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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Pear thief bait; now experiment on same

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  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer@gmail.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Pear thief bait; now experiment on same
  • Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:36:33 -0400

Mark,
Thanks for you comments and the link to your work on this, I copied
them below. I note that you used a 1:1 mixture. Note that I used 2
parts PoP to one part PB. I had it in the message, but deleted for
brevity, that I would gradually add more PoP to that 2:1 initial
mixture, stirring until I got the consistency I wanted, as thick as
possible that would still stick in a tree hole or bark furrows,
similar to playdough left out for a while. By my reasoning, the max
possible PoP with a hint of PB would be desirable, as long as
squirrels would still eat it. Also, I used cheap PB that was
relatively thin and oily, compared to more expensive brands. Hence
would accept more PoP to reach desired consistency.

Not to be difficult about this, but seems to me you've demonstrated
that a 1:1 mixture does not quickly kill a limited sample size of
squirrels. I'm curious at what point (2.5:1, 3:1, ?:1) squirrels stop
eating it, and whether lethal before reaching that point. How many
grams of PoP would kill an adult squirrel, according to the LD50
figure you posted? As my graduate advisor would say, more experiments
are needed.

My observation, that twice feeding a mixture much higher in PoP
greatly reduced the squirrel population, is also limited and much less
controlled than yours. Perhaps it's mere coincidence, but the
squirrels all but disappeared, and a couple of years later when the
pressure rose I put my mixture out again, and they were greatly
reduced again. Other things could have reduced the population each
time.

Many factors are at play here, and I am glad to be corrected on this.
Have been wrong many times before, as though who know me best can
attest.
Richard
Out to pick pears from a friend with 2 loaded trees surrounded by a
field of tall grass.

Mark wrote:
"There was some discussion on another fruit forum about whether on not
Plaster of Paris is toxic to squirrels. At the request of another member, I
performed an experiment to try to determine that. From the results, I
concluded Plaster of Paris is not a very effective poison.

You can read about the experiment here:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0911021522891.html

It's a lengthy thread with a lot of comments from members. If you just want
to read about the experiment, scroll about 1/2 way down."




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