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Post by kltower on Feb 5, 2007 22:38:49 GMT 8
DEAR ALL, I am by nature a very patient person. I don't like to harm even bugs (except mosquitoes, caterpillar chewing on my nepenthes, roaches). Even when my wife asked me to get rid of the spider that end in our room, I just catch it and let it go in the garden. Once, a small snake got into our kitchen, I took the trouble of catching it, put it in a bag and then let it go in the nearby forest. But the squirels in my graden are now testing my patience. First, they know down small pots of napenthes. Then tey chew away a few of my small pitchers. Yesterday it bite-off a 5 in sanguinea pitcher. AND today it bite-off by prize sanguinea pitcher. 5 inch green pitcher  8 ich red pitcher with green peristome  Well guys how do you catch them? When I do get them, I will cook them with herbs. I bet you guys don't have these sort of problems! Choong |
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Post by artificialive on Feb 6, 2007 0:54:56 GMT 8
I dont know that pitchers do not only attract bugs but also squirrels! the pitchers must be really tasty. Haha what i can think about is spraying poisons at ur pitchers (hope it wont give negative effects to the plants). CRUEL!! CRUEL!! Muahaha!  But then, u cant cook the squirrel as it is now contaminated.. |
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Post by 3sgjeffery on Feb 6, 2007 9:43:03 GMT 8
oh my
maybe you have to fence your plants.
Or prepare a pot of food (nuts) to draw away their attention everyday. (far away)
Slowly shift the position every week away from your gardening area.
I call it, Animal Education.
& pray to God & to them, please leave your plants alone & you will afford them nuts everyday
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Post by artificialive on Feb 6, 2007 11:59:02 GMT 8
haha jeff, actually im really looking forward to see ur reply  to be honest, i myself really dont know what to do. Animal education, as u said, is quite not cost effective (as for me). what if the squirrels bring along their frens and families to eat the nuts, and slowly made the nuts supply as their main food source? and perhaps one day when we cant afford nuts anymore, they all will start to run amok and destroy the plants? Hmm thats just my personal opinion |
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Post by 3sgjeffery on Feb 6, 2007 13:19:55 GMT 8
They wont. Animal they will take care of their area. They wont allow any other squirels to take over. plus, there are this thing which hold nuts in a container. they can only take one at the time. So as time goes by, you make sure you have shifted the thing away (far) from your gardening area.
But the important thing, and critical is how you show your sincerely to them.
Lets think why they eat your pitcher?
Hungry? Or they angry/envy of your beautiful neps like us.?
hahah
Must be hungry. They will smell the nuts from far.
So you place it two blocks away. In a container.
Your job now is to find out more about the container (i will try to help too) and pray and be relaxed over it.
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Post by 3sgjeffery on Feb 6, 2007 13:24:20 GMT 8
and perhaps one day when we cant afford nuts anymore, they all will start to run amok and destroy the plants? Hmm thats just my personal opinion If thats the case, you wont have any worries on your pitchers anymore. You start to worry how to get money by selling your neps. hahaha |
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Post by David on Feb 6, 2007 18:22:27 GMT 8
Wah lau! If me also I will be very angry. Heartache man!
Choong, if you wan to catch them instead of educating them, just use a normal rat cage trap. If you find a trap with a bigger cage, buy that. But I think the normal size trap will do.
Use wayer to tie peanuts or whatever you feel would attract the squirels to the trap.
Once you've caught them, you can relocate them or if you wish and like you said cook them with herbs.
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Post by 3sgjeffery on Feb 6, 2007 19:57:01 GMT 8
Lucky David still kind.  Relocation. But relocation there is a risk. Because if the spuirels are gone, meaning there is a empty slot in that area. It will draw more squirels to come into that area and stay. Just a thought. |
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Post by kltower on Feb 6, 2007 23:57:12 GMT 8
Thanks guys for your input. I think the squirrels bite the pitchers just for the fun of it. Just like cat catches birds. A nusery owner in Sungei Buloh lamented to me that squirels used to bite off pitchers from her plants, so she had to hang all her plants with long thin wires.
Apart from disecting frogs during the school days, I don't think I have skinned any animals apart from fish. So I don't think the squirrels will end up in the pot. I think there is more than one around.
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prana
New Member
Posts: 31
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Post by prana on Feb 8, 2007 0:04:49 GMT 8
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Post by artificialive on Feb 9, 2007 0:45:04 GMT 8
wahh nice idea they have.. wish i can see the squirrels suffer ;D
common squirrels..! come to my house..!! haha
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Post by 3sgjeffery on Feb 9, 2007 11:26:54 GMT 8
hai...  .............. |
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Post by ruslanjamil on Feb 10, 2007 0:19:24 GMT 8
Well, it could be that whatever the plant is emitting to attract its normal prey is also attracting the squirrels. Now, only if you could get a large enough pitcher to trap the squirrels...
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Post by northiana on Feb 12, 2007 10:57:25 GMT 8
I heard putting some mint plants around will deter most mammals. I have not try that yet but Choong maybe you can give it a try. Or perhaps spray ur neps with some herbs extract.
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Post by kltower on Feb 12, 2007 19:50:39 GMT 8
Since I last wrote, the squirrells had attacked another two pitchers, including a 7 inch hanging sanguinea pitcher. I was really cursing. I bought some sticky mouse trap paper and set them next to some larger pitchers on Saturday night. On Sunday morning I checked the trap and I only found a poor lizard stuck on one of the trap. Poor thing. I set it free.
Today, when I got home, I checked the traps. One of the traps was gone from the table top. I searched and all I can find was a mangled piece of gummed paper. It must have given that bugger a rude shock. First falling down and then struggling to get free.
Well folks, what would you think would be the squirrel response:
a) Won't touch my plants again
b) Get even, bite off more pitchers.
Northiana, thanks for your suggestion. It remined me that in Sweden people used to rub garlic onto young saplings to prevent deers from eating them. So if the squirrels were to attack again, I will try the herb (garlic) approach.
Choong
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Post by David on Feb 12, 2007 22:04:02 GMT 8
Hmm, I think it will only deter them for a while. They'll be back for more nice juicy pitchers. I think it is actually a good idea to use garlic. Let us know if it works. Interesting
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Post by cactustts on Feb 13, 2007 12:27:52 GMT 8
I think a combination of garlic and dried chili decoction should work better.
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