Some insect, bird or mice is eating the young shoots of my cherry tree (see picture below). Does anybody what is the source of this problem and how can I fix it ? Thank you
Maybe a squirrel. Do you have the grey squirrel in France? They do so much damage to young trees in Britain. Vermin. Tree rats. Not the same as our native, beautiful now very rare red squirrel.
Yes I have some grey squirrel in the wood nearby my house and I saw one of them in my garden recently. How can I send them away ?
You cannot send them away. I am afraid we are now really ruthless and set a trap for them baited with their favourite food... peanuts. Then they are dispatched quickly. In Britain it is illegal to trap them and release them elsewhere. Nature abhors a vacuum. No sooner have you got the last one and more move into the vacant hole. This year we have killed 6 so far. Yes, they are cute, but they do so much damage.Not only to trees and shrubs but electric cables etc. A beautiful block of beech trees in the forestry, is all but dead where the squirrels have ripped the bark from the branches. This is the trap we have. Sometimes sold as a mink trap. They get in, spring the mechanism and are trapped alive inside. http://shop.maceoinltd.com/maceoinltd/images/folding_mink_squirrel_cage.jpg
Get something smooth and plastic that is umbrella shaped with a tube large enough for your tree trunk to grow through and that you can cut away if your tree gets too big for it. Make sure it is tall enough that the squirrels cannot jump on top of it and get it around the base of your tree. If they cant climb it and it isn't close enough to other trees or shrubs for them to jump to it, that should help some. Maybe some PVC pipe cut vertically so you can get it around your tree trunk topped with a bowl that has been destroyed...ahem I mean modified...for the purpose of topping off you PVC in a manner that will keep them from climbing any higher. Also if you have a dog, encourage it to chase them and make those squirrels feel unwelcome!
