How to keep rodents away from fruit trees

Keeping agile and clever squirrels out of fruit trees, along with other fruit loving animals, takes some cunning of your own.

Every year backyard fruit trees are robbed of their bounty, frustrating gardeners. Here are five tips for protecting your trees.

Pruning

Critters can’t eat what they can’t reach. Prune trees about 6 feet away from buildings and fences. This might not be possible in smaller lots where trees are planted alongside structures, but do what you can and take that into account the next time you plant trees.

Climbing deterrents

When delicious fruit is the reward, even poor climbers can find the motivation to scale a tree trunk and get to it. To stop the climbing, loosely wrap trunks in metal flashing, extending about 4 feet above the ground.

The flashing should be tight enough to keep animals from slipping in from the bottom and squeezing between the flashing and trunk, but loose enough that it gives the tree room to grow. You also can take the guards off during the dormant seasons.

Baffles also can work. Install the umbrella shaped baffle just below the first branches on the tree. The animal may climb the tree, but won’t be able to get around the baffle to access the rest of the tree and the fruit.

Other barriers

Netting can be effective for some animals, but it depends on your fruit thief and the type of fruit you’re trying to protect. Squirrels and rodents can gnaw through plastic netting, and birds can peck through openings in the net.

Nets also are difficult to install, especially on very tall trees. They can, however, preserve much of the fruit. If you keep your fruit trees small with pruning, you can more easily cover them.

Some gardeners use PC pipes to build structures over the trees that can then be draped with netting, or covered in wire mesh for added protection.

Getting creative

To discourage birds and some animals, hang reflective ribbons in trees. The movement of the ribbons in the wind, coupled with random flashes of light, can help keep animals out of your trees.

If the fruit thief is a rodent, you also can try spraying the tree and the fruit with a hot pepper spray that you make yourself or use a commercial spray. Squirrels have a particular dislike for the smell of capsaicin, the stuff in peppers that give them their heat.

• Recipe: You’ll need powdered red pepper (the hotter the better), water and some liquid soap. In a large jug, stir 2 tablespoons of the pepper into a gallon of warm water, then add six drops of liquid soap. Stir well, put the lid on and let it sit overnight. Early the next morning, pour some of the solution into a spray bottle, shake well and spray your plants, fences, or whatever the squirrels are after. At dusk, you can apply a second coat. Continue this for a few days or until the squirrels get the idea. After that, you may only need to spray once a week. The mixture will keep for two to three weeks in the refrigerator.

Some critters also have an aversion to the smell of mothballs. As mothballs can be toxic, use caution. The balls should be placed in a mesh bag — old pantyhose is a good material — and hung in trees.

Rat is a small creature that can eat almost anything. Also, they can easily find fruit trees and fruits by their smell. Hence, these rats are a headache to many gardeners. Further, farmers use several methods to get rid of rats. This article will explain the easiest techniques for keeping rats out from fruit trees and your garden.

How rats damage fruit trees?

Rats, mice, or rodents are the common pest that associates with gardens. Generally, they are highly active in night time throughout the year. Commonly during the nighttime, they gnaw fruit tree trunks and roots. Further, rats chew and burrow the lower trunk area and roots below ground level. They use these underground holes as their nests.

Hence rats can do considerable damage to fruit trees and root systems. They weaken the plants by blocking water and nutrients absorbs by roots. Also, it directly affects plant growth and crop too.

Remove fallen fruit from the ground immediately

Generally, overripe fruits and some unripe fruits can fall into the ground. But if you are do not remove them quickly, mice will attract to them. Moreover, use the proper method to dispose of the overripe fruits. If not, rats may appear in the garbage area, and they may come to your garden too.

On the other hand, debris is the major source that allows the spread of the rat population. Hence, it would be best to keep at least 4 feet circle clean around the fruit trees.

Use Rat Guards

Some rat varieties are incredible climbers. Hence they can climb the fruit trees within a short time. Thus, to protect your harvest and tree from rats, you can use aluminum, metal, or strong plastic sheets to cover the trunk area of the tree. This cover helps to prevent rodents from climbing.

It’s really difficult to protect the fruits of plants from animals. Last year I bought a strong reusable net to avoid this. Now I get positive results from the net. If you like you also can try it.

Plant trees with some space

You should pay much attention when planting fruit trees. Because if tree branches touching each other, the rat can easily climb and walk from one tree to another tree. Also, if you plant trees near the home, the rat can enter into it easily. They use chimneys, windows, and roofs to get inside your home.

Prune and trim branches of fruit trees

Rats are good for climbing and jumping. Thus, you should prune and trim some branches of fruit trees to eliminate these behaviors.

Also,  some rats hide in the well-grown branches. Thus, pruning can disturb their behaviors. Further, make sure your fruit plants are isolated and do not touch any other object. Because if trees touch the ground, fence, wires, buildings, or other trees, rats can easily move to the fruit tree. Thus, maintaining 2,3 feet of space between ground or other objects is essential.

