cbayretrievedog

They keep eating the center of my bananas and eventually killing them, what do I do?

bananas101

I'm afraid you will have to sacrafice your big nuts to them...

tr0dy

I have heard of some people who exterminate them with extreme prejudice. I've heard that their choice of implement is a RWS diana M48 177 cal. single shot air rifle, using RWS supermag pellets 9.3 gr. I've heard they are quiet enough to use in the city. I also heard make sure you have a good backstop, like a garage. I must admit losing plants to arboreal rodents is infuriating. We used to have a lot but their density seems to ebb and flow. Good Luck!

Bob3

We have a large resident rodent population; in addition to squirrels, who commute to our yard from almost a block away, we also have the "Peromyscus californicus" (California Mouse), which is the largest Peromyscus in the US.

We've come to an understanding with the critters; we "pay them off" with sunflower seeds, acorns & the occasional peanutbutter sandwich & they leave our other plants alone.
Cross the line & they either get relocated or else get to reside under a "bacon blanket" in a roasting pan, or else at the bottom of a compost pile.

Your mileage will no doubt vary; our critters caught on pretty quick & modified their behavior accordingly.

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barnetmill

Welcome. I also have a big problem with squirrels too. I have used a pellet gun, a .22 LR and other means. Right now they are completely out of control. Their only good point is that they are edible.

Olafhenny

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sunfish

caliboy1994

I've never had any problem with squirrels attacking my bananas.

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barnetmill

I have seen squirrels chew holes in bird feeders, does netting really work. I understand that it does work for birds. How do you put netting over say 40 trees that can reach 18 ft in ht?

Olafhenny

You will never know, until you try it out. Bird feeders are solid and do not move away, when
you [or the squirrel ] try to get your teeth in. But thin nylon netting moves and is very
hard for pointed rodent teeth to attack.


You could stand on a ladder of the real tall ones, tie rocks into the (far) corners of the netting
and then try to toss it across.

Alternately you could fix umbrella like spread collars around the bases of the real big ones and hang
those on the lower leaves. Just make sure you leave some netting hanging loose beyond the ties.
It probably won't make it impossible for those critters to get up anyway, but hopefully make it
enough of a challenge to discourage them.

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sunfish

sunfish

reloadyour9

If you are local to me, I will lend you my Italian greyhounds for the day. They have better aim than the average person does, and more just as quick as a 22LR. The squirrels in my neighborhood bypass my yard on the power lines these days.

harveyc

Maybe two years ago a new member posted here with a similar experience as you. I don't have a problem with tree squirrels (do have a small problem with ground squirrels) but had read grower articles with folks growing various nuts who had great success with the Kania trap. See Squirrel traps, mink traps, rat traps, and other small pest traps. I told this member of the forum about it and she said she'd give it a try. I checked with her at the end of the year since I hadn't seen an update. She said the trap was hugely successful and that she had caught something like 300 squirrels!!!!! Apparently out of fear that someone might complain she had not told neighbors what she was doing and she said all of the neighbors were puzzled about what was happening with the sharp decline in the squirrel population. LOL I understand it's pricey but I think it's worth it if you've got a serious problem.

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Scuba_Dave

I've had problems with squirrels destroying all my pumpkins
I have killed about 3 of them in the past year with a BB gun - PIA
Chipmunks have been more of a problem, they were chewing on tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini & my cukes
I've killed about 19 chipmunks in the past year, never knew there were so many
That trap seems like a good alternative for the squirrels

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harveyc

I did some searching and here's a prior thread of terrible squirrel problems in Florida and where I posted the PM about the results of the Kania trap I had recommended to that member which includes some slight modifications:

Freakin SQUIRRELS!

"several hundred" squirrels gone...had to believe. Need to find some recipes!

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Bob3

A couple of "working cats" from your local shelter are going to be a lot cheaper than most traps.
Maybe they'll even share their catch with you.

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Richard

I wish I could utilize a method like that in my area. Around here, a cat outdoors at night lasts maybe a week before becoming a meal for a coyote.

My largest rodent problem is with rats, and maybe a squirrel once or twice per year. In my neighborhood there are enough dogs out in the daytime to keep the squirrels and rats in hiding. I have bait stations on my property containing the poison-laced millet seed which really keeps the population down. I have also been known to utilize a crackbarrel air rifle with a laser sight.

This time of year there is usually a big influx as the yearlings hatched in the hills last summer come looking for new homes.

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Worm_Farmer

These jerks just got me good.