FWIW, I have a plastic deer fence with a chickenwire skirt. The skirt is effective at keeping out squirrels and rabbits. For a while I was injured (Achilles tear) and couldn’t complete the skirt so there was nothing but a layer of plastic. Rabbits quickly bit holes.
I totally agree that “survival over winter is mostly about the amount of stored food.” But around here (and I think much the northeast), white oak acorns are abundant and the amount of stored food is mainly a function of the number of squirrels working to store it. I suspect (without proof) that the bigger challenge here is finding food in early and mid-summer, which is what make my fruits and berries so attractive.
I’m definitely not looking for reasons to surrender. The ~80 squirrels removed last year and ~15 this year are proof of that. I find the squirrelnator very effective for home use if used consistently but I can readily see that it would not be ideal for a commercial orchard.
Anyway, I’m not arguing any of there lessons that you learned in your business. But here the mast crop is massive and fairly reliable. Even a “bust” year is adequate to support a bigger population of squirrels that my fruit trees can tolerate.
My business is in NY and my customers are within 100 miles of me, mostly less than half that so I’m talking about the east coast. Acorns and hickory nuts were very scarce in my area last fall, I assume because relentless spring rain rotted the flowers I am surrounded by woods and have been studying squirrel activity closely here for 30 years.
I would be surprised if you had a heavy acorn crop last year. I have numerous oak trees on the edge of my 3 acres- I’ve cut down the ones on my own to make room for my nursery and orchard. I also check mast levels in my entire region which has a relatively wide range between the hills miles away from big water to the edge of the Hudson on one side and the Atlantic ocean on the other. Squirrels are scarce in all places after a brutal presence last season.
Are you seeing a lot of squirrel activity where you are. Maybe in your part of the NE conditions are different, but I’d be very surprised if mast yields are consistent- it’s not what I’ve heard from wildlife experts who theorize that starvation cycles are part of a pattern that assures that more nuts survive the squirrels after starvation winters created by lean years. .
I’m seeing plenty of squirrels – just not near my yard, where I’ve caught ONLY fifteen.
I have two white oaks in the yard and neighbors have more. The woods across the street and in a nearby state park are full of them. I hunt deer with a bow, so I pay close attention to the acorn crop.
We had a very decent acorn crop last year, at least near me. I literally watched the crop from a tree stand. It was a very dry summer, so I could imagine some higher, drier spots were adversely impacted.
OK, I believe you. I see that you are in Rhode Island so that’s quite different and quite a ways from my location. I’m guessing you are close to the water with a lot of moderating influence. My advice likely still pertains.
What a stimulating discussion! If people have more to say, it might be helpful to note the kind of environment where your squirrel battles are. It seems that makes a big difference with which methods are effective.
I live in Minneapolis in a neighborhood with an average lot size of about 5,000 sqft. There is at least one large, mature walnut tree on my block and many in the neighborhood. There is a community orchard nearby and the guy who oversees it says squirrels get basically every peach, apple, and pear, but don’t bother the plums or cherries.
I think I will order some tube traps to increase the efficiency of my extermination efforts and possibly improve my electric fence.
@alan To effectively use baffles, do you just start the open center 4 or 5ft up?
I’m in RI near the bay. Weather is probably typical for coastal southern New England. There is conservation land across the street and a big state park 1/2 mile down the road. My home is like an island in a reservoir of squirrels.
The best way to do it is have a single trunk with first branches coming about 5’ up- like so… Squirrel baffles 2022.
The orchard where I took the photos has terrible squirrel pressure and without baffles it would be an utter waste of money. Unfortunately bird pressure is just as bad, although the fruit has to be nearly ripe to attract them, so we also have to net the trees most years… not this one, hopefully.
We also paint the baffles with a mixture of gear oil and axle grease for good measure.
Here, like most fruit loving animals, squirrels love plums as well, but only when they are ripe or almost there. Peaches and pears they will take completely green and less than half mature size. That is why setting up baffles is a race for me in my business… Some sites need to be protected before mid-June and it only takes a couple of days for squirrels to completely destroy a crop of green peaches. I thin peaches and set up baffles at the same time… I just finished my last site yesterday.
