We live in the woods and have a problem with rats. They will completely strip a tree in one night of all fruit and carry them away without a trace. Last year we got not one apple,pear or plum. This year I am determined to reduce the rat population to something we can tolerate. For the past week they have been consuming a pound of bait per night. Last night while all baits were partially eaten, bait was still left. I think I am making a dent in their population, and WE might get some of our fruit this year. Al

I'm so sorry. I feel your pain. And I refuse to pick things before they are ripe, because then they taste just like the stuff in the supermarket.

I'm pulling out my Snow Queen nectarine this fall. I have not had a single nectarine for two years. I even tried netting the entire tree last year, putting an upside-down lid around the trunk, and slathering five inches of trunk with Vaseline- to no avail.

My next door neighbors built a strawberry coop. It's like their chicken coop, but short. So far, so good. Only cost about $200.00 for lumber and hardware cloth.

Renee

we've had phenominal luck this past month catching dozens of mice and 4 rats in a RatZapper. i bought it online (no, we have no financial interest in the company) but another version can be bought at ace hardware.
i set mine out on my deck **poked under a potted plant roller so that no birds can get into it!** i wonder if it would work around fruit trees? we discontinued our nursery years ago because we never got any fruit due to rats and squirrels.
min

What about kitties? If you don't mind having kitties, they'd probably take care of your problem right away.

A couple of fixed felines from a good shelter would surely appreciate a steady dependable diet of rats/mice/squirrels, and open up a couple slots for more rescues, to boot.

Plus you won't have to buy batteries :-).

Just an idea...

EL

Al: I've had problems with critters in the past, but they've never taken away whole branches before.

As suggested I will put out rat traps and hope I don't kill any snakes.

Rescue Cats have been suggested before, but we travel too much to have pets.

The thief in my garden has 2 legs. He waits till the fruit is just perfect then cleans out the whole tree. He's taken all of my Japanese persimmions, loquats and pomegrantes. I'm going to install motion sensor flood lights and maybe some kind of alarm system. Or maybe just a sign that says "Video in Progress."

I haven't talked to any of the neighbors because I don't know who is responsible. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I like the idea of the motion sensor and the floodlights- with a screaming alarm. Or a very large dog.
Renee

Andrea, chances are your fruit is being resold. I'd get out there with a sharpie and put your initials on all your fruit. Not doable with the loquats, but definitely with the persimmons and pomegranates. Are your fruit trees in your front yard?
I think motion sensors lights are a great idea. I've also seen motion-sensor popup sprinklers w/ lights for warding away deer.
Very sorry to hear that jerks are stealing your fruit. I hope you catch them in the act and call the police.

Andrea, I agree with the motion sensor sprinklers and alarm. Maybe some sort of trip wire that would disperse pepper spray. Even if trespassing if they get injured they could sue you I think.
It is definately theft and trespassing.

Westelle, yeah traps are probably the best way then you know you got them. The problems with poisons and baits is they go and die and then a predator eats them and then the predator gets sick.
I would hate it if my hawks were gone.

The fruit are in my backyard so whoever it is must be climbing over the 6' fence. I love the idea of using sprinklers! The big dog is a good idea too but more of a commitment. I can see myself forgetting to turn off the trap and getting caught in the sprinkler.

This is the first year that we have been able to harvest most of our apricots, berries, oranges and plums.

My grand daughter gave me some mylar balloons for mother's day, and I stationed several around my apricot and plum trees, and hung some computer disks on the branches. The movement seems to be keeping the critters away. Some fruit that has fallen to the ground is munched on, but there is no sign of tree climbing, and no fruit-eating birds - which usually come in flocks - cleaning out the tree in a matter of minutes.

I'm hoping this will be a permanent solution.

We did have a rat that managed to die in the walls of the house recently - it's been fun "ventilating" the place. It took a lot of mothballs dropped in a hole, baking soda and water helps with odors, as does kitty litter, and lots of outgoing window fans. We also patched foundation holes with foam - (comes in canisters), to block entry. This winter's rainfall must have produced a bumper crop of mice and rats.

I think we have it licked - hope so. WHEW!

Bejay

Ick. A rat in the walls. I can smell it now.
We once had a bird die in the bathroom vent pipe, and it sent the scent wafting down inside the bedroom wall and out under the baseboard by the headboard of the bed. We punched holes in the wall, but found nothing. A plumber found the bird a week later. DOH!

From recent foot prints I'd say I have a two-legged thief! I wonder how they'd feel about the large snake that has taken up residence there, and I wonder if a snake warning sign is in order. At least the snake will take care of any four-legged mice or rats.

it's really frustrating to battle fruit thieves, especially after all the TLC we put in the plants so they produce nice fruit. hosenemesis, don't pull your nectarine! There are ways to deal with the problem.

Here's what I've learned over the years:

1) Two legged creatures - every town seems to have their handful of crooks who steal fruit from local homeowners and resell them to health food stores. A friend of mine caught the local guy in the act as he was stripping his persimmon tree. The only remedy I am aware of is to use video surveillance and film the guy stealing your fruit. Then report it to the police, and also go to the local health food stores that seem to sell the fruit and show them the video.

2) Raccoons: these are the worst, and I suspect they are the ones that strip your nectarine, hosenemesis. No remedy I know of besides a dog seems to work, as raccoons will tear netting and/or undo the netting at the base of the tree to get in. One other approach is to use Agribon to cover the tree because it hides the fruit. I use the dog solution, as it has worked very well for me. The racoons used to come every year right when the grapes were ripe. The first year we had the dog, the raccoon learned very quickly, and they have never come back.

3) rats: rats are easy. Covering the tree with either tulle, netting, or agribon will work. Make sure to use binder clips to totally seal the tree at the base. At the same time, it's important to bring populations down. Best thing to do is to apply good sanitation, including picking up all fruit from the ground and removing habitat - any low growing brush should be inspected regularly for nests. remove any vegetation piles and sanitize wood piles. You can also put out traps. However, if the source is somewhere else in your neighborhood, that won't do much. Best thing to to is to call the local city or county health dept and report the rodent problem. They will work on the problem at a neighborhood level.

4) squirrels: now they are the worst, and the only lasting solution I have found is to use fabric that can't be ripped. Bird netting works well, but unfortunately, bird netting is not only difficult to install and remove, but it's also not effective against birds that will readily peck right through the netting. Tulle rips too easily, but agribon is full-proof if using strong binder clips and the tree is well sealed.

5) Birds: birds are a real pain. I have found tulle to be the best remedy there, but the problem is tulle is not effective against squirrels That's why I am shifting to agribon. I've tried all the other gimmicks including sound repellent, hanging disks, the works, none of which actually work.

One more tip: a lot of critters respond to simple communications in regards to territory. Just use your own urine around the garden to mark your garden as your territory. Not all critters will heed the message, but many will. it will seriously drop the number of critters you have to fight off.

Oh, I almost forgot about deer - dogs and a good fence is the only thing I know that works. Most other things seem to be nothing more than gimmicks.