strips of it on top of the fence. Just some ideas that come to mind.

Good luck,

Harvey

just j
06-01-2009, 02:39 PM
want to get rid of them get a 22 and shoot them i started last year took out over 100 of them this year i only seen 6 and there dead already and havent seen any since get them early before they mulitply if you live in city limites get cb caps there quite just as quite as my pellet gun but way more effective i started using the pellet gun last year and u shoot them they just run away and return in a hour a 22 drops them that is the only way to get rid of them you can use poison or traps that wont get rid of them fast enought and there to smart to crew on poison u could trap one and check that trap every day and still theres gonna be 20 of them in the trees producing like 5-10 of them every month i said it a million times get your self a case of beer and a lawn chair and start shooting i even went into the wooded parts by my house and started blasting all them its war around me and from what it sounds like from all of you is im the only one winning this battle and if my 22 runs out of ammo i got a AR-15 with 4 40 round clips and a couple ak's that should stop them bastards if you find a hole in your yard stick the hose down it and let it run till they come out the other end and unload that will also drowned the babies:2723::2723:

harveyc
06-01-2009, 02:56 PM
Well that's another way to do it, just j. A pellet gun can be very effective against squirrels, but you need a good one. They are quiet enough that the neighbors shouldn't complain if you live in town, unless you miss your target. I used a 22-250 the last time I shot a squirrel and there was squirrel parts all over the side of my shed!

Patty in Wisc
06-01-2009, 04:53 PM
Harvey, what's the diff between tree squirrels & ground squirrels??
NanaNut can't shoot because of kids on either side of her yard.

Worm_Farmer
06-01-2009, 07:29 PM
Get that real sticky stuff they use for rat traps and pain the entire top of your fence line. You will find them stuck to your fence, you can then chop them with a marchetti.

Also Get a bird feeder, take half of the bird seed and mix it real well in transmission fluid. Mix the transmission fluid ridden bird seed with clean bird seed and put it all in the feeder and watch them eat it like crazy.

harveyc
06-01-2009, 08:16 PM
Harvey, what's the diff between tree squirrels & ground squirrels??
NanaNut can't shoot because of kids on either side of her yard.

Ground squirrels dig holes in the ground and the most significant damage they cause are the holes themselves. Irrigation water will go down them, roots are damaged, etc. They never climb trees to eat things. I did have several rows of grain corn ripped up for maybe 200 feet about 5 years ago. Squirrels had dug up all the plants to eat the corn seed. Sometimes almond growers have problems with ground squirrels eating almonds that have fallen to the ground so they are popular areas for ground squirrels.

About the closest tree squirrel to here is about 25-35 miles away and that's too close!

bananimal
06-01-2009, 09:32 PM
N N,

Forget the traps. Get a pair of Jack Russell terriers. Get help training them to do what you want, not what they want, and you will have the best natural ratters and great family pets. And no squirrels.

Ron_mcb,

There is no such thing as squirrel lovers, except other squirrels. And, of course, cats are real good too for vermin control. I have never seen a tree or ground rat in my yard in the 4 years I've been here in Fla. The neighborhood has resident bobcats.

Here's a silly pic of a crazy persons idea of a pet cat - bet there are no squirrels around!

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=17927 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=17897&ppuser=820)

Dan

Lagniappe
06-01-2009, 11:52 PM
I did a real estate inspection at a house with several large cats. There were two rooms of the house that were caged off much like a zoo exhibit. These were probably the dining room and sitting rooms originally. There were ladder swings and pedestals in each. When I went into the living room to get the paperwork signed, there was a lynx on the mantle.....staring at me. I was scared as heck but the people assured me that it was just a big kitty at heart........yeah, right.
Btw Dan, I clicked on that cat pic and it linked to your Red Iholene pic instead.

alpha010
06-02-2009, 05:32 AM
want to get rid of them get a 22 and shoot them i started last year took out over 100 of them this year i only seen 6 and there dead already and havent seen any since get them early before they mulitply if you live in city limites get cb caps there quite just as quite as my pellet gun but way more effective i started using the pellet gun last year and u shoot them they just run away and return in a hour a 22 drops them that is the only way to get rid of them you can use poison or traps that wont get rid of them fast enought and there to smart to crew on poison u could trap one and check that trap every day and still theres gonna be 20 of them in the trees producing like 5-10 of them every month i said it a million times get your self a case of beer and a lawn chair and start shooting i even went into the wooded parts by my house and started blasting all them its war around me and from what it sounds like from all of you is im the only one winning this battle and if my 22 runs out of ammo i got a AR-15 with 4 40 round clips and a couple ak's that should stop them bastards if you find a hole in your yard stick the hose down it and let it run till they come out the other end and unload that will also drowned the babies:2723::2723:

Stockpile much?? Maybe we should call you Militia J!!!

