If the space is fairly small where the problem lies, get yourself a motion activated sprinkler. When the little pests go to your banana for a snack the motion detector sprays them with water...they run away....

i had the same problem back in the spring. i took a while to figure out what was cutting mine off. once i found out i too started trapping them. i took off about 24 of them until there were no more. you are doing the only thing that will work. others will move in but just keep trapping.

cut a piece of sheet metal 8 to 10 inches wide. wrap it around the trunk about half way up the trunk. they cant grasp into the metal, therefore, cant get to the leaves or fruit. only drawback, it is unsightly. but it works for all rodents..

I tried something similar with a bird feeder that the evil rats were getting into. It had no effect. They can jump very high and very far.

I feel the pain of Lisa as well. We have a Bartlett Pear tree. This past spring, it was full of pears. Those little "dah-lings" did EXACTLY what Lis said. Just take a bite and drop them.

We harvested (count'em) 2 pears!!!

The sad thing is, that we aren't home during the day, when they are the most destructive, so no pellet gun will help.

Maybe next year, we'll try the traps, but water is cheaper than gasoline, so.... do the math. :)

Fortunately, though, they haven't touched the banana plants yet.

Hi all,Thank You for all the good ideas! I plan on trapping this weekend, have not decided what to do with the rats once I catch them? Not sure If I can actualy kill them. My wife is against it. Robert

orchidboy, too bad I didn't live closer to ya. I have a Weimaraner for rent. She 'loves' the squirrels. They "used" to be a problem shortly before we moved here. : )

Amen, Lisa. You go, girl!

I also have squirrels, and I couldn't trap them fast
enough.... I have tried everything, pepper spray,
rotten egg mix.... soap on leaves....netting (worked the best of all - but then they figured it out.)
fox urine.... there must be another way besides
trapping them.... I live in a forest... ain't gonna get
rid of them all..

ok yall..you all can see I live in SE Ohio, it's hillbilly country...I have squirrels, love to watch them etc...I also know that if they were as destructive as I have been reading, I have some great recipes from my grandmothers cookbook that are available or if thats not your cup of tea, how about some DECON.

The thought of killing those cute little, playful creatures is very disturbing to me. They really are fun to watch frolicking around the yard and jumping around.

My cat loves to watch them. She's an indoor cat, so she is no threat to the squirels. But looking at her, she'd love the chance to chase them

In most forums, the idea of killing squirrels is frowned upon. I've had lots of squirel damage, but they've never crossed "the line". In this particular thread, the question of squirels destroying a crop comes up.

I certainly encourage everyone to act as they deem best.

But for wilson1963 I really have to wonder and I hope you don't mind me asking, what kind of recipes do they have for squirels? Not a lot of meat there. The only way I could think of cooking them is on the barbecue.

Not that I'd like to do that. But let me say, when it comes to cooking chicken thighs, the part they sell for real cheap. No one does that better than me. It's really scary how good they turn out.

Well, W/O trying to sound gross or gruesome, my grandfather loved brains and eggs....yes, as bad as that sounds, but have never tried it...but really, boil and roll in flour and fry is really good and the gravy is better than any I have ever had. One other thing in the past we have done is boil and debone several and add a can of manwich, sloppy squirrel it was called...I too love watching them, they are neat creatures and they don't bother a thing I have here, but the rabbits here are so destructive, they have eaten my grape starts, pecan trees and love greenbeans etc from the garden. I wasn't promoting killing them, though it's part of heritage in SE Ohio to hunt small game and so forth....didn't and don't mean to offend anyone......Don

Thanks Don, I was not offended in any way. I found your post ineresting. Fact is, if you eat meat, you do have to remember that some animal met an early demise to provide you some nourishment.

Just because you didn't do it, or watch it happen. Make no mistake about it, it happened.

I'll tell you one thing though,,, if we could make a device that would kept squirels out of yards, we'd be very rich men!

Cheers,

Banana Mike

have-a-hart makes small live traps, use peanuts and start your own squirrel relocating program. In fact, thats how I got them started here on the island we live on. My oldest brother was in the army in San Antonio @ Ft. Sam Houston back in the early 70's. I remember him telling me that they are considered a rodent there and there was no season. My bananas have 8 sprouts now but nothing coming out of the main stem.

http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/wilson1963/Musa%20Basjoo/

To the person who traps and drowns- YOU suck and are a horrible heartless animal yourself!!!! Deal with it and find another way! That squirrel you just drowned could be a nursing mother or have babies dependent on her- do you know for sure? Hopefully you aren’t a mother cause I can’t see how your children could be raised with compassion and a loving heart for all living things! You are pure evil and cruel! You need to be reported to wildlife asso!

The only thing I have found that keeps them off the bananas is red pepper. I make a paste and paint it on the new leaf hopefully before the squirrels get to it. They are not fond of it and will leave it alone. It works like Squirrel Away for the bird feeders.