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squirrels stripping bark
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Posted by okeewap 6a (My Page) on Mon, Aug 28, 06 at 20:32
| I have two three story high evergreens in my small city yard. Every year the squirrels strip some bark and I loose needles. It always comes back. Some years better than others. In fact, the past couple of years they have been doing really well filling in more and more.
This year I had branches drastically cut from a neighbors enormous two story mulberry tree that hangs mostly over my driveway, front porch and house. After three years of spending my summers cleaning up berries, I had had it. I'm assuming that the squirrels either lost their home and needed bark to nest or lost berries to eat, because this year they went to town on my evergreens.
They are almost bare from needle loss. There is almost no bark left on the trunk.
I called a tree company and they want to treat the trees with an injection. They said the pepper would discourage the squirrels from stripping and a pesticide to kill the bugs. The cost is $100.00 per tree.
I would do this, but I want to make sure before spending so much money that this treatment addresses the problem. Seems to me that the squirrels did most of the damage in the spring. So, maybe I should wait till next spring to have the trees treated. Also, I am assuming that the trees get their nutrients from the bark. The arborist didn't say that the trees would get fed from this treatment. Or, is the needle loss coming from bugs?
I would appreciate any guidance offered on here. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: squirrels stripping bark
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| What kind of trees, specifically? What kind of squirrels? --Spruce |
RE: squirrels stripping bark
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- Posted by dcsteg 5Shawnee,KC (My Page) on
Mon, Aug 28, 06 at 21:35
| You should consider trapping the squirrels and relocating them if they are causing that much grief. Dave |
RE: squirrels stripping bark
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The squirrels haven't gotten to my conifers yet, but they're on to my Japanese maples !
I'm trying out a spray-on product containing (long chemical formula ahead...) Benzyldiethyl [(2,6 xylyl carbamoyl) methyl] ammonium saccharide, 0.065%, which supposedly confronts animals with "a vile taste (non-toxic)... Penetrates tree bark and outer plant tissue to withstand rain"
It also warns "AVOID TASTING - extremely bitter and very unpleasant" (...so I haven't tasted it :O)
Sounds like that's the ticket. |
RE: squirrels stripping bark
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| I had red squirrels strip bark from the top portion of the trunks of a lot of my red pines years ago, often girdling and killing the tops, and if not killing the top, leaving wounds that could not heal. I thinned the trees and they never did that again. If the squirrels go from tree to tree you may have a real problem, but if there are trees they climb up, you can get these metal guards to put around the trunk and they can't climb up them if they are placed so they can't make an effective leap beyond them, if you get my idea. Maybe the bitter chemical is the best idea. --Spruce |
RE: squirrels stripping bark
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| Watch out Ground hogs do the same thing ! I caught them redhanded ! |
RE: squirrels stripping bark
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| Yeah, I think I've got a ground hog or gopher too (same thing ?) -- but presumably they won't like the bitter taste either! |
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