SO...you have Critters eating your Fruits and Veggies?
My strawberries were eaten last night by rats and they are already attacking the Pomegranites before they are ripe...
THIS MEANS WAR!!!!
So talking with Burntheships... she has Racoon problems, so does Sky Otter
And Somamech has a Possum problem down under
Well I recalled from John up at the mine cabin that he used to use a water bucket for a trap and it worked really well for mice and rats
And a neighbor traps cats. Now he doesn't kill them, he uses a trap that catches them live
Now rats and mice... fair game they are nasty pests, even though the Desert Kangaroo rats out here do look cute (as my daughter pointed out)
(http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2004/10/42_98dd31951096ce9d7b3d5988b8076352.jpg)
but here is a couple of do it yourself mouse and rat traps that cost nothing and do work, and are safe for pets and children. Even a ferret can get out, which is important for me because the little buggers are great escape artists
Bucket Mouse and Rat Trap
(http://www.homesteadingwithozarkguy.com/images/bucket_moustrap.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OijRH-lduq4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL90_X2ms88
(http://www.thelivingmoon.com/Vault/Hungry.png)
Okay I know some of you out there think a shotgun is the answer :P
but for those who look into those eyes and waiver...
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51cDYK3Y74L._SL500_AA300_.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004RAMT/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00004RAMT&link_code=as3&tag=pegasreseacon-20)
Havahart 1079 Live Animal Professional-Style
One-Door Raccoon, Groundhog, Opossum, and Stray Cat Cage Trap (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004RAMT/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00004RAMT&link_code=as3&tag=pegasreseacon-20)
My bro-inlaw swears by his 5 gallon bucket mouse traps. They fall in and swim till exhausted whereby they drown.
Here in Wisconsin we have had a bad year with raccoons. They seem to be coming out of the woodwork. My sister next door feeds a gaggle of kats and those food dishes bring raccoons over for lunch and supper so they know this is the place to be.
I was on my deck the other day putting up a picnic sun cover and wouldn't ya know. From across the woods there comes three juvenile coons all running right at me like they was glade to meet me.
I yelled hey, no you can't come over here as they with wide eyes kept comin as I menacingly waved a stick at em. Two kept comin and one stopped, turned around to look back at the woods, turned around to look at me and turned around again and headed back for the woods. The other guys went under the porch.
Now rockies eating corn in the garden of eden by my bro-inlaws is a broken law punishable by death. Kind a sounds like the genesis story.
the only thing that have a heart trap is good for is holdin them so you only have to take one shot
that's hubby's job
the mouse thing is cool..
years ago we had a rat problem in the corn crib...tossed some rat poison in there and a 5 gallon bucket full of water just outside
three mornings in a row it had 15 rats in it and then it tappered off
then the corn crib came down....
the cats take care of the mice and chip monks
my dogs used to handle the racoon/ground hog problem but these current too are spoiled house dogs and onlygood to cuddle
i'ld be better off with a stuffed teddy bear and no feed cost
the racoons tore up one neighbors porch and another one's garden
there is no shooting in the boro..but around daen you can hear the sound of 22's going off
I keep food out for the feral cats. Of course the raccoons and skunks have figured out where the buffet is. And the birds and the squirrels. I save the guns for the two legged critters. The ones who can shoot back.
Shasta
The OP photos are only big mice, The rats here would eat the bucket. They love plastic and electrical wires over real food.
You have no idea how many rats end up looking like the shark in jaws that ate the power line. We find them all the time. We used to put wire in plastic tubes. they eat that very fast to get to the wire inside. Need to go back to metal. that does stop them. A 12ga would stop them alsp but there are none here. If they only eat one side of the wire they are ok, they chew off the insulation and eat it. When they get greedy they try both wires at the same time. Anyone for electrified Rat on a stick? You can smell the burn hair 20 feet away. You never forget that smell. They do eat Rat here but only country rat, for some reason city rat tastes bad. I have never had it and never wish to try. It does come on a stick roasted and with no fur. Any orders?
ps, I kid you not on this, I have left out rice uncooked, rice cooked, break, veggies and a roll of wire.
The wire is stripped in place and no shavings left over. The rice or veggies, Never touched.
Deuem
"You are what You eat..." City rats are eating plastic. Yeah. Don't think they would taste good.
i think they use the plastic and perhaps the wire, as shavings or packing for nests.
He said the rats are eating it - "They love plastic and electrical wires over real food."
Hmmm.
They never take away the wire unless they have too. Then you will just find it somewhere else. It is the insulation that drives them crazy, like Rat nip! ( Cat Nip for Cats ) Crazy Chinese Rats. Some of them are so brave they walk the streets in the daytime and no one bothers them. The best way to capture them is with a large sheet of Rat sticky paper. They get all rolled up in it, then just drop them in the water. We don't like to use poison because the cats and dogs and little kids might pick it up and eat it by chance.
