Don’t know if it works, but a YT’er mentioned this to help with birds and squirrels eating fruit.
He said birds pick at fruit mainly for water…so put out a birdbath.
He said squirrels would rather eat birdseed than fruit…so put out some birdseed.
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What would rats rather eat 
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These types of suggestions general don’t work. It is sort of like the people who say “grow a row for wildlife” - as if the animals know which is supposed to be theirs.
I have plenty of water around and the birds certainly go after the fruit just the same.
The squirrel population is pretty off the chart here in suburbia, so perhaps in a lower population area you might be able to lure them away with other foods, but here they take everything!
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Agree with @zendog . Also holds true not in suburbia. I have a wooded area too close to my trees that the squirrels hide in.
If there’s enough open land I understand they’re afraid to traverse to the trees.
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I haven’t seen it help for fruit, but it seems to help my young potted seedling trees from getting chewed up by the chippies. I leave an old chicken waterer out for them and they’re always drinking from it. New growth damage has been way down since I started this.
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I am trying the wrapping of the bird netting around branches to keep squirrels off. It’s what Scott has been trying and I’m hoping it works for me.
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It works for me with rabbits. I grow a lot of easy to access greens on the ground and they dont get into my beds.
Rats… no
Well, it is good to know what works and what doesn’t. The little animals left my figs alone until we had a bad drought. Then they ate the fig wood terribly. Don’t know if a bowl of water would have helped. When had had the big cicada season years ago the birds left the blueberry and cherries alone. Guess they like cicadas better. Or maybe something else. I tired shiny CD’s on a tree and it did not help the bird issue.
I think that Scott’s experience is more to wrap the tree trunks than it is the branches.
Yes, I suppose branches conjures images of small sized things or netting a whole tree. In the pictures the wrap looked like it was on the trunk or major scaffold branches. Here is the thread in case others want to try it (and not wrap little branches but big scaffolds and trunks! 
)
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I’ll be trying this as well. I think we’ll get a good sample of desperate fruit growers trying it this season and will know if it works consistently. I sure hope so.
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One thing: try to get your prevention in place well before the fruit become attractive. Once squirrels get a taste of fresh apricots etc. they get really determined.
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