Re: Ground squirrel control

Sorry I had maked/saved you for the pest problems we have around here!
Seems I loose alot of bulbs to the squirrels, Deer have even left
"appetizer" digs even though I am in town!  They have a safe block walk from
the creek at the end of the street!  Just haven't figured out how to do it
in town?  City seems to have a problem with the electrical aspects?  I
suggested doing the whole fence?  They didn't think that was a good idea
either?  Go figure!

Vera


On 5/8/07, james singer <islandjim1@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> Thanks, Vera. I'd remembered sending that, but didn't save it.
>
> On May 7, 2007, at 8:53 PM, Vera Metzke wrote:
>
> >     would this by chance be it....I hightlighted it when it came
> > up....keeping it in mind!
> > Vera
> >  show details
> >  5/14/06
> > From: james singer <islandjim1@verizon.net>
> > To: gardenchat@hort.net
> >
> > Cyndi, here's a post from another list re gopher/ground squirrel
> > problem--
> >
> >
> > I've tried electric fences before using a "small pet" transformer, and
> > that stopped the ground squirrels for a while -- then they started
> > just taking the shock and destroying things again.
> >
> > So this year I covered the railroad ties that surround the garden with
> > wire mesh ("hardware cloth") so that any animals on them would have a
> > good "ground".  Then using a "large animal" transformer I put plastic
> > insulators on top of the railroad ties and ran the wire about an inch
> > and a half over the tie.
> >
> > So far I've actually killed every ground squirrel that has tried to
> > get into the garden -- with zero damage to any of the plants!
> >
> > Of course I have forgotten that the electric fence is there and I've
> > shocked myself a number of times.
> >
> > Richard Primbs
> > Encinitas CA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On May 9, 2006, at 1:52 PM, Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT wrote:
> >
> >> Good weather and gardening, what more can you ask?
> >> I meant to take pictures of the gardens this weekend but once again
> >> didn't
> >> get to it. It'll be in full bloom for a little while yet so there's
> >> still
> >> plenty of time.
> >> I did most of my activity in the vegetable garden, figured I would get
> >> on
> >> top of the weeds there while they are still small. So the onions, the
> >> lettuce, and the peas are all weeded and mulched. We are feeding our
> >> ewes
> >> oat hay instead of alfalfa to help dry up their milk, and they waste
> >> so much
> >> of it there's plenty of mulching material. The tomatoes look pretty
> >> nice,
> >> the soybeans and the corn are up, but the green beans I planted didn't
> >> sprout. Could be old seed...or maybe the ravens ate them all...I
> >> figured I'd
> >> replant and see if it works. It's very late to be doing that, green
> >> beans
> >> don't set real well in the kind of heat we get in the summer, but what
> >> the
> >> heck - I don't need many. And I direct seeded some eggplant and okra,
> >> pretty
> >> old packets though, we'll see what happens there too. Peppers are
> >> hardening
> >> off and will go in probably next weekend. One thing about cutting back
> >> this
> >> year is I didn't buy new seed, so I'm getting rid of all those old
> >> packets I
> >> was going to use "someday". Silly to keep old seed but I am a pack
> >> rat, no
> >> denying it. Now I can plant them with a clear conscience  and I've
> >> even
> >> tossed those I know I won't use.
> >> We have gophers and ground squirrels galore. It's incredible, there
> >> can't be
> >> 10 sq ft anywhere without a gopher hole in it. My husband has about 10
> >> gopher traps set all over the place and as soon as he catches one and
> >> moves
> >> the trap to the next place, a new hole sprouts where he just was. And
> >> ground
> >> squirrels, we have not seen them in years but last night we saw two
> >> scampering in the vegetable garden. They do a lot of damage to my
> >> irrigation
> >> system, plants, and they dig big burrows. I hear they steal eggs from
> >> chickens too, but I've never seen that. Anyway we are trapping for
> >> them too.
> >> Sheesh!
> >> We bought a new ram lamb the other day, the girls need a boyfriend for
> >> next
> >> fall. Lots of pushing and shoving when you introduce a new member to
> >> the
> >> flock. Sometime during the night somebody busted through the gate into
> >> the
> >> veg garden. My husband shouted for me that morning and my heart just
> >> sank,
> >> but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. They had walked on
> >> everything but didn't eat much so there was surprisingly little damage
> >> considering. Talk about lucky.
> >> Out front the roses are blooming, not yet fully loaded but soon. The
> >> dutch
> >> iris and bearded iris look great. The hardy geraniums are the best
> >> I've ever
> >> seen them - maybe they really liked the wet/cool weather we had since
> >> February? I've got to get after the vinca though, it will smother
> >> them. I've
> >> moved a bunch of daylilies, I don't even know what colors they are so
> >> that
> >> will bear watching. The dry garden looks very nice indeed although I
> >> still
> >> have bare spots. It's harder now to plant in there, new natives want a
> >> season of almost regular water while the established ones will hate
> >> that.
> >> Going out there with a watering can is not real practical but it may
> >> be what
> >> I have to do. I have already lost a few of the new salvias to gophers,
> >> grrr,
> >> it's what I get for not taking the time to make the cages.
> >> But all in all, it's pretty good. Going to be about 90 today. Wish I
> >> were
> >> outside...
> >>
> >> Cyndi
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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> >>
> >>
> > Island Jim
> > Southwest Florida
> > 27.0 N, 82.4 W
> > Hardiness Zone 10
> > Heat Zone 10
> > Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
> > Maximum 100 F [38 C]
> >
> >
> >
> > On 5/7/07, Johnson Cyndi D Civ 95 CG/SCSRT
> > <cyndi.johnson@edwards.af.mil>
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> Some time back I was griping about ground squirrels, and someone sent
> >> me
> >> a thing from another list - a guy who had set up a high-powered
> >> hotwire
> >> so that the ground squirrels would get electrocuted when they
> >> travelled
> >> over the wire.  It sounded like an interesting idea and husband wants
> >> to
> >> try it, but I can't find the message. I think we could figure it out -
> >> but if whoever sent that to me is still around, and has the message,
> >> could you send it again? I can't find it in the hort.net archives
> >> either, so maybe I'm remembering wrong, but decided I would ask.
> >>
> >> Cyndi
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
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> >
> >
> Island Jim
> Southwest Florida
> 27.1 N, 82.4 W
> Hardiness Zone 10
> Heat Zone 10
> Sunset Zone 25
> Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
> Maximum 100 F [38 C]
>
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