Please help me!!!

Nana Nut · 03-30-2009, 11:23 AM

Does anyone have ANY ideas on how to keep squirrels out of the banana plants?? I live in North Central Florida and have a lovely little stand of banana plants that are just starting to grow now that temps have warmed, but the squirrels climb up them and chew the absolute sh*t out of the core of the brand new leaves!

I have tried everything I can think of, even wrapping the stalks with layers of bird guard, foil, danging pans, smelly stuff, pepper...nothing works but to stand out there 24x7 with a slingshot...

Any ideas on how to keep these useless varmints out of my bananas would be appreciated. They look like they've been thru a chip shredder, and ALL the new baby leaves are shot.

Bob · 03-30-2009, 12:24 PM

Hey nananut, This seems to be the hot topic lately with people either discouraging or eliminating them. I've done both so am on both sides of that fence. Do a search for "squirrels" (search is at top right on blue line) to check out recent posts on this.

Richard · 03-30-2009, 12:40 PM

1000 fps crack-barrel air rifle.

just j · 03-30-2009, 12:49 PM

shot them or put a dish of anitfreeze next to your plants antifreeze is real sweat and they drink it up and die

Nana Nut · 03-30-2009, 12:51 PM

Well, crap, this is depressing. It doesn't look like there's any hope for these chip-shredders with fur...

I live in town, and it's against the law here to catch them and release them someplace else, and when I call the local animal control, they won't dispose of them or relocate them, either.

So it's no bananas for me. I'm seriously deciding whether or not to dig them out for spite so that the little bas*ards can't have the satisfaction of destroying them.

Nana Nut · 03-30-2009, 12:52 PM

Hmmmmm...... Antifreeze, eh?...

I'm going to consider that if I can figure out a way that it won't leak out and hurt the frogs and other critters that do no harm.

Vickie H. · 03-30-2009, 01:13 PM

Antifreeze will kill a dog or a cat too. I keep my pets home but I have cats that come around and once in a while a dog. Some dogs get loose sometimes. It would kill anything that drinks it and the poor dog or cat would go back home and die without the owners knowing what happened.

Patty in Wisc · 03-30-2009, 01:33 PM

Squirrels are my worst garden pest!
I have a trap & when I get them, I throw the whole cage in my pond (I tell ppl I give them swim lessons) then dump them in a plastic bag & another bag & put them in the garbage. No one can see the trap or what's in my garbage.
They left a lot of claw marks in my nannas last summer from climbing but didn't eat the leaves.
Nothing works to keep them outso invest in a pellet gun or trap them & don't tell anyone around you.
I never heard of not being able to trap & take them somewhere else.

alpha010 · 03-30-2009, 01:51 PM

If the squirrels you have are brown, grey or black squirrels, try to find someone online or in a pet store near you and get 1 or 2 red squirrels. Reds wont harm plants like the others will and will also kill the others (and sometimes eat their young as well) since they are territorial to the extreme. The squirrel populous in your neighborhood may go down for a bit but in the end they just won't go near your area and only a few reds will be left!

Shaggy

Nana Nut · 03-30-2009, 01:55 PM

I live in a city full of tree huggers. Also, I wouldn't be able to pop them with any kind of weapon since the bananas are along a fence between me and a neighbor, and there are two small children that play in the yard.

I do like the antifreeze suggestion, and am trying to think of some way of attaching a cup or something to the back fence away from the kids.

just j · 03-30-2009, 01:57 PM

caster bean plants also kill them and mice and moles too the easyest way is to get yourself a case of beer and sit out side all afternoon and shoot them dig a hole a bury them or put them in the garbage like patty said i would start getting rid of as many as u can now before they start having babies cause then u shoot one and 30 will show up for the funeral

Patty in Wisc · 03-30-2009, 02:11 PM

Caster bean plants won't do a thing. Only thing they keep away are deer. Animals know not to eat them and they will just go around them. They are smart.
The seeds are deadly...so I painted them yellow (summer '07) & set them all over my deck hoping the squirrels would think they are corn & they didn't touch any of them.
J, since I don't have a dog anymore I'm going to try your antifreeze trick! Nice thing about that is they drink it here & go somewhere else to die (I hope).
...Nananut, put a dish of the antifreeze on your back porch or near your back door where the kids won't be around. The squirrels will find it.

