Mice eating harvest!

delonix87 · 12-31-2020, 05:03 PM

Hi
Any tips on how to prevent mice from ruining crops? I have cavendish ripening and Ive had the bunch covered in a plastic bag on the plant and theyve chewed through..not sure what to do apart from mice baits!

Checker55 · 12-31-2020, 06:57 PM

If the pseudostem can be isolated from other access points you can place a metal band around it . The idea is to keep them from climbing . The metal
will deter their claws from climbing up. Of course the band has to be wide enough and long enough to stop them .

cincinnana · 12-31-2020, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delonix87

Hi
Any tips on how to prevent mice from ruining crops? I have cavendish ripening and Ive had the bunch covered in a plastic bag on the plant and theyve chewed through..not sure what to do apart from mice baits!

Me......mice bait.
Tomcat works....very well.
I have used snap traps but they are indiscriminate and pretty darn effective.
Or wrap a few rodent stickies around the pstem...

I know fellas are getting the rodent crush......they will have better ideas...
Good luck ..

twotallgirls · 12-31-2020, 09:33 PM

So in my neck of the woods are the darn iguana's. They worked over a Dwarf Cavendish that started to ripen before I could pick it. Lesson learned. They are a real nuisance in south FL. They only eat the ripened fruit so I have to make sure I time it right. Don't know if mice like them green. Can you harvest early and let them ripen in safe place?

pitangadiego · 12-31-2020, 10:29 PM

Get "rat bars" and wire them around the flower stem above the bunch so that rats/mice come to them before the reach the bananas. They are generally about an inch square and about 1-1/2 - 2" long and have a hole in the middle through which you can run a wire.

Yug · 01-01-2021, 10:15 PM

I saw on youtube a trap made with a large bucket. There was a dowel on the top with peanut butter (or some other attractant) smeared on it. A ramp lead up the side to a weighted platform leading to the peanut butter. As the rats (or mice) walked out to get the peanut butter in the center, their weight would cause the platform to bend down, dumping them in the bucket. The bucket had about 6 inches of water in the bottom so the critters couldn't just jump out. I don't know if they eventually drowned or were still alive when he checked the trap. He was trying to keep them out of his corn crib. It was simple, yet very effective.

Iowa · 01-02-2021, 08:50 AM

Google Plantskydd, it's a pest repellent that doesn't wash away with a rain.
We used the spray this year and the herds of deer and squirrels stayed away.
It took a couple treatments, and spot spraying new growth. It will last up to 3 months', they have a spray and a granular. The granular may work for your problem.

Art_R · 01-10-2021, 04:51 PM

I had a squirrel problem. So I made a bag out of a roll of aluminum insect screening from the hardware store. Haven't lost a banana to vermin since.
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Checker55 · 01-10-2021, 04:57 PM

Nice job with the bracing.

Art_R · 01-10-2021, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Checker55

Nice job with the bracing.

Thanks ! This is what happens when an engineer retires.

AaronTT · 01-10-2021, 08:57 PM

I have cats; no rats or squirrels stand a chance. Best solution if possible.

bananimal · 01-11-2021, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delonix87

Hi
Any tips on how to prevent mice from ruining crops? I have cavendish ripening and Ive had the bunch covered in a plastic bag on the plant and theyve chewed through..not sure what to do apart from mice baits!

What I do is cut down the bunch when the fingers are green and have filled in. Then hang it in the house or garage to ripen. The tree rats, aka squirrels, are the main culprits and will eat up the yellow ripe nanners fast!)

AaronTT · 01-12-2021, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bananimal

What I do is cut down the bunch when the fingers are green and have filled in. Then hang it in the house or garage to ripen. The tree rats, aka squirrels, are the main culprits and will eat up the yellow ripe nanners fast!)

Your right, I and I do the same. I have plenty of raccoons close by, and its them I worry about. I have lost many tomatoes to them.

12-31-2020, 05:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
delonix87 Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 69 BananaBucks : 67,616 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 56 Times Was Thanked 69 Times in 31 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Mice eating harvest! Hi Any tips on how to prevent mice from ruining crops? I have cavendish ripening and Ive had the bunch covered in a plastic bag on the plant and theyve chewed through..not sure what to do apart from mice baits!

