North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Dianne Stephany" <iluvdanc@rochester.rr.com>]

Hi Jenny,
That is a great idea - > why not ask a dog to have a talk with the 
squirrels? >
It would work great if we had a dog or even if a neighbor had a dog. I 
could ask it to do the job.   Neither my husband nor I are here enough 
during the day for a dog.  It would be alone too much and lonely.  When we 
moved here our new neighbors asked suspiciously "you don't have a dog, do 
you?"
   We live in the suburbs with a 1/2 acre and  I have always wanted Llamas 
as guard animals. They are great at keeping animals and people away, and 
would understand enough to eat only the fallen fruit and not to snack on the 
leaves or branches.  But of course that is not practical in the middle of a 
half million metropolitan area.

I am putting the squirrel and crow problem down as a result of a weather and 
pray that it doesnot happen again next year.
Thanks! I am still open to ideas. I had been giving thought to a  water 
squirter on a motion detector- but that would work for only a few trees and 
other problems like height and water supply.  I am thinking seriously about 
blood meal and cayene pepper to spray the fruit, but it might keep the 
squirrels at bay, though probably not the crows.

thanks
Dianne Stephany, zone 5