Re: spicy critters
gardenchat@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: spicy critters
  • From: j* s* <i*@q.com>
  • Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 16:11:50 -0700
Yes, yes, cayenne. I have an indelible memory of watching a squirrel pick a ripe cayenne from my garden and run off with it.
On Apr 2, 2010, at 3:48 PM, Johnson, Cyndi D Civ USAF AFMC 95 CS/SCOSI wrote: 


Mmmmm, peppers! Probably gave those chipmunks a nice little snack.
Once I used cayenne pepper to try and deter my dogs from a hole they'd
been digging in the lawn. I think there was a gopher; they'd snuffle in the hole, then dig, I'd put the dirt back in but to no avail. So I used 
quite a lot of cayenne in the hole figuring they'd get a good snootful
of cayenne and then leave it alone.
Next thing I see is the both of them licking up the cayenne from the
lawn. I know it was hot, I grew it myself. Didn't bother them at all.
Oh yes, and should you grow your own cayenne and want to make cayenne
powder...don't grind it up INSIDE the house. Just a suggestion. :-)

Cyndi


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On
Behalf Of Aplfgcnys@aol.com
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 3:23 PM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: [CHAT] spicy critters

For years we were told that red pepper or pepper sauce was a deterrent
to unwanted critters.  We must have used gallons of pepper sauce mixed
with old eggs to spray for deer, and mixed red pepper flakes with the
bird seed to deter squirrels. We had concluded some time ago that this was some sort of urban legend, and didn't really work - especially after 

Chet observed deer licking up the run-off of his egg/pepper spray, and
the
squirrels didn't stay away from the feeders.
Well, last fall I decided the red pepper ristra that had hung in my
kitchen
for some time was looking a bit tired and dusty, and gave it to Chet to dispose of, thinking he would take it to the compost bin. He hung in in 

the screened porch/shed behind the garage where we keep tools and
junk in general. This spring as the snow began to melt in the breezeway 
I saw unidentified vegetable parts in the slush.  When we were finally
able to get to the porch, it became clear. Some critters - most likely 
chipmunks, since I know they can get in there easily - had climbed up
the screen to reach the ristra, and it has been totally taken apart.
The
seeds are scattered all over the place, and pieces of the peppers are
dragged around inside and outside.  The ones outside in the snow have
lost their color, which is why I didn't recognize them at first.
Anyway,
it seems that whatever critters these were really have a taste for hot
peppers.
Auralie

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Inland Jim
Willamette Valley

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