I started my small scale orchard (125 trees) in 2016 and crows were not a problem at that time probably because the trees were not yet producing, Now they are in full production and my crow problem is becoming unmanageable… They can be up to 50 of them anytime in my area.
I installed a crow distress call/Cooper Hawk attacking call and use it wisely only 1 or 2 times a day every other day. I tried repellent tape that reflects sunlight and even 2 “scarecrows”. Nothing has been successful. The number of apple I find bitten or partially eaten by those flying thieves is impressive…
Shotguns are not an option as deterring sprinklers and firecrackers (illegal here) are not either. Netting? I cannot net all my producing fruits way too time consuming.
I read about Avitrol but don’t want to and can’t kill all of them. I just want them to leave my orchard… I read that there seems to be 2 concentration of the product available. One concentration to kill and another just to make them sick (like a hangover I guess) and make them migrate to more clement skies.
Avitrol is not available easily and I understand why but since I’m a minute individual grower I can not buy it. Is it a bit easier to buy the lowest concentration in the U.S.?
Thanks for the help!
Marc
Crows are so smart and I respect them, but your problem calls for practical solutions. I have read that if you can acquire a dead crow and leave it where it can be seen by the flock they will move on. Good luck.
Hello sir , I did the same one time , but they didn’t even have a problem, they were eating my fruits next to the dead one!
Some of them were attacking to the dead hanging crow too !!
Crows are smart, I believe they learn by process of association, pretty much like humans do! For example, there can be no crows around until I rototill my garden, then almost within the hour they are calling their associates in for the worm feast. So It may be possible to use this trait to create a deterrence from appearing. If you were to obtain a method of creating an alarm just before you shoot the first crow with an airgun. Then as another member suggested, you display the evidence on a high pole so that they begin to associate the event with the alarm you made, then perhaps all you need to do daily is to continue issuing the same alarm.
So perhaps it’s a matter of creating a type of alarm that your neighbors can live with. One thought might be to use the crow’s ability to see color: What colors can crows see? Per animal club:
Humans, as previously established, have three color receptors. One for red, one for blue and one for yellow. Crows see red, blue, yellow and UV light.
So maybe the simplest form of alarm might be to raise a the red,white and blue just before you shoot the first crow.
Good luck, I know this can be frustrating as I am dealing with a similar issue to trap and remove neighboring squirrels!
Dennis
Kent, wa
i feel your pain Marc. we have a infestation of crows here as well. they found my honeyberries last year. they broke a lot of new growth to get to the fruit. unfortunately, it took me shooting 3 of them before they left. they must have remembered as they didn’t return this year. I’ve heard them on others property nearby but so far haven’t returned. they really keen on red and blue fruit.
Pellet gun. Shoot one, lay it breast down, they’ll all come to the funeral. Shoot another. They decoy easily. Buy yourself a crow call, too. Here the dollar store at halloween sells, little black birds that decoy crows well. Start killing them they’ll move on.
Feel to try what you want, that’s the only thing I know that works. Be thankful you don’t have ravens. (think trex crows).
May not be currently popular, but reality isn’t always so.
it used to be ravens that were the 1st. ones on roadkill here, then turkey vultures showed up about 20 yrs. ago. now they fight over a carcass. its impressive to watch. the vultures are bigger but the ravens harass the hell out of them and gang up on them. the vultures give in and leave.
Thanks everyone for the good spirited comments and answers but I believe all those recommendations would be like putting a bandage on a wooden leg. Those crows are very intelligent and know all the trick of the trade and I strongly believe I would only get rid of them for good by using Avitrol. If someone can provide it or name a business that sells it?
Sometimes it’s very important to read the small prints, Obviously I can’t provide proper documentation and need someone willing to sell me a small quantity…
Marc
…”Avitrol Double Strength Whole Corn is designed to dispel flocks of Crows. Because Avitrol is a restricted use pesticide, the proper licensing/certification is required of all purchasers prior to purchase. Please enter your information, and we will verify your status during processing…”
Don’t know if it’s possible for you or not. But installing a orchard dogs, should really help with nusance animals. look for bird dogs like labs. Dogs do better (more happy, content, less destructive) in pairs. there may be other better breeds but labs came to mind first.
I figured you were aware of the applicator’s license requirements. I’d be surprised if you’d find anybody who is licensed who would risk that license by selling to someone unlicensed.
A licensee willing to sell me some? 100% not a chance but miracles happen like being contacted by someone who has used the product on his/her farm and have a small quantity left to spare/sell…
Well we only have 23 trees, not like your 125. But we have had good luck when the magpies are getting our fruit with netting the trees. It is a big job and expensive but it has worked for us really well. However, we do not net all of the trees. Just our favorites. And we had to spend extra to get netting that would not trap small birds in the nets. Our first cheap nets caught small birds. We bought some more expensive ones that do not.
Peggy
They were attacking our figs and pears. I shot two and hung them upside down on each side of the trees. Worked for about three weeks. Shooting is the only recourse I’ve found to be successful.
I have a growing crow problem in my orchard as well.
This year, I am having a bumper crop of pears and at the beginning of my pear harvest, they stripped one of my early-ripening asian pears of every fruit.
Tried shooting some bottle rockets near them, that worked while I was there, but as soon as I left the orchard area they would go back at it.
I ended up buying 4 very real looking plastic crow decoys off amazon and hung them up-side down off of long bamboo poles around the rest of the pear trees. The crows did not like that at all. I hear them off in the distance, but have not seen them near my orchard since.
i got a scoped marlin .22 mag. that ive taken crows out to 200yrds . off the tops my neighbors’ trees as well as mine. they know this so its no shock when i walk over to retrieve the dead crow. i share my fruit with them so they understand why i do it. we have way too many crows here. once 1 finds a food source they call all their buddies over.