Bob · 03-30-2009, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

1000 fps crack-barrel air rifle.

My personal favorite! Won't go into detail here but they are more than enough for squirell.

harveyc · 03-30-2009, 03:33 PM

I an fortunate to not have problems with squirrels. I farm chestnuts commercially and some people have big problems with them. A article a year or two in a nut grower publication indicated that the Kania trap proved the most effective and several individuals seem to really praise it. I provides a quick and silent death, perhaps very suitable for an urban location. You can check it out at Squirrel traps, mink traps, rat traps, and other small pest traps

Good luck!

mskitty38583 · 03-30-2009, 04:25 PM

you can look up the post" post a pic of your pups...and i mean the 4 legged kind", that will keep the nut eaters out your yard.....or you can go to the pound and adopt a psyco killer kitty cat. LOL

lorax · 03-30-2009, 04:54 PM

A 12-gauge with rock-salt shells is the only thing I've ever found that really really works.

Patty in Wisc · 03-30-2009, 05:03 PM

My 22 caliber pellet air gun worked just fine except I have a neighbor who would call police if he heard the pop.

lorax · 03-30-2009, 05:10 PM

I guess a spuddie would work too, or if you've had a lot of practise, you can shoot pea gravel at them using a slingshot.

Patty in Wisc · 03-30-2009, 05:27 PM

Lorax, what is a 'spuddie'?
I like the slingshot ... I could have fun with that LOL, but it would only chase them away temporary. Unless you hit them hard where it penetrates & kills them.

lorax · 03-30-2009, 06:15 PM

A spuddie is also known as a potato gun or spud gun. It shoots little pellets of potato at whatever. It's not technically lethal.

However, if you're good with a slingshot and pea gravel, it will kill squirrels. I used that method when I was living in the city - if you upgrade the sling's arms to 8-gauge surgical rubber tubing, the kind that hospitals use for major tourniquets, then you can get enough push behind the gravel to drive it right through a squirrel. Of course, this predicates on your upper body strength. I also shoot simple and compound bows, so the pull on a slingshot was not a problem for me.

(and before you ask why I didn't just use arrows, it was illegal to shoot those within city limits outside of the archery ranges.)

03-30-2009, 11:23 AM	#1 (permalink)
Nana Nut Junior Member Nana Nut's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 69 BananaBucks : 45,027 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 29 Times in 20 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Please help me!!! Does anyone have ANY ideas on how to keep squirrels out of the banana plants?? I live in North Central Florida and have a lovely little stand of banana plants that are just starting to grow now that temps have warmed, but the squirrels climb up them and chew the absolute sh*t out of the core of the brand new leaves! I have tried everything I can think of, even wrapping the stalks with layers of bird guard, foil, danging pans, smelly stuff, pepper...nothing works but to stand out there 24x7 with a slingshot... Any ideas on how to keep these useless varmints out of my bananas would be appreciated. They look like they've been thru a chip shredder, and ALL the new baby leaves are shot.

03-30-2009, 12:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
Bob Orang Puteh Bob's Photo Gallery Location: Washington Twp N.J. Find me on the map! Zone: 6a Name: bob Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,528 BananaBucks : 209,047 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 9,537 Times Was Thanked 4,058 Times in 1,694 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 565 Times	Re: Please help me!!! Hey nananut, This seems to be the hot topic lately with people either discouraging or eliminating them. I've done both so am on both sides of that fence. Do a search for "squirrels" (search is at top right on blue line) to check out recent posts on this. __________________

03-30-2009, 12:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,674 BananaBucks : 548,488 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,543 Times in 4,721 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Please help me!!! 1000 fps crack-barrel air rifle. __________________ Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

03-30-2009, 12:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
just j TANTALIZING TROPICALS just j's Photo Gallery Location: shawano wisconsin Zone: 4-5 Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 471 BananaBucks : 64,780 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 252 Times Was Thanked 129 Times in 91 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 71 Times	Re: Please help me!!! shot them or put a dish of anitfreeze next to your plants antifreeze is real sweat and they drink it up and die

