I decided to put this in the general fruit growing category because squirrels are such a huge issue for all fruit growers that live in their domain.
I thought I had my squirrel population under control because they stopped feeding on my fruit, but then I noticed huge quantities of partially chewed acorns falling out of giant oak trees on my property like rain. Looking up in the tallest branches I can see squirrels working through the trees. It seems they are destroying the acorn crop! They are getting a small amount of food from each partially eaten acorn.
I guess these horrid vermin will destroy the winter food for themselves and all the other animals that rely on acorns, but I wonder why. Beneath the oaks are mulberries and blueberries along with my ripening stonefruit.
All the no discharging firearms in cities, all the ‘animal rights’ be kind and feed the animals, is coming home to roost. 50 years ago would kill one or two when ‘squirrel hunting’ in the woods…now I could kill 50 on a 3 mile walk if they didn’t arrest me first!
Just wait until these bushy-tailed rats all start carrying Bubonic Plague (or something worse).
Sorry, but I can’t address political issues involving human encroachment on the environment in the fruit growing section, even where it affects those of us trying to protect fruit.
One political statement I will make here is that rodent feeding stations should be outlawed- even if they are sold as bird-feeders. They are what they are and they feed what they feed. Even if squirrels, rats and mice can’t reach them, the birds are extremely accommodating by pushing as much food off the feeders as they consume. One wonders how many squirrels survive a tough winter as a result of this human intrusion in our ecology.
@alan they are desperate for the carbohydrates from the acorns. Its interesting but ive actually seem them in the city so desperate they chewed bark of branches. In my area everything is in balance and we dont see tbose issues yet
A friend in Middlesboro KY has had every one of his pears destroyed already…squirrels chewed into the fruit just to eat the seeds, and piles of rotting half or 2/3 grown pears under the trees. Such a shame. Such a mess, too!
I spend almost a month or every season with my helper installing squirrel baffles. They almost always work, but at a few sites squirrels will jump almost 6’ to reach a branch. I was at a site last week where baffles 5’ up didn’t work, but those almost 6’ up were effective. At some sites, just 4’ works where no baffle always leads to stripped green peaches and pears and ripe plums.
As far as I know, only squirrels and chipmunks remove green fruit- oh, and sometimes birds.
probably do just fine as they store much more than they eat… we don’t have oaks up here and the blight on beechnut has just about wiped that crop out. pine nuts and wild beaked hazels are their primary food up here and they survive the -30f winters just fine and we have heavy snow cover from oct. to may. they don’t get much help from people as its very rural and everyone shoots them on sight when they see them. i generally leave them alone until i see some damage then its war!
Small acorns are falling from my trees but they are not chewed. It’s either the heat or poor pollination like many of my fruit trees. My squirrel population is low this year so maybe that’s why they are not being eaten.
Out running in the woods this morning, I noticed a lot of green acorns on the ground. Did not see any chewed up but of course I didn’t check all of them. Like danzeb, I wonder if it’s something to do with the weather we’ve been having causing the trees to drop early.