12-31-2020, 06:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Checker55 Location: North Hollywood CA. U S A Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 68 BananaBucks : 7,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 176 Times Was Thanked 70 Times in 40 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 160 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! If the pseudostem can be isolated from other access points you can place a metal band around it . The idea is to keep them from climbing . The metal will deter their claws from climbing up. Of course the band has to be wide enough and long enough to stop them .

12-31-2020, 09:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
twotallgirls Location: Marco Island, FL Find me on the map! Zone: 10A Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 100 BananaBucks : 26,724 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 7 Times Was Thanked 208 Times in 69 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! So in my neck of the woods are the darn iguana's. They worked over a Dwarf Cavendish that started to ripen before I could pick it. Lesson learned. They are a real nuisance in south FL. They only eat the ripened fruit so I have to make sure I time it right. Don't know if mice like them green. Can you harvest early and let them ripen in safe place? __________________ Blue Java, Raja Puri, Goldfinger FHIA-01, Mona Lisa FHIA-02, Sweetheart FHIA-03, Pitogo, Saba, Dwarf Cavendish, Super Dwarf Cav., Namwa, Brazilian, Mysore, Dwarf Red, and a mystery or two

12-31-2020, 10:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
pitangadiego Senior Member Location: San Diego, CA Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,489 BananaBucks : 197,704 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2,732 Times in 930 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! Get "rat bars" and wire them around the flower stem above the bunch so that rats/mice come to them before the reach the bananas. They are generally about an inch square and about 1-1/2 - 2" long and have a hole in the middle through which you can run a wire. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com We Be Bananas http://webebananas.com

01-01-2021, 10:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
Yug Yug's Photo Gallery Location: Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 10-11 Name: Knobby D. Holme Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 1,464 BananaBucks : 78,269 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 4,011 Times Was Thanked 1,749 Times in 814 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 463 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! I saw on youtube a trap made with a large bucket. There was a dowel on the top with peanut butter (or some other attractant) smeared on it. A ramp lead up the side to a weighted platform leading to the peanut butter. As the rats (or mice) walked out to get the peanut butter in the center, their weight would cause the platform to bend down, dumping them in the bucket. The bucket had about 6 inches of water in the bottom so the critters couldn't just jump out. I don't know if they eventually drowned or were still alive when he checked the trap. He was trying to keep them out of his corn crib. It was simple, yet very effective.

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01-02-2021, 08:50 AM	#7 (permalink)
Iowa Location: Burlington,Iowa Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Mike Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 707 BananaBucks : 58,449 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 574 Times Was Thanked 1,022 Times in 384 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 605 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! Google Plantskydd, it's a pest repellent that doesn't wash away with a rain. We used the spray this year and the herds of deer and squirrels stayed away. It took a couple treatments, and spot spraying new growth. It will last up to 3 months', they have a spray and a granular. The granular may work for your problem. __________________ Growing Musa Orinoco since 1993 - Added 2018-Basjoo, Zebrina' Rojo, Ensete Red Abyssinian - Added 2019-Goldfinger - Added 2020-Kokopo (Short Cycle), Double (Mahoi), Highgate, Super Dwarf Cavendish - Added 2021-Pisang Ceylon(Mysore), Musa Margarita, Ensete Ventricosum - Added 2023 - Siam Ruby

01-10-2021, 04:51 PM	#8 (permalink)
Art_R Location: Ormond Beach, FL - USA Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 133 BananaBucks : 15,386 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 187 Times Was Thanked 196 Times in 73 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 17 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! I had a squirrel problem. So I made a bag out of a roll of aluminum insect screening from the hardware store. Haven't lost a banana to vermin since. [IMG][/IMG] __________________ Here's what I'm growing: Grand Naine, Namwa, Blue Java, Raja Puri, Patupi, & a mystery nanner

01-10-2021, 04:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
Checker55 Location: North Hollywood CA. U S A Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 68 BananaBucks : 7,499 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 176 Times Was Thanked 70 Times in 40 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 160 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! Nice job with the bracing.

01-10-2021, 08:57 PM	#11 (permalink)
AaronTT Location: Geneva, Florida Zone: 9B, 10 Name: Aaron Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 329 BananaBucks : 21,093 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 232 Times Was Thanked 334 Times in 167 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 46 Times	Re: Mice eating harvest! I have cats; no rats or squirrels stand a chance. Best solution if possible.

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