Mark Hall
06-02-2009, 07:28 AM
I have just managed to catch 3 Squrirrels in the past few weeks in a humane trap. I tried cake,fruit, Bread....all drew a blank ( except 2 young Blackbirds ) Then as soon as I tried Peanut Butter, I got the first one:woohoonaner:

All were released a few miles away.

just j
06-02-2009, 07:49 AM
Stockpile much?? Maybe we should call you Militia J!!!
i like guns almost as much as plants ha ha

alexizhere19
06-02-2009, 07:49 AM
want to get rid of them get a 22 and shoot them i started last year took out over 100 of them this year i only seen 6 and there dead already and havent seen any since get them early before they mulitply if you live in city limites get cb caps there quite just as quite as my pellet gun but way more effective i started using the pellet gun last year and u shoot them they just run away and return in a hour a 22 drops them that is the only way to get rid of them you can use poison or traps that wont get rid of them fast enought and there to smart to crew on poison u could trap one and check that trap every day and still theres gonna be 20 of them in the trees producing like 5-10 of them every month i said it a million times get your self a case of beer and a lawn chair and start shooting i even went into the wooded parts by my house and started blasting all them its war around me and from what it sounds like from all of you is im the only one winning this battle and if my 22 runs out of ammo i got a AR-15 with 4 40 round clips and a couple ak's that should stop them bastards if you find a hole in your yard stick the hose down it and let it run till they come out the other end and unload that will also drowned the babies:2723::2723:

I have t agree, tried other things first but finally got my 22 and let have it. But as pointed out he has kids around so your in bind, where im from most stores tell you thats the best way, but they say that for everything

lorax
06-02-2009, 09:10 AM
What's the diff between tree squirrels & ground squirrels??

Tree squirrels are "true" squirrels, and the ones we're normally concerned with. A cat is good deterrent.
Ground squirrels might be any one of a number of species, including Gophers and Chipmunks, as well as "authentic" ground-dwelling squirrels. They do less damage than bunnies, except for the burrows (and Gophers are worst for this, just like Moles.)

Tree Squirrel
http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:tCNRfi0i3OkVlM:http://www.dirtdoctor.com/pics/content_img.2056.img.jpg

Ground Squirrel / Gopher
http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:IiV-ix18ZlsmiM:http://www.naturalsciences.org/microsites/education/Yellowstone/2006/images/Uinta%2520ground%2520squirrel.jpg
http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:KcX-fTuDtnBbSM:http://www.appistry.com/blogs/sites/appistry.com.blogs/files/guerry/2008/06/Gopher_2.jpg

Ground Squirrel / Chipmunk
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:tTEQfgA_OHicCM:http://www.fiu.edu/~larkinsg/Golden_Manteled_Ground_Squirrel_1_b.JPG

Actual Ground Squirrel
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Kg8Aiy-aCJIMjM:http://www.desktopscenes.com/Scenes%2520from%2520Glacier%2520National%2520Park%2520(2004)/Columbia%2520Ground%2520Squirrel%2520Portrait.jpg

alpha010
06-02-2009, 09:43 AM
i like guns almost as much as plants ha ha

Care to grow me an Ithaca 37 pump? or an M-4/A-2 underslung smoke with laser sights? If you only have seeds for those, I'll buy 'em!

ron_mcb
06-02-2009, 10:05 AM
i had a couple ferrets at one time. they came and left as they pleased. they ate cat food and slept in my garage. they would still go to a nearby feild and they would go into rat holes and catch the big feild rats and eat them. ferrets would totally wipe out any ground dwelling rodents if you had enough of them. they go underground where cats cant go. ferrets in general are not fast enough to catch tree squirrels.they dont climb.

harveyc
06-02-2009, 10:07 AM
Can't buy this in California, but it would be a good tool for shooting backyard squirrels if you didn't have neighbors YouTube - Taurus The Judge - dirtydozensbunker.com forum (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl-ZIo-Wztc)