Yes the electric wire is for the groundhog. Added it last summer and so far it has worked incredibly well. No squirrels, groundhogs or any other critters visiting the fenced in veggie area. They still come to the yard and eat everything else.
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Do the possums climb trees?
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I haven’t seen them climb directly up but I have seen them go up a slanted tree. My opinion is that it would be hard for them to climb upward without limbs etc. Not certain but those are my opinions.
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My hope this year was to brush or spray a protective coating that would deter squirrels from eating persimmons and jujubes in trees where barriers are impractical. I had read that squirrels dislike hot pepper and cinnamon, so I set up a simple experiment…I placed three small piles of peanuts on a board and sprinkled a good dose of cayenne pepper powder on one pile and cinnamon on the other. I watched in awe how one squirrel ate the pile of cinnamon coated peanuts, then went onto the plain peanuts, and then finished off by devouring the cayenne coated peanuts. So my simple plan was smashed in a matter of minutes. These little critters have my respect…I’m thinking about inviting some onto my deck for chips with my hot salsa and some cold beer.
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@Livinginawe,
Your squirrels and mine must be closely related 
. Mine are quite unstoppable, too.
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There are only 2 ways to stop all animals that eat your gardens and orchards and only 2. You either cage in everything that you dont want eaten or you kill them, period.
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For the first time this year somebody destroyed my trees. One apple tree that was caged and a pear tree that was not caged both got munched on. Apple tree has damage about 5 ft up. Not sure if it was a deer or a critter that climbed up the tree. Both fruit and branches gone overnight. I don’t know why i keep trying…
Worst part is I lost couple of new grafts that had started to grow nicely…
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I don’t know if you can plant roses in your area. I have them anywhere I want to stop the two leg or four leg creatures, without a fence or cage. They look nice and work well so far. You will have to be careful, maybe some low ropes around to protect your children. Other than that the only thing works for me is the galvanized 1/4" hardware cloth. I only use them since last year so I don’t know if they rust easily in humid regions.
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Sorry about the damage and I know it is disheartening when it happens. My guess is that it is deer damage. I don’t have deer at my home but I have when I lived at another location. They require a more substantial barrier until they get out of reach. Again I’m sorry about you loss and I hope you keep at it armed with more knowledge this time around.
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@Susu,
Sorry for the loss. I also suspected deer. Other aninmals like groundhogs and raccoons prefer ripe fruit. I assume your apples are still young.
I hope you don’t give up. It is not easy to grow fruit as every other animals like to eat your fruit, too.
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so sorry to hear that Susu, that is so sad and frustrating I am sure!
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Has anyone tried out these Ouell traps for squirrels?
https://www.ouell.ca/en/fiche-trap-310.php
https://www.ouell.ca/en/fiche-trap-411.php
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They get mixed reviews on Amazon, some people are complaining that the 310 trap is not big enough for squirrels. Probably the 411 would work though. Looking at the reviews on the 411, people are complaining it is too small for the skunks it was meant for … but it works well on squirrels! So the 411 would probably be a great squirrel trap.
Nothing is worse than an under-powered trap. One thing I like about the Kania traps is they have a ridiculously strong spring in them, and I have never had a squirrel survive more than a few seconds. The tube traps are also pretty good, but they have been catching too many birds.
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Best way to dispatch a raccoon is with a .22lr. Next would be a well trained coon hound.
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Yep, possums climb trees very well, as they have an opposing thumb like humans do. They get a rap for being dumb, but possums are actually quite smart.
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Yes, the 310 looked too small, the theory is that the entire squirrel doesn’t need to go in, just the front. The 411 seems right though. These are more “orderable” than Kania from Amazon.
The complaint is not the the squirrel won’t fit, but that people trapped squirrels but they didn’t die and some even managed to get out of the trap.
Kania are definitely harder to get. I think I had to wait 3-4 months the last time I ordered some.
Did anyone else notice that the Canadians seem to be much more keen on developing squirrel traps? Both Kania and Ouell are made in Canada.
I see. I hope I will find 411 to be strong enough and quick for squirrels. It would be very unpleasant otherwise.
I planted a row of pecans in the garden for seedlings to grow over the next 2 years. I saw a squirrel running down the row saying “get this one and this one and this one and…”. A 12 gauge took care of him and his partner. There are more in the woods. I’ll have to do it again.
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I love it when they go up the tree…a sure way to stop them from running while shooting…Cause they are pretty quick too…
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