War...

Controlling pests of bamboo

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boonut
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War...

Post by boonut »

The squirrels have really declared war on all my boo. They eat into the new shoots on most of my B. Lako in pots. Anyone have a bazooka?
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Allen D. Aleshire
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needmore
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RE: War...

Post by needmore »

Allen, you might want to check but I think that squirrel is on the wrong end of the gun...perhaps a 180 degree rotation, a cigarette and a blindfold are in order.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
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boonut
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RE: War...

Post by boonut »

I can't talk about my tactical strategies and weapons of choice... I might get arrested... :shock: :shock: :lol:

I live in the city.
Allen D. Aleshire
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needmore
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RE: War...

Post by needmore »

My place is lousy with squirrels we live in the midst of an oak, hickory, beech forest - nuts fill my gutters, seedlings sprout in my bamboo pots, squirrel eaten nut cases make the stairs dangerous - lots of squirrels. I'm probably a fool for typing this but thus far they have not been a problem with the bamboo shoots so perhaps they are problematic in urban areas where they do not have enough food to keep them from becoming curious. Maybe you could have Mantis send you several tons of pecans each year to distract them?
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
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boonut
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RE: War...

Post by boonut »

Somewhere out there somebody knows a secret for keeping squirrels out of the yard. I hope they send the lesson learned my way. When there are nuts all over the yard from the Live Oak trees, they do leave the boo alone.

Most of the nuts are gone now, so they are eating my dog's food as a substitute along with the bamboo shoots until the new crop of nuts comes in.
Allen D. Aleshire
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David
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RE: War...

Post by David »

Hello Allen,
I have lots of squirrels, and they seem to have developed a taste for bamboo shoots over the last several years. We have hawks, and other predators that help thin them out, but one squirrel can cause lots of damage. Live traps work well, but make sure you release them several miles away. The only way to really control them is to eliminate them. Squirrel, gravy, and biscuits is a favorite around these parts. Adult air rifles are lethal, and fairly quite. Don't laugh, but hunting slingshots are quite and deadly. I've tried every form of stink repellant including home made and they are only partly effective, and require lots of reaplications. I don't have time to spray every week or two and if you don't, they are just not effective. As the top of the food chain I think eating them is the best choice.

Regards,

David
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
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boonut
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RE: War...

Post by boonut »

Thanks David,

Reminds me of tales my dad used to tell. He grew up in the mountains of West Virginia shooting squirrel, pheasants, and other animals with some kind of German model#1 22 rifle. They definitely ate what they killed.
Allen D. Aleshire
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Re: RE: War...

Post by Mike McG »

David wrote: ...I've tried every form of stink repellant including home made and they are only partly effective, and require lots of reaplications. I don't have time to spray every week or two and if you don't, they are just not effective...
David, what type of home repellents have you tried? I do not have any problems with squirrels (only a minor problem with rabbits eating some A. gigantea and S. fastuosa shoots one year), but have wondered if a blend of spoiled milk, powdered sulfur, and fresh egg might work, especially for new shoots. I presume you only have only to protect new shoots in the initial growth period? In a grove, if you only spray the big diameter shoots in the area you want the bamboo, the squirrels might even do some culling of the smaller diameter and wayward shoots for you.

Maybe I will have to borrow some of Allen's squirrels to try it out. :D

Mike near Brenham TX
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RE: War...

Post by boonut »

Come on down Mike!! I'll bag some up... :lol: :lol:

Would you like some gravy with that? :)
Allen D. Aleshire
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svendrix
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RE: War...

Post by svendrix »

Heh, last night my brother and mother were watching Country Fried Videos or something like that. This clip came up, and might be appropriate for this situation! Apparently it was some TV show called "The Huntress" from 1999.

http://www.gofish.com/player.gfp?gfid=30-1057227

We were laughing our heads off at this one... =D

---Sven
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boonut
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RE: War...

Post by boonut »

That was cool. They actually looked pretty good. Squirrel melts with squirrel sausage gravy.... mmmmmmm!! :D

Maybe I need to grow more boo to attract more squirrels :shock: :shock:
Allen D. Aleshire
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David
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RE: War...

Post by David »

Pretty cool mom! I'll have to try that recipe. There are some strange folks out there that seem to have forgotten, or maybe just don't know that it wasn't many years ago that survival depended on wild game.

Mike- Garlic juice, all sorts of peppers, soap, putrefied eggs, anything stinky. All seem to work for a while but have to be sprayed every week or two. One thing I haven't tried is alum with perhaps something really bitter like bitter gourd (From India).
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b
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boonut
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Re: RE: War...

Post by boonut »

David wrote:There are some strange folks out there that seem to have forgotten, or maybe just don't know that it wasn't many years ago that survival depended on wild game.
My dad grew up like that. If the kids didn't bring back something to eat, they ate beans. His dad died when he was young and as the oldest brother of a family of 8... quite a bit went on his shoulders. He left the mountains and joined the military. He gave us a much better life.
Allen D. Aleshire
Bamboo Nut Farm

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svendrix
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USDA Zone 6B (possibly 7A/7B/8A depending on who you ask around here, so I am sticking with the most conservative estimate for now)

Elevation 700 feet
Constant winds (10-20 MPH)

RE: War...

Post by svendrix »

David wrote:
There are some strange folks out there that seem to have forgotten, or maybe just don't know that it wasn't many years ago that survival depended on wild game.
And for some today, their survival still exists in some parts of the US. My mom (who grew up in Seattle her whole life) talked about the trip to visit my dad's relatives on a farm in Oklahoma. She said they went out hunting and came back with a ton of squirrels all skinned out and she freaked out thinking it was gross. But for them, it was everyday. For me, it's more of a possible exposure to rabies or some other disease that would keep me away from squirrel. If I was going hungry, trying to survive, I'd have no problem I think.

Also in the US, there are definitely aversions to animals that are "cute", but when I was in Italy, horse meat was on almost every menu I looked. I never tried it there, but I did later with a girlfriend in Mexico who loved it. I still don't know if I like it as there was WAY too much salt in it for my taste, but not enough for hers, heh.

---Sven
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RE: War...

Post by needmore »

We ate fried squirrel, rabbit, and turtle when I was a lad, not out of necessity but because we enjoyed them. I probably got a heavy load of heavy metals & pesticides in the snapping turtles though given the environmental state of things in the 60's - 70's and their place in the food chain. :x :x
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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