I have 2 trees each of cherry, peach, apple, plum, and pear. Each year all the wildlife eat all my fruit. Most of it is eaten fairly early. The peaches grow the largest, but then a couple weeks before it is ripe, something eats all the fruit off the tree in one night. I have two varieties of peaches that ripen a week or two apart. They eat one tree first then a week later get the other tree. I am not sure which animal is stealing my fruit. I know the deer and squirrel have gotten it, but we also have raccoons, opossum, groundhogs, fox, etc. It's hard because I am not sure which animal is eating which fruit.
I have tried fox and coyote urine, that slowed them down, but eventually they got all my fruit anyway. One year I had a motion activated scarecrow, which seems to slow them down, but my son forgot to hook it back up after mowing the lawn, and another time the battery died. So that isn't reliable. Some of the trees are way too large to use netting around them. I'm determined to get fruit this year. Any suggestions on how to keep the critters away from my fruit?
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applestar
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Until last year, groundHOG would move in under my shed every summer, have one or more babies, and proceed to raid my garden. I fenced all my garden beds and tolerated -- chased off -- when they managed to get in by climbing or digging all summer.
When the mama groundHOG started CLIMBING my apple tree, taking bites out of only the perfect ones and would run dropping a bit apple along the way, I said enough was enough.
I bought a small battery powered electric fence and put it just outside around the rabbit wire fence that was already there (yes the geiundHOG was climbing over it to get in) so that she would have to touch the wire in order to get to the rabbit wire fence.
That stopped her.
During the same fall, I watched a squirrel get zapped and run away, which kept it away for a while though I think they did eventually find a way, and chipmunks managed to burrow under the hot zone
Birds are still my biggest problem. I have plans to build a birdnetting cage over the blueberry bed, and I still have to figure out what to do for the blackberry (thornless at least so netting won't be snagging on the thorns like with my old patch) and the dwarf cherry trees. I may need to do something for the dwarf peach tree as well (first year with loaded green fruits)
When the mama groundHOG started CLIMBING my apple tree, taking bites out of only the perfect ones and would run dropping a bit apple along the way, I said enough was enough.
I bought a small battery powered electric fence and put it just outside around the rabbit wire fence that was already there (yes the geiundHOG was climbing over it to get in) so that she would have to touch the wire in order to get to the rabbit wire fence.That stopped her.
During the same fall, I watched a squirrel get zapped and run away, which kept it away for a while though I think they did eventually find a way, and chipmunks managed to burrow under the hot zone
Birds are still my biggest problem. I have plans to build a birdnetting cage over the blueberry bed, and I still have to figure out what to do for the blackberry (thornless at least so netting won't be snagging on the thorns like with my old patch) and the dwarf cherry trees. I may need to do something for the dwarf peach tree as well (first year with loaded green fruits)
We are fortunate over this side of the pond in that the only animal that can climb trees and get at the fruit are sqirrels.
Even so they can do enormous damage as they content themselves with taking one bite and then selecting a fresh fruit.
Afraid that we use the lead behind the ear method on them.
As to birds. there are ' humming ' strings that you can buy. They work for a while but like most scarers the birds get used to them.
One thing we have found that keeps them at bay is to fasten a model of a bird of prey suspended above the trees canopy.
Tied to a pole at the top of the tree...they keep away.
Even so they can do enormous damage as they content themselves with taking one bite and then selecting a fresh fruit.
Afraid that we use the lead behind the ear method on them.
As to birds. there are ' humming ' strings that you can buy. They work for a while but like most scarers the birds get used to them.
One thing we have found that keeps them at bay is to fasten a model of a bird of prey suspended above the trees canopy.
Tied to a pole at the top of the tree...they keep away.
