Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I love growing food. I'm no farmer but it's cool to have a tomatoes and some berry bushes, etc. and maybe some cucumbers. but I have a serious squirrel problem. My retired marine neighbor and his wife put raw peanuts on the fence for them twice a day. I've counted 8 in my yard at once. Despite how fat they all are, Nothing I grow stands a chance.

I'm not friends with that neighbor (no issue, just neither of us are very outgoing) but if I tried to kill the squirrels, that would make an instant enemy.

So I just ordered galvanized hardware fabric to make a cage around my 5'x3' raised bed. I'm gonna frame it to be just shorter than the fence, with 2x4s and give it a nice door with hinges and a latch.

What am I failing to consider here?

https://pestpointers.com/scents-that-squirrels-hate-and-how-to-use-them/
 The dog was helpful , but she liked tomatoes and sweet potatoes . 

I built a few frames out of 1/2 inch EMT with the 90 bends. I bought some cheap clips from harbor freight and cover it with a dark shade cloth in the summer and a white pattern in the winter. It's kept squirrels and birds out. "Makerpipe" has some good fittings.

I use to catch squirrels with a havahart trap with deer corn,you can move them or cook them with dumplings.Coworker said in his neighborhood there were so many they started eating the rubber on his car bumper.You need to thin the herd...

I had a Jack Russell that loved to squirrel hunt,he even caught one in the backyard.He killed the squirrel while we were out,but the squirrel really put up a fight,dog had bites all over.

I bought a BSA .22 pellet gun just for him,it was louder than using .22 CBs.You should take the neighbor some squirrel dumplings

I have a big vegetable garden.  Squirrels usually leave everything alone; that being said, I am well aware of folks who see their tomatoes and peppers especially go to squirrels.  The thing they eat at our place is Mexican sunflower plants, for whatever reason.  A pepper spray usually helps, but you have to reapply often.

Frank

I would like to have squirrels in my Garden      I would feed them.

not much small animals in this desert who could visit a home garden other than lizards 
on spring we can see few hummingbirds but thats it

We don't have squirls either Alex.  But, we have cute Norway rats, about the same size as a squirl, that eat the vegetables.  I could send you some.

Yeah the ones down here have no sense of self control or moderation, they're just always frantically fattening up and hoarding for that winter that just isn't coming. (Florida)

Quote from: oc1 on February 28, 2025, 06:15:43 PMWe don't have squirls either Alex.  But, we have cute Norway rats, about the same size as a squirl, that eat the vegetables.  I could send you some.

LOL no thanks, we have Kangaroo rats down here, but they live in the desert and rarely are become a Garden problem, they're cute, tho, they're considered almost extinct at one time but not anymore, its really cool see them jumping/hopping


https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/kangaroo-rat-native-baja-california-isnt-extinct-after-all-180968926/

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on February 28, 2025, 06:20:45 PMYeah the ones down here have no sense of self control or moderation, they're just always frantically fattening up and hoarding for that winter that just isn't coming. (Florida)

I have heard stories of Squirrels that are considered almost a plague, in the city I used to live which is 3hrs drive from me, they have a birds problem, the pigneons !! dang, those birds I really hate them.
some people found a way to even eat them 

We have 3 kinds of squirrels here, the problem ones are ground squirrels,  it's a constant battle. I have a trap that can catch multiple squirrels in one setting, my record is 4 in one hour. It comes with a big tray you fill with water and drop the trap in. Crude but effective
The tree squirrels are too wary to fool the the garden

Nature abhors a vacuum, not enough CB's in the world, they'll just keep coming.

I ust thought of a movie title maybe Svengoolie should present

"Night of the Zombie Squirrels" drive in most likely ...

Quote from: Cuttyhunker on February 28, 2025, 09:33:45 PMNature abhors a vacuum, not enough CB's in the world, they'll just keep coming.

What's a CB?

Quote from: nelz on March 01, 2025, 03:44:10 AM

Quote from: Cuttyhunker on February 28, 2025, 09:33:45 PMNature abhors a vacuum, not enough CB's in the world, they'll just keep coming.

What's a CB?

CB short and CB long are 2 different sizes of low-powered bullets for a 22. If you shoot it at a piece of plywood it's louder when it hits than when it fires.