North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[bruce <rural@threeriverwb.net>]

How about spraying the lower part of the bush with Ropel. My container 
says it will repel squirrels as well as other rodents. Google ropel and 
you should find a source.


On 6/4/2006 11:06:26 AM, rmelrose@danvillevt.net wrote:
> I hope this is not a repeat post -- I think I messed up the first time!
>
> I have a large Greengage plum which this year (I planted it some 17 
years
> ago) has set a reasonably heavy crop -- in the past few years the crop
> has
> been quite light, although the tree has flowered rather spectacularly 
for
> nearly 10 years. This is in Boston (rather than my usual fruit 
growing in
> Vermont) and there are many, many squirrels around. Unfortunately they
> have
> learned to eat plums, or at least to try them and throw them on the
> ground
> after one bight, just before they are ripe. Has anyone got an idea of 
how
> I
> might save at least a few for myself? I
> don't begrude the squirrels a
> share, but last year I got exactly one, that was at the end of a long
> branch. Bagging occurs to me as a possibility, although I don't
> know
> whether the plums would survive (I suppose they would be likely to split
> as
> I have had with pears) and more seriously whether it would be enough to
> discourage the tree-rats. Anyway, I will try to bag a few of the plums.
> Has anyone tried anything like this?
>
> As to other possibilities, there is not much point in trying to trap the
> squirrels,
>