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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] squirrels

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  • From: Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] squirrels
  • Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:25:12 -0500

Alan,
It may be necessary to initiate a diversity of approaches in the running battle with the bushy-tailed tree rats. Some may not meet the 'humane' standards some folks might want, but after all, they are VERMIN; they don't share, and they're not an endangered species.

Marksmanship practice with a shotgun, .22 rifle, or powerful pellet rifle works well when you're on-site, and a good dog can sometimes do quite a number on them.

I forwarded an email I'd received recently about the Kania squirrel traps - www.kania.net - I've seen favorable reports on those, both here and on the GardenWeb Fruit & Orchards forums, from folks who've used them.

My friend, the late Doc Lisenby, had some success with the big Victor rat traps on big trees adjacent to his orchard - he'd build an 'L'-shaped platform, fasten the upright leg of the L to the tree trunk, with the horizontal leg sticking out 3-4 ft from the trunk, with the baited rat trap fastened at the end of the horizontal leg. It seems that the squirrels coming down the trunk could not resist the temptation to run out to the end of that nice new 'branch' to investigate, and 'WHAM-O', they were caught.

My old friend Gordon Nofs put me on to "peanut-butter/Plaster-of-Paris" bonbons - you mix PoP powder into cheap peanut butter until you reach a 'stiff dough' consistency, then fashion it into little balls - I usually make mine peanut size - and place these in strategic locations such as the crotches of trees, etc. Be sure that they're placed in a site where pets or small children might gain access to them
I never saw the squirrels in the act of eating them, but in instances where I was experiencing squirrel depredation on pecan & oak seedlings, the squirrel problems ceased soon after I put out the PB/PoP goodies. The original thought behind this one is that the PoP 'set up' in the squirrel's GI tract, but I don't think that's the case - actually, I think it either causes a wild derangement in their serum calcium:phosphorus ratio, or the PoP reacts violently with gastric acid, causing gastric distention and rupture. I think the danger of secondary poisoning of non-target species, like raptors/foxes, etc., which might be catching or consuming PoP-treated squirrels would not be an issue, as opposed to the anticoagulant or Vitamin D analog rodenticides.

A water barrel, with board leading up to the top, but with water level low enough that they can't escape once they get in can take out some of the miscreants.

Lucky





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