03-30-2009, 12:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
Nana Nut Junior Member Nana Nut's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 69 BananaBucks : 45,027 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 29 Times in 20 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Please help me!!! Well, crap, this is depressing. It doesn't look like there's any hope for these chip-shredders with fur... I live in town, and it's against the law here to catch them and release them someplace else, and when I call the local animal control, they won't dispose of them or relocate them, either. So it's no bananas for me. I'm seriously deciding whether or not to dig them out for spite so that the little bas*ards can't have the satisfaction of destroying them.

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03-30-2009, 12:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
Nana Nut Junior Member Nana Nut's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 69 BananaBucks : 45,027 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 29 Times in 20 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Please help me!!! Hmmmmm...... Antifreeze, eh?... I'm going to consider that if I can figure out a way that it won't leak out and hurt the frogs and other critters that do no harm.

03-30-2009, 01:13 PM	#7 (permalink)
Vickie H. Vickie H.'s Photo Gallery Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 364 BananaBucks : 143,029 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 783 Times in 225 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Please help me!!! Antifreeze will kill a dog or a cat too. I keep my pets home but I have cats that come around and once in a while a dog. Some dogs get loose sometimes. It would kill anything that drinks it and the poor dog or cat would go back home and die without the owners knowing what happened.

03-30-2009, 01:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 347,031 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: Please help me!!! Squirrels are my worst garden pest! I have a trap & when I get them, I throw the whole cage in my pond (I tell ppl I give them swim lessons) then dump them in a plastic bag & another bag & put them in the garbage. No one can see the trap or what's in my garbage. They left a lot of claw marks in my nannas last summer from climbing but didn't eat the leaves. Nothing works to keep them outso invest in a pellet gun or trap them & don't tell anyone around you. I never heard of not being able to trap & take them somewhere else. __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

03-30-2009, 01:51 PM	#9 (permalink)
alpha010 Metal Nanners!! alpha010 's Photo Gallery Location: Mineral Ridge, Ohio Find me on the map! Zone: 6 on arborday 5b on USDA Name: Bob aka Shaggy Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 470 BananaBucks : 139,527 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 121 Times Was Thanked 238 Times in 148 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 11 Times	Re: Please help me!!! If the squirrels you have are brown, grey or black squirrels, try to find someone online or in a pet store near you and get 1 or 2 red squirrels. Reds wont harm plants like the others will and will also kill the others (and sometimes eat their young as well) since they are territorial to the extreme. The squirrel populous in your neighborhood may go down for a bit but in the end they just won't go near your area and only a few reds will be left! Shaggy __________________ LOL! My house doesnt exist on the member map! Get a little Love in your life. Jump in a Mosh Pit! The only place where every emotion one person can feel will join together and express all at once.

03-30-2009, 01:55 PM	#10 (permalink)
Nana Nut Junior Member Nana Nut's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 69 BananaBucks : 45,027 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 29 Times in 20 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Please help me!!! I live in a city full of tree huggers. Also, I wouldn't be able to pop them with any kind of weapon since the bananas are along a fence between me and a neighbor, and there are two small children that play in the yard. I do like the antifreeze suggestion, and am trying to think of some way of attaching a cup or something to the back fence away from the kids.

03-30-2009, 01:57 PM	#11 (permalink)
just j TANTALIZING TROPICALS just j's Photo Gallery Location: shawano wisconsin Zone: 4-5 Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 471 BananaBucks : 64,780 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 252 Times Was Thanked 129 Times in 91 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 71 Times	Re: Please help me!!! caster bean plants also kill them and mice and moles too the easyest way is to get yourself a case of beer and sit out side all afternoon and shoot them dig a hole a bury them or put them in the garbage like patty said i would start getting rid of as many as u can now before they start having babies cause then u shoot one and 30 will show up for the funeral