Even though I say they are as big or bigger than cats, the largest rats I have ever seen were in the USA near the salt water hidden in stone break waters. They have a nice diet of fresh fish there and get huge. The ones here mostly eat garbage. So they are like little cleaners of the outside so the people don't bother them too much. Sort of free help to clean up. Just like cockroaches do, They eat all our garbage. No garbage, No cockroaches or Rats, they move on...
Rats also know how to run along wires very well. They go hand over hand. It is very easy for them to climb up a telephone pole and run the wire to your house/office and in a window or hole. Then you need to add circles on the wires so they can't get by. I think they are as smart as squirrels. Only the stupid ones get caught!
Deuem
Quote from: deuem on July 24, 2012, 09:11:17 AM\
The wire is stripped in place and no shavings left over. The rice or veggies, Never touched.
You haz Alien Rats :o
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_fpD7T6ImVY/T51ikUjUCvI/AAAAAAAACgM/4kujRlxt-cY/s1600/49148603251611546074.jpg)
Quote from: deuem on July 24, 2012, 11:34:59 AM
Crazy Chinese Rats. Some of them are so brave they walk the streets in the daytime and no one bothers them.
;D
Those are some different rats for sure! (Walking around
in the day time)
I have heard about rats eating wires under cars.
One story, the rats crawled up inside the engine and ate wiring,
then crawled around and ate brake lines etc. Thousands
of dollars of damage. And this was on a ranch where plenty
of other food was readily available!
Rats! They are really rotten creatures. They are also
a nuisance, in the Winter always trying to crawl into the attic
and nest. GRRRRRR.
Yes, Racoons are a real pain to! I had one this spring attacking
a Cherry tree in the back, it was relentless for several evenings,
eating the cherry fruit, and broke many branches!
Of course its not legal to shoot them here, so we kept
turning the hose on him with a power shoot and it did not
like that!
Then it was the birds after that! LOL.
And....dont get me started on the deer!
:D
Quote from: burntheships on July 24, 2012, 04:36:55 PM
;D
Those are some different rats for sure! (Walking around
in the day time)
I have heard about rats eating wires under cars.
One story, the rats crawled up inside the engine and ate wiring,
then crawled around and ate brake lines etc. Thousands
of dollars of damage. And this was on a ranch where plenty
of other food was readily available!
Rats! They are really rotten creatures. They are also
a nuisance, in the Winter always trying to crawl into the attic
and nest. GRRRRRR.
Yes, Racoons are a real pain to! I had one this spring attacking
a Cherry tree in the back, it was relentless for several evenings,
eating the cherry fruit, and broke many branches!
Of course its not legal to shoot them here, so we kept
turning the hose on him with a power shoot and it did not
like that!
Then it was the birds after that! LOL.
And....dont get me started on the deer!
:D
cherry trees? i love cherries! it sounds like you have the wild kingdom by your house. ours was sorta like that before a developer came in and developed the lot next door. before they did that, the trees were full of squirrels and birds. we'd go outside and it was like living in the jungle, minus the monkey sounds.
Quote from: undo11 on July 24, 2012, 04:48:31 PM
it sounds like you have the wild kingdom by your house
Undo,
It sure feels that way somtimes!
To clarify, the rats eating the underparts on a truck,
was some freinds. Thankfully we have not had that happen to
us... however they try and go to the attic via anyway they
can!
We have the occasional cougar also, which leads to
other wildlife adventures. Here's a story for you!
Had a great dog, Australian Shepherd/Border Collie,
he loved to eat big squash out of the garden and would chew
on them for hours. As he grew up he started finding out
about the leftovers from the cougars feasts!
One day we spotted him dragging half a rack of deer ribs.
He was elated! Silly dog we really were concerned if he ate
all of that it might make him sick...so we lured him with a piece
of bread! ;D He dropped the ribs, and came running for a slice!.
I have bear stories too, from a previous residence....
Thankfully here we at least dont have to deal with the bears!
;)
Go OWLS
07/11/2012 11.07.2012
Worst Plague in 30 Years
Field Mice Overrun Farms in Central Germany
They may look small, but the plague of field mice is having a devastating effect in central Germany.
Millions of field mice are overrunning the central German states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, much to the concern of local farmers. The rodents are devastating food crops, cutting yields by up to 50 percent. Getting birds of prey to hunt the critters didn't help, and now farmers want to be allowed to use a banned rat poison.
Under normal circumstances, you might think the 12-centimeter (5-inch) long field mouse looks innocent, or even cute. But farmers in the central German states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt wouldn't agree at the moment. The furry rodents are currently wreaking havoc in the states, which are suffering the worst field mouse plague in over 30 years.
