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new2orchids

Squirrel nibblers in MN???

17 years ago

I just moved to MN a few months ago and put my orchids outside. I had one little baby dend (2 inches tall) in sphagnum moss that I put out with the others. Three times, in two separate places (St. Paul and now Minneapolis), I think squirrels came down and dug it out. The first time, they chewed on one of the tiny leaves. Today, the plant is gone:( They also chewed a little on the leaves of my dend. thyrsiflorum. Anyone had this experience before?

Comments (12)

  • 17 years ago

    Hello, my name is Kevin and I hate squirrels.

    Yes, they will do this and much worse. Others may post how squirrels don't bother their plants and are all cute and crap like that. They don't live here. Pay no heed to their words. Man was placed on this earth for one purpose and one purpose only - to rid the universe of this demon spawn.

    After watching so many plants get chewed to death or ripped from their pots, I finally built an orchid cage for all my plants. Nothing else will work - NOTHING. People will give advice about things to try, but they don't work around here. You have to protect them. Even with my cage, I've still had squirrels stick their creepy paws through the chicken wire and do damage. At one point, they even found a way into the cage through a still undetermined point of entry.

    There aren't many days left where the plants can still be outside, so it might not be worth the effort to build some kind of cage this year. Make it a top priority for next spring. You will sleep much better at night.

  • 17 years ago

    I keep a HAV-A-HART trap in the grass under my deck. Any squirrel that gets that far will be familiar with the sight and smell. Whenever I have a squirrel problem, I bait it on top of the deck where most of the orchids are kept.
    The presence of my terrier helps.

    I rarely see evidence of squirrels bothering my plants, now!

    --Stitz--

  • 17 years ago

    Stitz...

    East coast squirrels don't count. 'Round these parts we call them suckers chipmunks or shrews. The foul beasts in the middle of the country are enormous in comparison. Science has shown us that for every gram increase in weight, a squirrel's potential for traumatic vandalism increases by 15% on the fujita scale of squirrel carnage. You can't argue with science, man.

  • 17 years ago

    Hahahaha... I used to think squirrels were cute, then I planted heirloom bulbs... The evil things waited until the bulbs put out new growth in the spring, deceiving me into thinking my bulbs were safe and I'd actually see these bloom. Then, next morning, all the ones they could find were dug up, and one bite was taken out of each of them. They didn't eat them, they didn't bother em in the fall... noooo, they waited until the spring and waited till I had hope and then just wasted them. I'd have felt better if they'd eaten them. Bah.

    Now I moved where there are a lot fewer trees and a lot fewer squirrels, and a concrete yard. And funny enough, a lot more peace. I could almost put orchids outside for the summer. But my yard gets a lot of sun... I've fried mints, thyme, jasmine, roses, lemon verbena, almost fried chives and a geranium... the only thing still alive back there is the above mentioned chives and geranium, and a big pot of regal lilies. So, um, no putting orchids out there for me...

  • 17 years ago

    I have squirrels and deer. The deer love spikes with honey dew on them. Eat them right off and half the pbulb with it. Squirrels just yank them out of the pot looking for nuts. Morons!

  • 17 years ago

    Death to squirrels!

    Here is a link that might be useful: anti-squirrel site

  • 17 years ago

    Hahaha... Thanks for the replies guys. I discovered later that the little buggers also chewed off 3 pbulbs off my other orchids. I was pretty mad. I've had them inside since.

  • 10 years ago

    Waaah waaaa. I live in Minnesota. If your so worried about your flowers build a greenhouse. Squirrel's are one of the smartest animals there are. They can figure out most traps or courses people make to test the skill of squirrel's. They learn from each other. What can your flowers do? Blossom. How boring

  • 10 years ago

    If this is a little bit of gentle trolling, you will be sorry to hear that most of the people who wrote the posts in 2008 have wandered off into the distance.

    My wife likes cute Strillels.

  • 10 years ago

    I like them better in someone else's yard.

  • 10 years ago

    Tree rats!!!

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