Given the distressing and depressing news emanating from the US Congress the past couple of days, it’s time for a slightly more upbeat post. A success story, if you will. A serious problem that has been solved. Yes folks, it’s come to this:
CV readers may recall the trauma suffered a few weeks ago due to a roof rat invading my tomato crop. Well, the roof rat (and his friends) were easily dealt with (naturally, they are now all dead rats). But the squirrels turned out to be a rather serious problem. One came and quickly told all his/her friends. Seems they considered my tomatoes to be quite tasty. Not any more….they can find another restaurant!
Ha – foiled them critters! (I must admit it is real fun to watch them try to get into the cages!) And, my tomato yield has drastically improved.
For all you squirrel lovers out there – note that no squirrels were actually harmed in the cage building process.
October 1st, 2006 at 5:26 pm
In Seattle I once watched the lady next door put out a fairly elaborate bird-seed creation, which she imagined would allow her to watch out her window as feathered friends fluttered. In about five minutes there were fifteen squirrels taking turns at the birdseed- it just disappeared in less than a quarter of an hour.
October 1st, 2006 at 6:02 pm
It seems that your neighbor squirrels now find a new playground.
October 1st, 2006 at 7:36 pm
Suggestion?
Seeing as this was a pretty good food source for them, and all they’re trying to do is eat and live (i don’t think they have any ulterior motives), maybe grab an extra plant or two next year, and let ‘em have it.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:40 am
When Squirrels Attack
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:55 am
You are really lucky to have so much wildlife like squirrels visiting. You should definitely feed them and encourage them to visit you. Maybe you should give them nuts, if you can’t spare tomatoes. (Some of us don’t even get to see rats, well, at least we don’t get to see the nice sort of rats with fur, cute faces and long tails …)
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:04 am
Garden shops also have powders you can sprinkle, containing garlic oil and the urine of predators, that are supposed to eventually scare away certain animals.
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:39 am
Rat murderer.
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:53 am
So yet again another example of a Cosmic Variance contributor exercising awesome goddess-like (Cosmic)powers over life & death of furry critters. Ruthlessly Imposing the death penalty on RATS (Rodents And Tomatoe Stealers) and threatening to exercise autocratic and dictatorial powers to detain innocent squirrels, trampling on their democratic rights and freedoms, preventing freedom loving squirrels from doing what they do naturally ‘eat’ and ‘multiply’ in Peace.
Only kidding – I note no squirrels were harmed in the building of this Guantanamo Bay-like prison to prevent your red tomatoes escaping into the hands of squirrels.
And squirrel lovers the world over thank you for providing your neighbourly furry tailed friends with a disney type playground and exercise fences.
Seems every decision and most things in nature have at least three ways they can turn (-)squirrel haters (+)squirrel lovers (n)neutral, impartial, or undecided some days love them some days hate them.
Belizean: attacked by aggressive squirrels?
What’s your answer round-up all squirrels, put them in Guantanamo Bay, deport them or Impose the Death Penalty?
or like they do with cats & dogs, off with their nuts.
-
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:04 pm
… what’s a roof rat?
October 2nd, 2006 at 4:44 pm
Disturbing.
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:46 pm
Squirrels + tomatoes = squirrel marinara. Mmmmm…
October 3rd, 2006 at 3:21 am
Neal Deesit,
is that like rabbitt a lot of little bones but not much meat. You can rest assured that if they could fatten squirrels in six weeks, like they do chicken, you’d get a lot more squirrels on your supermarket shelf.
However it’s hard enough for a pig farm to make a profit, how many squirrels would you have to slaughter every year just to pay your children’s tuition fees. lol!
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:07 pm
Squirrels : Rats which climb trees
Pigeons : Flying rats
Recipe requires tomatoes!
ps – the above link would not work unless the trailing ” in the href
was omitted, blog software issue?
October 4th, 2006 at 8:46 am
I guess squirrels are mind readers
Recipe requires tomatoes
Are you surprised the squirrels are Up in Arms
October 7th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Roof Rats are big nasty rats, jovial cynic. They can be very destructive, and they can even be aggressive. It helps to have a husky in the yard, like I do. They aren’t as brazen with him around.
Interesting that your squirrels decided they liked tomatoes, I’ve never had my squirrels threaten ours… then again, I have a husky in the yard. The only critter absconding with my tomatoes is the dog, occassionally.
Good luck on next years harvest!
October 7th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Joanne,
You live in California? You apparently have the exact same kinds of pests that I have.
I live in the Santa Cruz area, and still have some ripe tomatoes. I also have the best compost for your garden in the world, alpaca manure.
Organic, when it decomposes it literally wriggles with worms.
Plus, I have the alpacas, who are really cool critters who DON’T eat my tomatoes.