Farmers in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt are complaining that millions of field mice are devastating their food crops, including corn, barley and winter wheat. "They are eating everything," said Matthias Krieg, who manages an agricultural firm near the town of Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt. "Not even the sugar beets are safe." Farmers estimate that they may have to write off an average of 10 percent of their crops as a result of mouse damage, and up to 50 percent in extreme cases.
Farmers already noticed an increase in the field mouse population in 2011 and began to take counter measures. According to Reinhard Kopp, a spokesman for the Thuringian Farmers' Association, agriculturalists set up hundreds of perches in their fields to lure birds of prey to kill the mice. But the operation was only moderately successful. "The birds got so fat from eating all the mice that they almost couldn't fly any more," Kopp said. "But they still couldn't keep up."
Farmers in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt say that other measures used to control pests -- such as placing poisoned bait at the entrances to their underground nests -- will not be sufficient either: The crops are now too tall to allow farmers to locate the nests.
Time for Tough Measures
Instead, agriculturalists want drastic action. They have requested permission to deploy a rat poison called Ratron. Farmers in Germany have been banned from using the poison on large areas since 2008. Ironically, it was the indiscriminate use of Ratron by farmers in Saxony-Anhalt that led the agency to ban it in the first place, after the poison killed wild geese and endangered European hamsters.
Whether or not their request will be granted remains to be seen. "The farmers have done everything that they can within the law," said Kopp. "Now we need more effective measures."
Not everyone is unhappy about the mouse plague, however. Birdwatchers are enjoying the increased sightings of rare owls hunting the rodents. "Normally the owl population in this region is next to nothing," said ornithologist Ubbo Mammen. "This is absolutely anomalous."
nds -- with wire reports
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/mouse-plague-hits-central-germany-a-843811.html
Critter
I had a critter much like that - and he ate broccoli and carrots.
Quote from: sky otter on July 24, 2012, 11:38:50 PM
Farmers in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt are complaining that millions of field mice are devastating their food crops, including corn, barley and winter wheat. "They are eating everything," said Matthias Krieg, who manages an agricultural firm near the town of Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt. "Not even the sugar beets are safe." Farmers estimate that they may have to write off an average of 10 percent of their crops as a result of mouse damage, and up to 50 percent in extreme cases.
So when they spray pesticides on our food, we all write threads on how this must stop
So when the Monsanto breed crops to resit the pest and increase the yield, we all write threads on how this must stop
So when the pests overrun our food supplies and eat and contaminate that, we all forget what we wrote and write about bring back the pest sprays :D
Sigh..... Hu-mons...
::)
well it isn't bad enough to have the critters eating the veggies..now the blasted bugs have voice mail....what???? :o
Science News... from universities, journals, and other research organizations
Voicemail Discovered in Nature: Insects Receive Soil Messages from the Past
ScienceDaily (June 12, 2012) — Insects can use plants as 'green phones' for communication with other bugs. A new study now shows that through those same plants insects are also able to leave 'voicemail' messages in the soil. Herbivorous insects store their voicemails via their effects on soil fungi. Researchers from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) and Wageningen University (WUR) discovered this unique messaging service in the ragwort plant.
The journal Ecology Letters will soon publish these results.
A few years ago, NIOO scientists discovered that soil-dwelling and above-ground insects are able to communicate with each other using the plant as a telephone. Insects eating plant roots change the chemical composition of the leaves, causing the plant to release volatile signals into the air. This can convince above-ground insects to select another food plant in order to avoid competition and to escape from poisonous defense compounds in the plant. But the impact doesn't stop there.
The new research shows that insects leave a specific legacy that remains in the soil after they have fed on a plant. And future plants growing on that same spot can pick up these signals from the soil and pass them on to other insects. Those messages are really specific: the new plant can tell whether the former one was suffering from leaf-eating caterpillars or from root-eating insects. "The new plants are actually decoding a 'voicemail' message from the past to the next generation of plant-feeding insects, and their enemies," recaps NIOO researcher and first author Olga Kostenko. "The insects are re-living the past." This message from the past strongly influences the growth and possibly also the behavior of these bugs. Today's insect community is influenced by the messages from past seasons.
Kostenko and her colleagues grew ragwort plants in a greenhouse and exposed them to leaf-eating caterpillars or root-feeding beetle larvae. Then they grew new plants in the same soil and exposed them to insects again. "What we discovered is that the composition of fungi in the soil changed greatly and depended on whether the insect had been feeding on roots or leaves," explains Kostenko. "These changes in fungal community, in turn, affected the growth and chemistry of the next batch of plants and therefore the insects on those plants." Growth and palatability of new plants in the same soil thus mirrored the condition of the previous plant. In this way, a new plant can pass down the soil legacy or message from the past to caterpillars and their enemies.
"How long are these voicemail messages kept in the soil? That's what I also would like to know!" adds Kostenko. "We're working on this, and on the question of how widespread this phenomenon is in nature."
