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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] squirrels in apples

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  • From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] squirrels in apples
  • Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:23:40 -0500


Does anybody have any advice about how to keep squirrels out of apple trees?


I've had great luck with a low-powered electric wire (like a cattle fence, but for pets or other short-haired animals). Last year, I put one on the chainlink fence around my backyard, and at first I didn't think it did anything at all. The squirrels climbed up the fence without even noticing it. But they must have been zapped occasionally, because after awhile, they developed a strong aversion to climbing the fence. And this year, despite apples, peaches, plums, strawberries, and sweet corn in the backyard, I didn't have a single squirrel in there. (They do try to dig under the fence sometimes, but that's easy enough to prevent.)

I've got a few fruit trees - including one dwarf apple - outside the fence, too. So this year, I put a ring of chickenwire (12 inches tall) around them, and a couple of strands of the electric wire on top of that (this kept the electric wire out of the grass, which is necessary). Squirrels did steal a few green apples, but not many. Well, as I noted, it takes them awhile to learn where the electric wires are, so I expect it to work even better next year.

Note that I regularly feed the squirrels peanuts in the front yard, so they're not all that hungry. I figured if they were starving, they'd never stay away from the fruit. And I'm in town, where I can't shoot or trap them (and even if I did, more would move into the yard almost immediately - which is exactly what happens when "my" squirrels get run over).

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
A stimulus is the right thing. You hope it doesn't get watered down in many ways. Our first stimulus bill ... was sort of like taking a half a tablet of Viagra and then having also a bunch of candy mixed in, you know, everybody was putting in things for their own constituencies. It doesn't really have quite the wallop that might have been anticipated there. - Warren Buffett




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