I know there are other posts about this, and I have read as much as I can find, but I still have no solution. I’m at my wit’s end. No matter what I do, squirrels take all of my peaches.
Things I have tried:
Baffle around the trunk (they jump to the lowest branch)
Sprayed extremely hot pepper spray on everything (they do not care)
Put up an electric fence (they get zapped and keep going)
Put up a motion sprinkler (wind blown leaves and squirrels look the same to it)
Wrapped every single peach (they chew the wrap off)
Killed 30+ but there are always more.
Does anyone have a solution? Is my only recourse to build an impenetrable cage around each tree? I’m losing my mind
You could try converting your peach tree to grow plums, I have squirrels here that loved my sweet cherries but I converted to plums and now they have not bothered my plums as much. Apparently you live close to a wooded area to support so many squirrels. If that’s the case maybe get busy during hunting season to have squirrel stew. Only need to be a good shot for that.
Dennis
Kent, wa
I grow something that I don’t really care to eat for them. They can have my Golden Dorsett. This year they leave my apricots alone, they usually don’t eat plums, but they love my red atomic nectarine.
I grew redhavens only so all trees ripen at the same time. Didn’t work because the squirrels picked the fruit at half size, dropped and picked another drop and so on
I have one. I’ve caught three at a time! this has been the only solution that works here. last year was incredibly bad for the Squirrel War at my garden, we caught 30+in the thing. you only need one or two walnuts/peanuts, they will go in willingly. I put shade over it, as I don’t wish to torture them.
this year we have one male squirrel and he has apparently claimed the property as his territory. he’s big but he has not gotten into anything yet, save one potted plant- I put a cactus pad in there and he hasn’t gotten back into them at all. he does turn over the bird feeder, which has cayenne in it so he isn’t eating anything.
as long as he leaves the garden mostly alone, I won’t put the trap out again. last year there were a lot of younger, intrusive and hungry squirrels fighting over the territory, which is why it was so bad. I kept capturing them until we ended up with this guy.
if I have to trap this year I’ll be eating them. I like squirrel meat deep fried like chicken.
@krismoriah has the right idea in my opinion. I’ve got a couple big Red oak trees on my property and the squirrels are generally too busy with acorns to pay serious attention to my fruit trees. Try feeding them nuts (peanuts are cheap) or something else they like and they may leave your peaches alone.
A gray squirrel got all my gold rush apples last year… only had 5 or 6… but hated to see some critter get them all. One of them got caught and lost his head.
I may have to get a couple of those traps and try them myself. I have a box trap that will catch them… but it is a catch one… then reset it and catch another. I like how that squirrelinater allows the whole gang to come on in.
LOL – Feeding squirrels (e.g., acorns or peanuts) just makes more squirrels.
I have found no alternative but to trap and remove them. BUT you have to start months before the harvest. Be assured that there are way more squirrels within easy distance than you can ever imagine. Last year, I removed ~80. Most of those fell victim to the Squirrelanator. If I started later and removed, say, 40 then there would have been another 40 ready to move in.
The population seems slightly lower this year. To date, I’m up to ~15.
I was about to say the same thing about feeding squirrels means nothing. My neighborhood is surrounded by oak trees. I have bird feeders that squirrels help themselves.
They still take as many ripening fruit as they can. If I were a squirrel, I would take apples over hard acorns anyday of the week, too. And they do.
My problem now is a new fence we built. Basically a squirrel super highway to my peach trees. Before they would have to at least go on the ground to get to the trees which was harder for them because of my dog. Now they can pluck peaches off in totally safety. Trying to figure out what to put on my fence to deter them. Trapping is not an option in my neighborhood as many of the neighbors adore the squirrels (which is maddening).