The research project was financed by a personal innovation grant of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to Martijn Bezemer from the NIOO.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120612115946.htm#.T9g3CHJFIQg.facebook
(http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/13/55/53/83/20766510.gif)
Science fiction movies are full of bugs conquering us. Now we know that they're right.
Shasta
grrrrrrrr grumble ... curse....grumble
dang blasted ****** deer....
this is what my grapes look like.. we call it deer topiaries around here
you can tell exactly how tall the deer eating your stuff is
(http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/13/55/53/83/hpim2913.jpg)
:(
Quote from: sky otter on July 27, 2012, 06:39:25 PM
grrrrrrrr grumble ... curse....grumble
dang blasted ****** deer....
Pssttt I heard rumors that man has invented a cure.... I believe its called "Deer Fence" :P
They can look but they can't eat
(http://www.louispage.com/Portals/10240/images/deer%20fence.JPG)
Forget the wooden fence though, it doesn't work :o
(http://www.outdoorlife.com/files/imagecache/photo-gallery/photo/6/Deer_in_fence_0.jpg)
http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2009/04/cant-make
I was thinking about this thread earlier in the evening. Hubby and I were sitting on the porch, just chillin. We heard a noise in the trees. Hubby thought it was squirrels. It was raccoons. I think we have a mama with adolescent offspring visiting every night. They came down the tree, some headfirst, others backing down, and started chowing on cat food. Once they got their bellies filled, they started trying to get close enough to sniff us, without getting close enough to sniff us. Tomorrow, I'm going to get some store brand dog food to put out. I'm hoping they'll go for some of that instead of the cat food. We have a nursing mama cat coming around to eat, and we'd like to get her and her younguns to safety before it turns cold, so not having chow out there is not an option. And if I was going to use a shotgun on anything it would be on my neighbor's truck. But that's another story.
Shasta
redbone hound.eats all ,even armadillos.also can be trained not to eat cats.starve your animals outside and their instinct will kick in.then they will naturally hunt .then feed as usual.dont completely cut them off.only for outside animals.its easier with females when they have babies.they do it on their own.
just remember,when their wiped out,it takes along time for them to come back.i kinda miss seeing coons,foxes,bobcats,possums,deer,hog,gator,beaver.
so now with drought,i got lotsa pet grasshoppers.some probly big enough to mount a spy camera on.garden burnt up this year anyway.orchard did good tho.my hound and two cats live of fourty lbs of dogfood a month plus scraps.twenty a month .plus you got security.cheap insurance against theft.
Quote from: zorgon on July 23, 2012, 08:37:37 PM
SO...you have Critters eating your Fruits and Veggies?
Yes, yes I do!
This time its the over grown RATS. Yes, DEER.
Four several nights in a row, all of the sudden we were chosen
for an onslaught of Deer raids. We think they smelled our
ripening tomatoes. For months they left us to our lovely
garden, all alone. Then, bam!
Yes...thats bam as in Bambi. One very hungry persistent
Deer, which was born here in this very spot years ago has
become such a persistent momma deer...and especially this
year as the drought is "severe"
Never underestimate a hungry deer.
I have been crawling around the corners of the place, trying to stop the untrusion. LOL, I smell like deer urine and deer ****. I have scratched arms and hands from fence wire, and a tick bit to boot, and more.
So, we are working on it, how to stop them and keep them
in check....and will report the findings back here,
Less of course our entire veggie gardern... that is now decamated.
>:( :o
So, are deer as wild as the claim? I say, yes they are.
The following is prestented as true....
http://www.snopes.com/critters/farce/ropedeer.asp
http://www.rodandriflerag.com/hunting/roping-a-deer-sounds-like-a-good-idea/
Yes, more to come To be continued
BTS
my only thought as the pesky critters munch on my veggies is
that they will be in my freezer as venison soon..
that i am feeding this winter's meat supply with good clean..no pestisides -organic
delicious veggies
sigh
the early raids here were raccoon..and hubby only needed to shot one to convince the group to back off
right now i sure wish more of you guys were closer..i have more tomatoes than i know what to do with and the neighbors don't want to see me anymore..
i keep downsizing but next year..really truly only a dozen plants..not the 3 dozen of this year
these are in a second fenced area beside the greenhouse
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3117.jpg)
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3118.jpg)
the ones beside the patio are really all i need and next year maybe only 4 plants
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3119.jpg)
the butternut squash are coming along though
planting where the flower bed was and right beside the patio has really worked out
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3120.jpg)
....
ok things that work for at least two nights to chase the deer
tying plastic bags on the plants so they make noise
pepper on the leaves
soap spray with pepper on the leaves
nothing works for more than two nights here..i hope maybe one can get you some tomatoes
::)
Im moving near you Sky, the yield looks fabulous! Nothing grows here in West central Florida without spraying and constant watering, and then the yellow comes in and the plants decline anyways..sad!