Gray squirrels are boom and bust in many rural places where they can’t depend upon human sources of food. Where I live, I didn’t see any gray squirrels for the first decade or so. There were lots of red squirrels, which tend to be a lot less pesky when it comes to crops IME. One year, there was a huge mast crop region-wide. It made headlines, as did the uptick in squirrels across the region. That year I had gray squirrels show up in droves. I hadn’t seen a red squirrel on my property in years, and just this past winter, as the gray squirrel population seems to have collapsed again, I’m noticing some red squirrels.
According to state DNR, a good location in my part of VT- one dominated by oaks and beeches- can support 5 gray squirrels per acre. I own ~20 acres, but am abutted by several thousand acres of woodland,much of which fits this description. I’ve tried controlling squirrels by removal, and will continue to try to some extent, but it’s not really a more permanent solution here either.
Go to the pound and get a pair of dogs - male and female for compatibility. Pass on pitbulls and pitbull crosses.
Killing the squirrels is useless because their cousins just move in. Dogs will act as a repellant.
I’m skeptical. I have coyotes in my area and they don’t deter squirrels. So long as squirrels can climb and dogs can’t, I think the squirrels will feel invulnerable.
Also, would you propose keeping the dogs outside all day? Some of the worst squirrel damage seems to occur near dawn and dusk. Do you hope to wake up before sunrise to let the dogs out? [Even worse raccoon damage occurs at night.]
Finally, many oil my best fruits are trees or bushes near the periphery of my property. Presumably, I can’t let my dogs roam the neighborhood. So hypothetically, a squirrel can sneak in, steal an apple or a peach or a fig, then sneak out. And make an especially quick exit if the dogs approach.
Coyotes are not defending your yard. Dogs will. Leave the dogs outside so long as the weather permits. They will need shelter from cold and heat, maybe nice doghouses on a covered porch plus some comfy dog beds from Costco. Make sure squirrels can’t jump onto your fruit trees from the fence. Have the folks at the pound help you pick the dogs, then treat them kindly: vet care, baths, brushing and petting.
You do have a fence that will keep the dogs in, right? Squirrels will stay out if they have to travel on the ground to get to your fruit.
It’s fun to sit outside with a beverage in the morning and discuss the weather with the doggos.
Some pests pay no mind to dogs IMO. I have three dogs and the dogs don’t deter deer in the least, even when I leave the house door open and the dogs wander about the yard at night. All that mostly accomplishes is getting woken by them barking when something sets them off.
Racoons pay no mind to dogs as they are vicious creatures that show no fear of even very large dogs. There were three of them hiding under my shed that wouldn’t leave a couple of nights ago. The momma just sat there hissing and growling at my dogs who couldn’t get to them. One of them had an unfortunate accident when it impaled itself on a fishing rod butt that had a fishing knife taped to it. After that racoons untimely demise they haven’t been back, and I hope my chickens will not be attacked again for a good long time.
Rabbits still come about even with the dogs. Turtles climb up the hill from the lake this time of year to look for a spot to lay eggs. The dogs have been barking at the turtles all week, but the turtles pay them no mind. Although, one of the turtles did latch onto the dogs nose last summer and there was quite the yelp from my dog. They still seem to like barking at the turtles but it never accomplishes anything.
Squirles aren’t really a problem anymore since I cut down my walnut tree from beside the house. Squirles were living in the atic/roof of 2 outbuildings and stashing all the walnuts up there. Once the tree was gone I put poisen up in the atic of both. This rid me of the squirles and surprisingly they haven’t returned. This was before I had dogs, I would have been very hesitant to put poisen out if I had dogs then. Not sure why, but they haven’t come back.
It really depends on the type and personality of the dog. Not all dogs deter any wildlife and the majority do not go after squirrels, in my experience. I treasure the ones that do and a single dog can protect a couple acres of fruit trees from all comers- but a dog is more trouble than an electric fence. You shouldn’t get one for that single purpose, IMO. If you don’t want a dog friend, forget about it.
Personally, my trees, orchard and business create more than enough responsibility and just enough companionship.
We have numerous feral cats so the squirrels for the most part are kept in check. Otherwise there’s plenty for them to eat this year, American Beech mast:
we used to have alot of beech here. we used to harvest the nuts when i was young. a bark fungus moved in in the early 90’s and has decimated them. now its rare to find a old tree. many animals suffered that loss.
I have several oak trees and at least 50 plus fruit trees of various types bearing fruit. I have very little squirrel damage of my fruit. The reason squirrels avoid my yard and fruit is my 13 pound exterminator.
