Squirrel or Rabbit Problems

[Fallen_Reality]

It seems my trees are under attack from unwelcome pests. I have yet to see them, but it must be squirrels or rabbits because on my Japanese Maple and Taiwan Ficus, twigs and bark have been chewed on or off!

As you can imagine, this is a PROBLEM! Anyone have tried and true ways of repelling my visitors? I have seem a few tips, such as cayenne or black pepper, but what effect would these have on my trees when the soil absorbs them?

I live in Illinois, Zone 5b.

Thank you all for any help!

 

[gergwebber]

usually pepper oils are cayenne oil emulsion, or cayenne plus peanut butter. I have never heard of cayenne pepper affecting soil or trees, but oil can do harm. just don't dump it on the soil surface.

I am not sold on the whole pepper thing generally. I know most of my customers go through stages of repelling pests from the easy, (pepper oils and stinky things) to the moderate(flashing lights and automatic sprinklers) but usually end up at the hardest and costliest solutions (Fences).

More info about your set up could help ie: rural vs urban, fenced vs unfenced, benches vs patio, landscaped yard vs just grass...

Exclusion is always the best method as it usually lasts a long time(fences do, but gopher cloth only lasts 5-10 years) and the chemical deterrents work after the animal has taken a bite of the plant in question. The auto sprinklers work for a while, but then animals adjust to them.

Trapping will work if you are dealing with gophers or voles, but mostbodys do not like killing squirrels and rabbits, so I say exclusion.

Obviously, if these are in an unfenced yard, sitting on or near the ground you can raise them and/or fence the yard to guard for rabbits. For squirrels, you may need a nylon netting to keep them out as benches will pose more or a fun diversion than a blockade.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Bark-chewing sounds more like rabbits than squirrels. Are your trees on the ground? If so, start by getting them up off the ground; usually rabbits aren't climbing up on benches.

As for the pepper, it is effective until you water again. The affect it has on trees, none really other than it makes them taste better when dipped in guacamole...

We have lots of squirrels in our neighborhood, and they really never mess with my trees. On rare occasions, I'll have to fill in a hole where one's dug for an acorn. Interestingly, they only ever dig in soil that doesn't have fertilizer cakes. I make my cakes with this recipe...but I add a scoop of ground up squirrel. <j>

As a last resort, you can always try lead poisoning, most effective when applied at a high velocity...

 

[Fallen_Reality]

I live in town, but across from a corn/soy bean field. I have houses around me as if I lived further into town, so semi-urban. I do have a fence, but the squirrels easily climb it, and replacing it is not an option. We do have bushes and trees in the yard, so I guess it is landscaped. I have a concrete slab outside my backdoor where I keep my trees, on the ground. I really believe it is squirrels, so a bench would not help much. Is cheese cloth like nylon netting?

I have never seen pepper oils for sale around my area, but would something like hot sauce work, if diluted?

As for squirrels chewing on bark, they most certainly do Brian! All the trees in the area have gnaw marks on them. I have two Maples in my front yard them have chew marks four feet about the ground, too high to be rabbits. Luckily, they are very old, and a few marks is nothing to them, not so for my potted trees. I think something in the "PlantTone: 5-3-3, organic with humates" might be repelling them from your plants, Brian. I know things like blood meal repel some critters as they smell blood and don't want to get eaten!

 

[JudyB]

What do you use for ferts? Do you use a fish emulsion, or fert cakes? I used to have raccoons eating on my trees, when I used these products, now that I use other stuff, they leave us alone...

 

[Fallen_Reality]

I use Miracle Gro, so I doubt it it racoons. I have seen squirrels in my yard before, rabbits too, and my housemate is an insomniac, and she has not seen racoons.

 

[Smoke]

I have a lot of problems with squirrels. They chew on everything including tender bark in search of water. They chew my exposed PVC pipes in two and they chew on the benches when they are wet. They are always on the lookout for water. They are not eating the bark cause its food, they are chewing it for the water. Squirrels like rats must chew on things to keep their dirty rotten teeth short or they will starve to death. Even one week of nothing to chew on will allow their teeth to grow too long and curl under not allowing them to chew food.

I have found this product to be best and one application last about six months. It does not hurt trees or foliage and it is available at Home Depot. It is pricy at about $18.00 for a spray bottle but it works, so I would gladly pay more.

 

[jkd2572]

Pellet gun is the only cure. If your opposed to that you can buy live traps at home depot for about $30.00

 

[edprocoat]

Yeah squirrels will chew trees as will rats and deer. All you need to deter them is a life size picture of Elmer Fudd master hunter, unless you are dealing with a wascally wabbitt !

ed

 

[fore]

I can't use fert cakes anymore, the damn birds get them. If I bury them 1-2" under the substrate, they dig them out somehow amazingly, I tried putting bird netting over each pot and cakes on top of substrate, and they just keep pecking at it till it falls apart for them to eat. Very very aggravating! So now I'll just use miracle grow and occ. supplement with fish emulsion.

 

[sean f]

Do you have groundhogs around? Baby groundhogs will sharpen their teeth on any wood they find

 

[Fallen_Reality]

No groundhogs around here, luckily. My last place was near an alley that was full of groundhog holes, so I'm sure there are none around here.

 

[lordy]

I know there are rabbits in my area because my foxhound goes apesh!t when one is in the yard. I have never seen any damage to my trees, but the ones in pots are on benches, but I do have about 30 in various beds around the property. I have never seen damage to a pot like that before. Squirrel would be my guess, but I like Smoke's lead poisoning solution. LMAO.

 

[fore]

I planted some perennials in my front garden last week. Half of them have been eaten to a skeleton by damned rabbits. I think there are so many rabbits around here this yr in particular, it must've been that mild winter we had.