All that grows well here is underground stuff, and the chemtrails have really decimated the home gardener's chances here.
Thanks that we have these fellows down south of me...worth the weekly drive in the season...
http://wordenfarm.com/
They have it down pat!
Cheers!
Le
Mmmmm, maters and butternut squash. I think hubby and I will just load up the cats an descend on my-brother-law and his family. They're in West Chester. That's closer than where I am now. Hubby says he definitely wants a veggie garden next year. I told we need to start the prep work now.
-
Shasta
Shasta
you can start a compost pile and that will aid in the nice dirt factor
everything but oils and meats
coffee grinds..shreeding paper, veggie peelings..
and if you dig up the area before snow..maybe you can get some good manure from some of those neighbors you have..most around here iwll gladly let you load the amount you want
go lightly on the chicken stuff..hot
and the cow stuff
horse stuff usually has a good amount of straw and hey..all good
then you can turn that under in the spring and you will have a head start
yeah growing your own food
for seeds i would ask around other gardeners and see what grows in your area
good luck..
i'm trying to avoid canning beets right now..sigh..i really don't enjoy canning
i just enjoy the food later so i do it
;D
Not tried or Tested myself. But if Sepp say's it works...
Should be worth a try :D
Sepp Holzer's Bone Sauce/Salve How ToQuote
Sepp Holzer explains how to make his bone sauce. And why.
It was originally for use when castrating animals. A bit of the salve was put on the "wound" and would help with healing while keeping flies away. It turns out this stuff keeps pretty much all animals and insects away. Which leads to the primary use today - to keep deer and voles off of freshly planted fruit trees.
The cast iron pots in this video are considered a bit on the small side, but since Sepp ends up saying "perfection" then they must be acceptable.
The first pot is buried in moist soil leaving an inch or two above ground. The second, upper, pot if filled with bones and a screen goes between the two pots. Clay seals the pots. A small fire is burned on top of the pots for about two hours. Then the wood is pulled away and the pots are covered with dirt. Let the pots cool overnight. Carefully clean all of the dirt off so that no dirt ends up in the bone sauce / salve.
Before putting it on trees, you can thin it out with any edible oil. Sepp mentions olive oil.
Guest appearances by Dr. Immo Fiebrig (translating), Bill Schnieders, Afia Menke, ND, the brothers Julian and Nick, and Jessi Peterson.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4xVKVc4NYQ
We used to live near a Nuke plant where they had twin 9 foot high fences with barb wire on top with about 10 feet inbetween them. On the inside they had nice green grass. Almost every night the alarms would go off and they would have to escort another deer out of the center. I think they ended up leaving dogs there during the fresh eating season. They can jump very high. I have seen dear jump right over a car while it was moving. Sideways that is. Drivers door to passenger. His buddy behind him did not make it and a big truck got him. But maybe 20 to 30 did cross all at once. What a sight. But I think that a 12 gage shotgun will change their mind and supply you with some steaks to go with the veggies. If you like to eat deer. I don't like it but many people do. On your own land you are allowed to hunt them all year. Oh, and before you ask, Deuem is not a hunter and has never even once gone hunting. I like salt water fishing. Deuem
Quote from: sky otter on August 28, 2012, 02:07:33 PM
BTS
my only thought as the pesky critters munch on my veggies is
that they will be in my freezer as venison soon..
that i am feeding this winter's meat supply with good clean..no pestisides -organic
delicious veggies
sigh
Sky,
Now thats a good thought. I recall coming home one day during the
raids, and momma was just taking a rest near my raised beds.
She was so full she could not eat any more!
;D
I wish I was close, I'd love to sample some of your
tomatoes!
I think I have gardening on the brain now. I was trying to sleep today, after the 12 hour night shift, but every time I got to the dreaming level, I was being chased by a rototiller.
Shasta
lol..hah hah..
shasta..
dream interp...........time to dig in..
lol
if you have the jack in the beanstock dream...we need to talk
hahahahahahahahah
;D
I forgot to mention the part about the rototiller being chrome plated. What does dreaming about aliens disguised as Santa's elves mean?
Shasta
;D ;)
come and sit on the couch , my dear, and tell me what it
means to you...
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/300px-11.jpg)
Quote from: Shasta56 on August 31, 2012, 01:18:45 AM
What does dreaming about aliens disguised as Santa's elves mean?
Gnostic Aliens?
(http://www.islandbreath.org/2011Year/12/111223gnostic.jpg)
Rototilleers, Aliens and Elves, Oh My!
Time to see the Wizard.
Wizard hours open 9 to 5 M-F TY
Laasr night's dream was even more "interesting." Traveling through the stars on a colony ship that had been invaded by carnivorous alien plants. We figured out though, that the plant species were deadly to each other, and managed to use that knowledge to defeat them. I've been reading The Help, and watching reruns of Wagon Train and Laredo, so I don't know where all this is coming from. And I haven't been getting into the catnip. I promise.