03-30-2009, 02:11 PM	#12 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 347,031 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: Please help me!!! Caster bean plants won't do a thing. Only thing they keep away are deer. Animals know not to eat them and they will just go around them. They are smart. The seeds are deadly...so I painted them yellow (summer '07) & set them all over my deck hoping the squirrels would think they are corn & they didn't touch any of them. J, since I don't have a dog anymore I'm going to try your antifreeze trick! Nice thing about that is they drink it here & go somewhere else to die (I hope). ...Nananut, put a dish of the antifreeze on your back porch or near your back door where the kids won't be around. The squirrels will find it. __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

03-30-2009, 03:33 PM	#14 (permalink)
harveyc Been nuts, gone bananas harveyc's Photo Gallery Location: Isleton, Calif Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Name: Harvey Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 5,119 BananaBucks : 274,272 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,025 Times Was Thanked 4,460 Times in 1,896 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,785 Times	Re: Please help me!!! I an fortunate to not have problems with squirrels. I farm chestnuts commercially and some people have big problems with them. A article a year or two in a nut grower publication indicated that the Kania trap proved the most effective and several individuals seem to really praise it. I provides a quick and silent death, perhaps very suitable for an urban location. You can check it out at Squirrel traps, mink traps, rat traps, and other small pest traps Good luck! __________________

03-30-2009, 04:25 PM	#15 (permalink)
mskitty38583 banana junkie mskitty38583 's Photo Gallery Location: north carolina Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: mskitty Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 4,071 BananaBucks : 193,593 Feedback: 26 / 100% Said "Thanks" 82 Times Was Thanked 890 Times in 617 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 136 Times	Re: Please help me!!! you can look up the post" post a pic of your pups...and i mean the 4 legged kind", that will keep the nut eaters out your yard.....or you can go to the pound and adopt a psyco killer kitty cat. LOL __________________ WELCOME TO THE GATOR NATION

03-30-2009, 04:54 PM	#16 (permalink)
lorax Banned lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 13 / Köppen-Geiger BSh Name: Lorax Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,532 BananaBucks : 309,320 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 742 Times Was Thanked 3,040 Times in 1,188 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 464 Times	Re: Please help me!!! A 12-gauge with rock-salt shells is the only thing I've ever found that really really works.

03-30-2009, 05:03 PM	#17 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 347,031 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: Please help me!!! My 22 caliber pellet air gun worked just fine except I have a neighbor who would call police if he heard the pop. __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

03-30-2009, 05:10 PM	#18 (permalink)
lorax Banned lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 13 / Köppen-Geiger BSh Name: Lorax Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,532 BananaBucks : 309,320 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 742 Times Was Thanked 3,040 Times in 1,188 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 464 Times	Re: Please help me!!! I guess a spuddie would work too, or if you've had a lot of practise, you can shoot pea gravel at them using a slingshot.

03-30-2009, 05:27 PM	#19 (permalink)
Patty in Wisc tropical nut Patty in Wisc's Photo Gallery Zone: 5 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3,115 BananaBucks : 347,031 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,946 Times Was Thanked 2,510 Times in 1,203 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 69 Times	Re: Please help me!!! Lorax, what is a 'spuddie'? I like the slingshot ... I could have fun with that LOL, but it would only chase them away temporary. Unless you hit them hard where it penetrates & kills them. __________________ Got a lite? Patty ____ Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

03-30-2009, 06:15 PM	#20 (permalink)
lorax Banned lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 13 / Köppen-Geiger BSh Name: Lorax Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,532 BananaBucks : 309,320 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 742 Times Was Thanked 3,040 Times in 1,188 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 464 Times	Re: Please help me!!! A spuddie is also known as a potato gun or spud gun. It shoots little pellets of potato at whatever. It's not technically lethal. However, if you're good with a slingshot and pea gravel, it will kill squirrels. I used that method when I was living in the city - if you upgrade the sling's arms to 8-gauge surgical rubber tubing, the kind that hospitals use for major tourniquets, then you can get enough push behind the gravel to drive it right through a squirrel. Of course, this predicates on your upper body strength. I also shoot simple and compound bows, so the pull on a slingshot was not a problem for me. (and before you ask why I didn't just use arrows, it was illegal to shoot those within city limits outside of the archery ranges.)

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