Keeping squirrels away from the harvest

[scgargoyle]

Here's a problem I bet very few of you have ever had- How to keep the squirrels from eating my bananas? I've got a couple banana trees alongside the garage, and nothing ever bothered the fruit, until this year. I had a fine bunch of bananas going, and about a day before I was going to pick them, I noticed that 3/4 of them were gone! Then I spotted a squirrel carrying a banana down the fence. I have another bunch growing- about 60 bananas this time. Any ideas on how to keep the squirrels away from them? I was thinking about building some kind of cage or something. For those of you in the rest of the country, here's a picture of a flowering banana tree. The big red bud is the male flower, and you can see the baby bananas above it:

 

[tallyho8]

There are 3 ways to stop the squirrels. 22s, 410 or 12 guage. Only the 22 is economical enough to use if you have as many tree rats as I have.

They eat my pears, plums, persimmons, oranges, kumquats, apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, satsumas, pecans, paneling in my garage, horse feed, wiring in old truck, dog food, cat food, mirlitons and grapes. My banana trees are too young to produce but next year they will probably provide the squirrels a new treat.

Cats and dogs are useless because they can't catch the squirrels and poison is out of the question.

Ah well, free moving targets. What more could you ask for?

 

[scgargoyle]

That would be fun for sure, but with 6 houses to an acre around here, I don't think the neighbors would be too thrilled with me shooting squirrels- or anything else. Then there's the problem of no one being home all day.

 

[Tdog]

Well, downsize to a pellet gun. My brother in highly populated Richardson, Tx uses one often protecting his pecan crop.

Jack

 

[Dale_Alan]

Yep, pellet gun with a scope. Old friend gets close to 100 limb rats a year in his yard, this is in the middle of Houston Texas, the neighbors are none the wiser. He claims it is his job, his destiny, his reason for living so long.
Dale

 

[Lawnman TX]

The joys of being out in the country, my dogs think my gun going off is the dinner bell. Pavlov....

 

[kenstrac]

I don't know if this would work on squirrels ,what if you placed those sticky mats they use on mice+ rats around the tree and even wrap it on the trunk ,it might work!

 

[DennisArrow]

Even a pump BB gun will work just fine at driving them away.........Them tree rats are definately not stupid and when they feel the sting or see one of their kin fall to the ground........they do move on..........Good luck.......Dennis

 

[vsteel]

I have a break barrel pellet gun that I use with a scope. Just take careful aim, pop them in the proper spot and they drop like a rock and never move again.

 

[polo1665]

People hunt squirrel around here (and so do the hawks), so even though I live in the woods the squirrels don't venture out in the open too much. As such I personally don't have a problem with them.
I've heard more than once though, that squirrels can be repelled from bird feeders using cinnamon oil. Seems like if would work to keep them from bird feeders it would work for bananas as well. Apparently they don't like the smell. Never tried it, but I'm sure it wouldn't cost much to give it a shot.

Mark