Shasta
The critters have been hitting my neighbor's peach tree. I decided to join the club. One of the branches hangs over the fence into my yard. It's loaded. I decided the peaches would be more appreciated by us. I picked the damaged ones for the bandits, along with some runty pears from my sickly pear tree. I think I may save the peach pits and see if any of them take. Good overwintering project.
Shasta
Quote from: Shasta56 on September 04, 2012, 02:24:06 AM
The critters have been hitting my neighbor's peach tree. I decided to join the club. One of the branches hangs over the fence into my yard. It's loaded. I decided the peaches would be more appreciated by us. I picked the damaged ones for the bandits, along with some runty pears from my sickly pear tree. I think I may save the peach pits and see if any of them take. Good overwintering project.
Shasta
With Peachs, Do you bury the entire peach to start it. The peach meat being the suppliment for the seed to grow on? Last time I did a pit tree, I took the pits out in Ch1na, dried them well, then put them away wrapped in paper towels for like a year to 16 months. I then brought them back to the states to a cold climate. About 1,000 miles more North. We started the pits in small pots and all but 1 grew. Then transplanted the 1 foot tall trees to the yard and they grew to about 3 feet the first year. By 3 years they were looking good and about 15 feet tall. Then mother nature decided NO! She gave us a thick ice frost 2 feet deep and every thing died. Any tree less than 10 years old, dropped dead. The trees we cared for also did not make it. That summer the forest was full of sticks from all the small trees. I never froze the pits, just kept them very dry and out of light. Too bad they came so far just to end it in a freezer..
I guess what I am saying is that if Brown thumb Deuem can grow pits to trees, anyone can.
Deuem
I just remember the peach tree we had forty-some years ago. My mom planted a pit from a storebought peach, and it grew. We had some really good peaches for a few years. Then came the early freeze. The sap split the trunk and killed the tree.
Shasta
Deuem
you make me laugh
i don't know where the peach orchards get their trees or how they keep them alive
but the several times i have tried
they seldom make it to bearing fruit stage
first try - my dad, who was not a farm type grew them from pits and gave them to me in coffee cans
i was thrilled..planted a row of 8..they were 5 foot high when the goat ate them to the ground
all of them
the last time was more recent..i ordered plum trees..two each of two kinds
well turns out that two of them weren't plum trees but white peach trees..they produced so heavily the first time that the branches we couldn't prop up or support - broke..well the deer enjoyed them first..then the last storm we had finished them off....sigh
can't tell you how many times i have tried to start an orchard..the trees grow and then something happens just when they should be bearing fruit...
i think i have given up tossing money, time and effort in that direction...or
maybe i should try bananas.. :-\
The peaches from my neighbor's tree are free. They're good. Hubby drinks coffee, so I'll have plenty of coffee cans. I don't get deer in my yard. We've had the occasional wayward elk or moose in the metro area, but I don't forsee that being an issue.
I was watching American Dad on late night TV earlier. Deuem looks a lot like Roger.
Shasta
Sky, we must have a million banana trees around here. Rows and rows of them near the ocean and to the south.
We had one growing in our old yard. It bore lots of fruit every year. Just cover bury some old brown bananas as you see them.
The nurishment is in the meat and skin. Then wait! Add a little bird or animal poo and your off and running.
On the fruit trees, they must insulate them for the winter when they are young, maybe a hot IV drip and a plastic cover.
There has to be an easy trick. Millions of these trees grow in your area and even more north.
Note: In the wild most fruit trees will drop their goodies to the ground so that animals or birds will eat them whole, they then more to another spot and take a big dump and out comes the pit with a lot of smelly warm poo. This poo, both keeps the pit stay warm, gives it food and protection. Most pits on their own will just wither away. Yea, poo pits are the way to go.
Deuem
Maybe I can go ask my neighbor up the street for a bucket of manure. He has sheep and goats. And that stupid rooster.
Shasta
lol.
on peach trees.
take your favorite peach seed ,let it dry out.
put in dirt ,in 11 inch pot with no hole in center of bottom.
pot this in fall.leave out in weather.
in spring,new peach tree.
not all seeds breed true.
i have two peach plum crosses.
same with plums and nuts.
all can be planted this way.
transplant in five gallon hole with potting soil.
only buy elberta peach trees,ozark plum trees and concord grape vines.
here in ne texas the drought killed almost everything but these species.
we also have freek freazes down to zero.
im growing in yellow clay.
these work.
so far i havent found a reliable big pecan.
out of four starking brothers fruit trees i bought,only the desert gold survived.i did give it some water last year.like five gallons total.its basically an elberta.they taste the best anyway.eat a warm one ripe off the tree.like honey.melts in your mouth.
make a burn pile every year and put wood ash on them in the fall,right at base of tree.
maybe a little fertilizer.they will do great.most diseases can be beat with wood ash.
