I've trained my squirrel army to seek and destroy crocus and tulip bulbs and forage for sunflower seed out of the bird feeder. I've also somehow managed to train my dogs to quit chasing squirrels. I was going to train them all to pull stilt grass, but that was too easy so I went this route.

um..karen, would you please come here and teach these treerats to come down and pull out the stilt grass for me? I guarantee a nice lunch (for us, not the squirrels)LOL

Dottie, I'm so sorry, but I'm totally booked up (into the next century almost) spreading the bulb destroying techniques. Squirrels across the country have been signing up right and left.

You two crack me up!!!!

We've gotten ours so well trained that they are now training the crows and bluejays too. The crows fly surveillance sounding the alarm when we come down the drive.( CAR CAR CAR ) I think the bluejays are the AirForce they keep bombing the drive and walkways .(really just trying to crack the shells) They are truely a formidable army in the fight to free us from our "evil" pecans.

My cat told me to put cayenne pepper in w/the birdseed. About 3 tbs for 2# birdseed. She swears they hate it. Appartently she is miffed at them cutting down on her bird watching.

personally, I hope and wish for a carnivorous squirrel someday, who is sick of nuts and seeds. Then I can train him or her to eat the voles which have given me so much grief I am ready to dynamite them out of my property, all 497 of them. (ok, I may have stretched the truth there a little bit, for all the trails it seems I have 5000 of them, but I may only have 496. *L*)

I am going to make vole voodoo dolls before too long

Lyle

Lyle...Get a cat...or 3..our 1 year old cat has in the last month & 1/2 brought ,counting last night, 7 baby mole/voles to our front steps to "show her love". I praise her every time, get the dust pan..blah blah blah.... Any way, can't beat 'em..get some help !!!!....Judy

Regarding the voles..just my opinion but I think we are overusing mulch and creating the perfect habitat for voles to live and feed underneath the mulch undetected by predators. My most productive garden areas are not mulched.
I have to spend a lot more time weeding but weeding is part of gardening, isn't it?

Mole/Vole Problems
When I go out and do the spring assesment and see missing hostas, tulips, daffdils, and any other variety that is replaced by an "empty hole", where the plant used to be. I know I have been under attack! I have recently (last 2 years) become the proud owner of a stray cat. It sounds ruthless, but when I see her with a mole/vole I say "Good Girl". My neighbor said she is over run with chipmonks. We were over run two years ago. I think the chipmonks (also distructive) moved next door due to the cat! So ...Go Gypsie Kitty! Keep my garden free of rodents!..........Dianne

Thankfully my moles/voles seem to have moved back out into the fields. I'm guessing better eating there or better cover. My airforce of hawks seem to be trying to keep them in check. I see them circling the field almost daily hunting lunch.

I have three lazy cats who think that killing a vole would ruin their entertainment. They'll pounce on it, throw it up in the air,watch it land and wobble onto all fours and do that over and over but killing it would ruin a perfectly good playtoy. I think we only have,fortunately, a few voles.