Use snap or bait traps

This is the most common method worldwide. Most people are using this method because of easiness. The snap or bait trap can catch rats that damage the fruit trees.

A bait box is a simple tool that use to trap rodents. In this method, you can catch rats and keep them alive. You can attach a food particle in the box as bait. Also, bread, meat, fish, or chocolate are the most common baits.

It would be best to place these traps across rat traffic areas or near the rats’ nest. Then check the trap daily. After catching a rat, you should release them hundreds of meters away from your garden. If not, they will come again.

Use natural deterrent

Some natural deterrents can use to eliminate rats from garden and fruit trees. These are,

• Peppermint oil
• Black pepper
• Cloves
• Cayenne paper

You can easily find these materials in the kitchen. Also, the usage of these materials is easy. You can apply or spray these substances near the rat nest. Then it will irritate the rats, noses, and airways. Because of that, it will discourage them from entering and living in these areas.

Further, you can practice this method for the nest near the root system. Then rats will not enter into these holes. Hence, this is a very effective and easiest way to accomplish without any specific tools and chemicals.

Cut overgrown grasses

You should cut the grass regularly to eliminate the hiding grounds of rats. If you cut grass as short, rats feel uncomfortable, and they may expose to predators. Hence cut and rake up overgrown grass are the best method to keep surrounding free from rodents.

Allow your cat or dog to catch the rats

Cats and dogs are natural predators that can help to control rats. In the food chain, rats are at a lower level. Thus, cats are the main predator of rats. Hence, you can allow them to catch the rats that live in your garden.

Attract the predatory birds

There are plenty of natural predators for rats. Thus, you can invite them to your garden to control the rats’ population naturally. For example, owls are good hunters, and they also very active at night time.

Hence, you can encourage owls by providing suitable habitats and foods in your garden. But make sure rats cannot climb these places easily.

Seal the compost bins

The compost bin is a rich source of various kinds of foods. Thus, rats can get the required nutrients from it. Further, they do not stop from there. Then they will try to come inside your home and garden too.

Thus, finally, rat population and behavior will be a headache to you. Therefore, you should seal your compost bin with a suitable lid. If foods are unavailable, rats will do not associated with that type of environment.

Keep your pets, chook food in a proper place

Sometimes you may have some pets in your houses, such as cats, dogs, and birds. But you should place their food in the proper place. Because rats also can eat these foods.

In addition to that, keep in mind rats have sharp teeth. Thus, they can chew the plastic baskets when they are hungry. Therefore use a glass bottle or any other suitable container that cannot damage easily. If they have a habit of coming to your home or garden, it is a risk for your fruit tree.

Cover the holes and drains in your garden

Generally, rats always try to hide in a dark place. Hence, if your garden has cracks, holes, or cavities, rodents may use them as a nest. Then they permanently inhabit these areas while damaging your garden plants and trees.

Therefore, you should cover or fill up those cavities and holes proper way. You can use soil, cement, or mesh to cover the pits. Then, rats unable to enter into it.

Add poison to rats

Typically poisonous compounds add to the water or food. Then you can place it in the area that rats inhabit. During the nighttime, they may come and eat those foods, and it causes them to kill. But this is not a long-term solution. But this method gives results quickly.

Furthermore, be careful when using poisonous. Also, keep away toxic from your kids and pets. In this method, rats eat poisons and walk away from the particular place. Then, rats take few hours to die completely.

Electronic Rodent Repellers

An electronic rodent repeller is a device that emits a range of radiation. These radiations can be electromagnetic, ionic, and ionic. Anyhow these technologies help to keep the pesky rodents far away from fruit trees.

Some tools come with flashing lights, and they can eliminate rats further. These devices need a battery, electric or solar power to charge. If you have other pets and children, this is the safest alternative to minimize the rat population. Further, you can purchase these tools from the market and also online stores.

Keep your garden clean

There are three major factors needs for rats to survive. These are food, water, and shelter. If your garden has these things, most probably rats may stay there. Thus, you should keep in mind these things.

Hence, the regular cleaning process helps to remove unwanted food particles, hiding places, and garbage from the garden. Then rats cannot survive in that environment. Especially if your garden has fruit trees, you should highly consider the cleanliness.

Check your neighborhood gardens

Sometimes, your neighborhood is the main reason for rats. These rats may live in neighbors’ gardens associates with debris and dirt. Then it will facilitate the growth of the rodents population. Hence you can discuss this matter with neighbors and take precautions.

Take support from a pest management expert

Sometimes you cannot decide the best method, and, sometimes any technique does not work for rats. Then you can take advice and support from the expert. Because they have good knowledge and experience about this subject.

Then the highly skilled pest management crew will assist you in protecting your fruit trees from rodents.

Things you will need to do to control rats

• Identify the areas that rats mainly associate by listening and observing
• Remove their habitats and shelters
• Please do not feed them
• Dispose of food, fruit, and debris in a proper way