Death to FIRE ANTS!
(http://www.inriodulce.com/images/fire-ant-profile.jpg)(http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/images/RIFA_mound_freshtilledlook.jpg)(http://www.stingzapper.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Fire-ant-stings-USDA.jpg)
Fire Ants are destructive, and their sting is painful. I live in the country on 4 acres, fire ants pose a hazard to pets and can make a mess of a garden. Worse yet, they also like to get into electronics, such as the contact switch for my water well, stopping my water supply by frying out the points. Thing is, I want to kill them without harming the environment... I like to hear my people singing at night , so organic is the only way for me; besides, I need that well water to be as clean as possible!
My peeps:
((http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7951151722_801380f192_m.jpg))
Mix about 4 shots of Medina orange oil into a gallon jug with water. Pour it around the base of the mound then spiral inward toward the top. This kills the whole mound and the queen instantly. Larger mounds may require more. This mixture will also kill other insects too! No poisons; my peeps keep singing, and my vegetables are safe. It also smells good!
Medina orange oil:
(http://www.organic-gardening-shop.com/Agorganics/Images/FullImage/MN012.jpg)
http://www.organic-gardening-shop.com/agorganics/Product_Details.aspx?ProductID=127 (http://www.organic-gardening-shop.com/agorganics/Product_Details.aspx?ProductID=127)
This source is expensive, you may find better deals. Here in Texas, at the local grocery it's about $16.
Peace, and happy gardening! :)
I use Lamp Oil :D I just pour a small amount at the entrance to the nest and the workers walk through it. Once they feed the queen she dies and the rest mysteriously vanish :D
Been using this for years... never needs more than one treatment. Showed my neighbor but he went nuts and poured too much... He didn't really believe me so figured he would drown them LOL
But next day he had no more ants :D
Tiki torch fuel works too... its basically lamp oil
Quote from: zorgon on September 07, 2012, 09:38:22 PM
I use Lamp Oil :D I just pour a small amount at the entrance to the nest and the workers walk through it. Once they feed the queen she dies and the rest mysteriously vanish :D
Been using this for years... never needs more than one treatment. Showed my neighbor but he went nuts and poured too much... He didn't really believe me so figured he would drown them LOL
But next day he had no more ants :D
Tiki torch fuel works too... its basically lamp oil
LOL... drowning works too! ;D Good point Zorgon, Citronella repels skeeters when burned in the Tikis! With fire ants, you have to pour a ring of oil around the base of the mound; some mounds are huge! The orange oil kills them instantly, and has other great uses. I'll try the organic citronella mixed with water to see if that works as well as the orange oil, if so, it would save money! The key for me is staying 100% organic!
Quote from: Primus58 on September 07, 2012, 09:59:32 PM
The key for me is staying 100% organic!
Organic PPPFFFFT
Petroleum is 100% organic too :P
Quote from: Primus58 on September 07, 2012, 09:59:32 PM
The orange oil kills them instantly,
Ting is you don't want to kill the ants instantly. You need them to transport the poison to the queen. Once she us dead the hive disappears
One of the greatest mysteries in life is where do they all go... They can't go to another hive so where do they vanish too?
i use vaseline smeared around the electrical components.fireants hate it.
i put grits on mounds.sometimes it takes more treatments but works.
Quote from: zorgon on September 07, 2012, 11:22:36 PM
One of the greatest mysteries in life is where do they all go... They can't go to another hive so where do they vanish too?
They turn into ANTi-MATTER! 8)
Quote from: zorgon on September 07, 2012, 11:18:48 PM
Organic PPPFFFFT
Petroleum is 100% organic too :P
ZORGON... LMAO!!!
Here in the mountains of North Georgia, we use cornmeal ;)
living in the oil field,ive seen lots of oil spills.if its on land and allowed exposure to sun.in about ten years ,its almost all gone.wild plants start growing in three years.open pits of oil almost never.or mixed with mud in a pond.it turns into tarballs .gooey nasty stuff.stiks to you if you touch it.
bp will be cleaning a long time.
a solution that works for me: pick some pine, juniper, or cedar bring to boil w apx. 2 t. vodka (or other hard alcoholic beverage), lower heat, simmer for 10 min., let cool, then apply strained liquid to whatever bug problem you have. beer works for snails.
yeah.. the weather has changed again and instead of indian summer it is more like late october
so i would say we are 5 to 6 weeks ahead of what we would call normal around here
but
some of the critters are lined up every night ..go a few shots..- didn't get them all in
i counted 24 in the group in the field and then 9 across the street..
then it got dark so who knows how many there are...
hubby's lincense this year he can shoot two - so vension will be on the menu..YUM.. ;D
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3210.jpg)
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3211.jpg)
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3212.jpg)
(http://i35.servimg.com/u/f35/13/55/53/83/hpim3213.jpg)
I do love venison!
