Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

These furry Nazis are absolutely destroying my plants. I posted awhile ago, and it seems letal means are the only true recourse.

I have a small rodent trap set, but there are SO many of them that I'm afraid it's going to be no banana season at all for me this year unless I find some way to repel as well as kill.

In that vein, I would like to know if anyone has tried Baar Castor Oil (see Moles and Castor Oil: Formulas to get rid of moles from your lawn) It supposedly repels squirrels, too, but I would feel better trying this product if I knew anyone else had already tried it with good--or bad--results.

Anyone know of this product and its effectiveness against squirrels???

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

It will be interesting to find out how effective it is for squirrels.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

I will say it's great for moles, but I've always used my trusty slingshot when it comes to squirrels. I'd give it a go, because it's likely to work.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

I am sorry to hear you have a rodent problem (was that from Transformers).

YouTube - Transformers-Mojo Pees On The Robot

I left the east coast thinking I would be away from pests. HA HA HA! I have killer gophers that have destroyed so many plants (bananas and anything else with roots!).

I have tried Critter Ridder from Havahart for my resident skunks. It does say on the container it repels squirrels.

Good luck!

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Reminds me of scenes from CaddyShack.
"License to kill gophers"

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Unfortunately, I have gotten efficient at it!

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Critter Ridder does NOT work. They walk right through it. The local county extension people suggested milorganite; they walked right through that, too.

Hopefully someone here has had experience with the Baar product and will post with their results. I'm not wasting anymore money on anything until I hear from a real person with growing banana plants, and that ain't me right now. It's mid-April and I don't have one leaf, they chew them off before they can unroll.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

get a psychoitic cat....or a small dog( little dogs were bred for hunting small game) like rabbits,squirrles, snakes, dragonflies, butterflies....things of that nature.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

It has to be a heart-sinking experience to see new growth coming and then wake up to find the squirrels munching them. I feel for you. I wondered if pepper spray, mothballs in a stocking or nicotine sulphate would deter the tree rats?

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

another thing that will deture a deer (so it might work for squirrles) is tie a bar of irish spring bar soap to a srting and place it close to where your plants are being eaten. this keeps the deer out the daylilies so it might work for the rest of the greenage.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

OK, all the other suggestions thus far I've tried, except for the cat/dog aspect, and I'm allergic, so that's not an option, plus there's a leash law here.

The Irish Spring soap I have not tried, but am on the way out to the store now to get some as it certainly won't hurt to try.

My main interest, though, is knowing if anyone's tried the Baar castor oil method. This stuff is different than the stuff you get at the drug store, so I'm curious if it will work as stated...since most remedies that state they work on squirrels do NOT work on squirrels.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Is it the plants or the fruit your worried about? If it's the fruit could you wrap the bunches with bird netting, chicken wire, or just bag them like commercial plantations do? Even better yet how about some electrified chicken wire! Protect your bananas and cook dinner at the same time!

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

It's the plants themselves. I live in North Central Florida, and here the leaves die back in winter. In spring, like now, the leaves begin coming back from the stalks. The squirrels eat the hearts out of the stalks of the brand new leaves over and over again, to the point where I think three of the plants may actually have died from this treatment.

I have tried to wrap the stalks with chicken wire, to no avail; they get their teeth thru it somehow and chew the stalks anyway.

Plus, some of the stalks are very tall, some over five feet, and it's quite difficult to wrap them. I have even tried bungee-cording screen around some of them. I am SO frustrated!!

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

I had the same problem with one plant that layed it's leaves over a power/cable wire that they use to walk on. After several times being sprayed in head from my hose they stayed away. Also I have dogs and cats that help keep them out of the actual yard area. Harvey posted a link to a super trap that kills them quickly. I'd invest in some those and a really good pellet gun if I were you. Maybe you could give them water at the corners of your property as that's what they are getting from nibbling the leaf centers. That may slow them down and give you a chance for a clean shot at the same time.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

I can confirm that Critter Ridder does nothing.
Nor does Fox Urine. Didn't even slow 'em down.
Have not had any luck with blood meal either.
The only thing that has seemed to work to some degree for me is cayenne pepper sprinkled liberally around the garden. Unfortunately, it washes away with every rain.

I despise squirrels. They not only ruin the garden on ground level, they dig everything up on my rooftop terrace as well. Killed one banana plant last year and I keep finding peanuts (in the shell) everywhere.

Apparently they were a source of food in the Great Depression... the first one I mean.

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Who's Harvey, and what link to a kill trap? Am I missing something?

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

HarveyC?????????

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Actually it was one of your old posts Nana Nut...Click the new posts tab and I bumped it up...I did not know how to attach it to this thread.. the post was Please help me !!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Here's the trap Harvey was talking about.
Squirrel traps, mink traps, rat traps, and other small pest traps

Re: Freakin SQUIRRELS!
 

Heres the trap website..........Squirrel traps, mink traps, rat traps, and other small pest traps