Bark being eaten from trees

[misterfish]

We've just found that several of our smaller fruit trees in the garden have had the lower bark eaten possibly by rabbits or squirrels.

Has anybody had this problem and what did they do to solve it. Most are 60 to 90mm diameter 'trunks' though one or two are bigger. the bark seems to be eaten up to a height of about 45 - 60cm from the ground.

Also are any of the automatic wildlife night type cameras any good - ones that are not too expensive. That way we might be able to actually identify the culprit(s).

Misterfish

 

[Racers]

I was watching a squirrel eating bark from a tree the other day, it was high up in the tree, lower down I would suspect deer.

Pete

 

[Wildman]

Rabbit if it is a young sapling deer if it is older.

 

[CHJ]

About the right height for a Muntjac deer.

 

[blackrodd]

Low down would be deer or rabbits and hopefully not all the way round.
My mother was an excellent gardener, she would get stockholm tar and put it on the stripped area as she said the area would get diseased.
I think it was the same as used after pruning.(I was the lucky one sawing the branches off)!
The camera's seem to work well, i know of people using them, but not enough for a recommendation.
You will need one that's not recording on a "loop" so you'll need to cost one out.
Regards Rodders

 

[lanemaux]

Hi Mister , we have a few critters around here and they can be a problem. For fruit trees we just give them a wrap (loosely) with chicken wire and tie off with twist ties or string. Then for another level of protection we punch a hole in the center of an aluminum pie plate (type that comes with a pie , not the wifes bakeware) and tie that to a stake through the hole with plenty of room for the wind to move it about. Most wildlife dislike the noise enough that they don't bother coming back.

 

[blackrodd]

A good friend has some woodlands that he has planted as an ash (as in tree) plantation with the view to leaving it for his children.
The aluminium pie plate mentioned earlier would be similar to the loads of old cd's that he has hung up to help keep the deer off which are mainly Roe, in this area, that keep stripping these ash saplings.
Well, in this instance it doesn't work.
Shooting from there, up in the air, 12 bore etc on a regular basis seems to have stopped a lot of the damage,
Hopefully they will be happier feeding from the corn and peas etc on the rest of the farm.
Regards Rodders

 

[woodfarmer]

Tree killers are a real pest. One night about 7 years ago I lost over a dozen fruit/nut trees that I had raised for five years. I find spraying them during the winter with old engine oil keeps them from ring barking the tress as they don't like the taste. They also don't like the taste of lead, especially if it is moving fast enough

I get rabbits, loads of Hares, wild boar, pheasants and all manner of wildlife here that like to eat from my garden. I don't mind any of them except for the deer. I get both Roe and Fallow deer here (mostly Roe)

You need one of these.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

round 'em up....stick 'em in a field...and bomb the bxxsxxtards! (As Kenny Everett used to say)

 

[lanemaux]

The problem with CD's Rodders is that they don't make the noise. Any tiny puff of a breeze makes the lightwieght pie pans gong and crackle in a most satisfying manner , I assure you. With them banging against the stakes , 4 or 5 of them in a backyard (use more as needed) set up a random din that just seems to startle most wildlife. Heck , I find it annoying, but it keeps milady wifes veggies and such safe. That works for me amigo, as she can be louder and more persistant than the pie plates or the wind itself for all of that.

 

[doorframe]

I'd prefer the pic above if the gun was pointing the other way.

People that shoot animals need shooting.

 

[marcros]

I'd prefer the pic above if the gun was pointing the other way.

People that shoot animals need shooting.

What do you propose as a sensible alternative to control numbers of pest species then? Perhaps ship all of the bunnies off to a sanctuary somewhere?

 

[doorframe]

What do you propose as a sensible alternative to control numbers of pest species then? Perhaps ship all of the bunnies off to a sanctuary somewhere?

Thanks for the standard response from the "If it breaths, shoot it!" brigade.

The next response will probably be the obligatory "You obviously don't live in the countryside"

 

[marcros]

not at all. the next response is to ask, once again, what you propose as an alternative.

we are not discussing whether it is sport or not, breeding animals/birds just to shoot, we are talking pest control, and controlling numbers of vermin.

It doesnt matter where you live.

 

[lanemaux]

Oh dear , the gun issue. I am aware that this is a polarising issue , nevertheless, I do have an opinion. I believe that a gun need not be anything more than a tool to achieve an objective. I am a gun owner myself and take some pleasure in being a fair shot. I have been a gun owner since my late teens and have not caused anyone any fright with mine at all. I have shot a good number of animals that would be considered vermin and hunted for meat animals a few times. I do not consider myself a rabid killing machine bent on mayhem. My few guns do not in any manner define me. But then again , I am Canadian, and as such am subject to what I consider rational gun regulations rather than an extreme condition of gun culture , in either of the extreme viewpoints. For the most part , as a Canadian issue , it just doesn't come up much. It may in the future , and that would be a shame in my opinion. Sorry to have sidetracked the thread , but even Canadians need to rant a bit on occasion. :lol:

 

[blackrodd]

The problem with CD's Rodders is that they don't make the noise. Any tiny puff of a breeze makes the lightwieght pie pans gong and crackle in a most satisfying manner , I assure you. With them banging against the stakes , 4 or 5 of them in a backyard (use more as needed) set up a random din that just seems to startle most wildlife. Heck , I find it annoying, but it keeps milady wifes veggies and such safe. That works for me amigo, as she can be louder and more persistant than the pie plates or the wind itself for all of that.

You are, of course correct, no noise from CD's tied up, but he still has happy neighbours.
Regards Rodders

 

[lanemaux]

Another Canadian geographic conundrum then Rodders. My nearest neighbour often runs a motorised plannishing hammer and it is less a disturbance than a background beat. His barn is a healthy walk from my front lawn you see. Next nearest plot of land is a gravel pit off of the backyard side. Loaders , sifters and dump trucks all through the day , weather permitting. I nap straight through that noise as it is a bit further off. And as far as the rest of the nearest humans go , they are mostly Mennonites and as such fairly quiet. My guess is that I do not disturb any of them either .

 

[Steve Jones]

When I worked for the local countryside service we always used a product similar to this to stop animals damaging trees.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Rabbit-Tree-Guards-Shelters-Spiral-Protectors-Hedge-/230511365797

Cheers

Steve

 

[misterfish]

When I worked for the local countryside service we always used a product similar to this to stop animals damaging trees.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Rabbit-Tree-Guards-Shelters-Spiral-Protectors-Hedge-/230511365797

Cheers

Steve

Thanks Steve, they look good - all the other spiral guards we've seen only seem to be for smaller diameter trees.

Misterfish

 

[woodfarmer]

When I worked for the local countryside service we always used a product similar to this to stop animals damaging trees.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Rabbit-Tree-Guards-Shelters-Spiral-Protectors-Hedge-/230511365797

Cheers

Steve

These are fine for rabbits which generally only eat from very small trees. No use for deer or Coypu. Deer because they can reach up to two metres and Coypu because they can bite through anything. Some years ago I had 100 osier willows growing, after two years they were thriving, all over two metres high and in a field around a spring fed pond with loads of rabbits an hares about, In one night a small group of deer killed the lot ( except for two I dug up and replanted in the back garden) Deer have cost me well over £1,000 in trees I have bought in and maybe 7-8 years work. I really don't mind the rabbits, hares (which really are cute) pheasants or other birds or wild boar, they might eat a bit of crop but don't really do any damage. I actually plant out about an acre each year for the wildlife. Anything from cosmos for the finches, wheat and mangles often using odd bits left over from my farming neighbours planting..

Deer = tree killer
Grey squirrel = American tree rat