When am I coming for dinner? [grin]
this is the first year i have ever had scorpions.killed three in house.
nats?nats outside in droves.
I have critters after my daffodil bulbs. I have raccoons after my toes. I'm getting pretty good as hissing back at them. I don't wan to be on the ten o'clock news discussing my raccoon bite. I really don't want to go to triage and run into my son-in-law. He works that security station a lot. It would like cheers at kinfe and club east. Tell again why I want work there?
Shast
Found voles [ I think ] in the side yard. The cats are bringing me DOA shrews, but there are runs under the grass in front of the side garden. It's bad enough me and the lawnmower were sinking. :o
The holes are small like voles tho so I don't know what to think.
Back to researching it online.....
The stink Bug issue was settled with me shop-vacing the outside of the house for several days. Neighbor had quite a show. ;) But since I jumped the shark by using rigid copper piping to stake the corn a couple of yrs ago, he's used to it. ...or SHOULD be.
copper pipe?your corn has expensive taste.
Quote from: zorgon on September 07, 2012, 09:38:22 PM
I use Lamp Oil :D I just pour a small amount at the entrance to the nest and the workers walk through it. Once they feed the queen she dies and the rest mysteriously vanish :D
This was right on the money Zorgon! I had these little ants,
so tiny at first I was not sure what they were. They became
very persistant, even after Clorox and other Ammonia based
cleaners. So...I remembered this idea, and found a lamp
that had some oil in it, took out the wick and dripped it around
the area inside and outside where these ants were so persistant.
Bingo....the next day, ......no more ants.
Great tip! Thanks!
ditto
Quote from: robomont on October 20, 2012, 04:35:54 AM
copper pipe?your corn has expensive taste.
Hubby is a plumber....soooo since he managed to plant the corn ''wrong'' and it was blowing over in a approaching thunderstorm...I grabbed the laundry poles, copper, and was speed tying up corn. ;D
...and yes...our elderly neighbor peed himself.
yea wind blew my corn over this year too.drought killed it though.gotta love that haarp.
Turns out, Rats eat fertilizer too. Yeah, stinky nasty
and they love it. I guess that is where we get the
expressiive term - "Rats!" from.
;)
It was a hot day yesterday, and inadvertantly I left a
bag of water soluable fertilizer somewhere in the garden,
the ziploc was mostly closed. Well, a rat sniffed it out,
and then tried to drag the bag away from the area,
but the podwer was falling out of the small opening,
and left a trail right to the back area where the bag
was. ;D
By the time the rat arrived at its hideout destination,
I dont think there was much left in the bag, that must
have been a fruitless find for the rat!
Thankfully, the ripe cherry tomatoes are still there,
and will be in a salad this evening. Meanwhile....
(http://www.kiwicare.co.nz/assets/Uploads/Packshots/_resampled/SetWidth300-NaturalNoRats300g.png)
;)
Was having a lot of trouble with something getting into our garbage outside. Bought a live trap and in the past 2 weeks have caught 3 racoons and the neighbors cat twice. Took the racoons 15-ish miles outside of town and let them go by a small pond with some forest.
WT,
Those racoons are rascals too! Especially when they
multiply, had occasion to see a family of them high up
in a tree one night after they raided our can. They
were cute, but rascally!
I would have suspected Racoons, only I had flushed out
the rat few days ago from his hiding place near
the garden under a tarp covered tracor. ...so I know
he is hanging out.
Critters!
I read about using chicken wire to protect bulbs, so I'm going to try that. Dies anyone know what squirrels find unappetizing? This year, I planted they ate. I planted more, they ate more.
Shasta
squirrels are nothing but rats in fur coats..
for me there only redeeming trait is they plant trees in my flowers, veggies, etc
I take that back.. I'm tired of digging them out and trying to find a place to plant them..
I have to keep going further and further into the woods...
no squirrels have no redeeming traits and there is nothing they won't eat..plant wise
They haven't eaten the catmint.
Shasta
Do you have any suggestions for deer? I had a garden loaded with ripening veggies and in one night the deer ate them all! I'm so desperate to keep them out of my garden. Sadly, I have not been able to find a way to keep them out.
well a fence with dogs in it works..or just get a gun and after they eat your stuff you eat them..
we've done both..
of course the doggies now pick and eat the veggies..
sigh
Quote from: sky otter on September 28, 2014, 04:17:40 PM
or just get a gun and after they eat your stuff you eat them..
we've done both..
That is what I call good thinking, , , :)
good eatin too..lol....venison from all those good organic veggies..
getting a couple of shelves in the freezer ready.. season starts next saturday