Keep Backyard Pests from Eating Your Greens - Part Two in a Three Part Series on Backyard Basics for Spring

I must apologize for the delay in posting this second part in in my backyard series.  My oldest daughter graduated college and I took some time off to applaud her outstanding efforts and to spend some much needed time with family and friends.  There is a time and a season for all things.  Thank you to everyone for understanding!  Linda

Each year I as Spring arrived I geared up for doing battle with the local rabbits.  They sat and waited on patio for the wonderful smell of fresh plants and greens and patiently waited for me to finish up my planting.  Then they called all of their relatives and invited them over to feast on my newly planted garden.  After a few years of gearing up for the fight I found some homemade remedies that didn't kill the rabbits but made these tasty treats that they were enjoying taste just plain lousy!  The good news is that there are so many remedies that are available.  Here are a few to help you ease into Spring and enjoy a wonderful Summer. Linda

By: Theresa Klisz
Published: April 21, 2011

Backyard pests--squirrels, rabbits, moles--can destroy your landscaping and lawns. Here’s how to get rid of the ravenous critters.

Rabbit rascals
Calling cards: Ravaged vegetables, beheaded borders and flowers (especially tulips), and gnawed trees, such as red maple, honey locust, and evergreens.

Protection: Install 2-ft.-high fences that extend to the ground or below ($50 for 100 ft. of galvanized poultry fencing). Surround young tree trunks with plastic tree guard cylinders ($10).

Change habitat: Eliminate piles of brush, barricade cozy spots under sheds, and flatten back-lot debris piles where rabbits nest. Ivy, wisteria, and periwinkle will curb the munching, and fragrant herbs like thyme and lavender will turn them away.

Squirrely pests
Calling cards: Bumps in the night because they nest in your attic; power loss due to frayed wires; missing vegetables and flower bulbs; quickly emptied bird feeders.

Protection: Plug house entry places, such as gaps around utility pipes, broken windows, and uncapped chimneys. Cover wires with plastic pipe that will rotate, causing the squirrel to fall ($2.50 for a 2-ft. section). Sandwich bulbs underground between two layers of wire mesh ($175 for 100 ft. of 24-inch wire mesh).
 
Change habitat: Trim tree branches 6 to 8 ft. from buildings so squirrels can’t jump onto your roof. Switch to squirrel-proof tilting bird feeders ($25 and up) or domed feeders that close when weight limits are exceeded. Don’t plant oak trees--acorns are squirrel caviar.

Gopher/mole problems
Calling cards: Dirt mounds, lawns pocked with ankle-breaking holes, power loss due to damaged underground utilities; weakened trees due to gnawed roots; missing plants.

Protection: Install mesh fencing 18 inches deep with one-half inch or smaller openings (25 sq. ft. for $175). Trapping is the best way to eliminate gophers and moles. Scissor-jaw or choker-loop traps will snag star-nosed and hairy-tailed moles ($15 for two). Gopher traps look like a twisted mess, but they quickly snap and trap ($15 for a pair). Both can be cleaned and reused.

Change habitat: Since they like easy-to-tunnel, well-watered lawns, try compacting soil and cutting down on irrigation. But moles and gophers are so adaptable that habitat changes won’t keep them out, just slow them down.

Deer disturbance
Calling cards: Flowering plants nibbled to the nubs; leaves torn from plants from ground level to 6 ft.; 2-inch gouges on tree trunks; hoof prints that resemble a broken heart.

Protection: Deer fence at least 8 ft. high; homemade and commercial deer repellents that taste and smell bad; barking dog.

Change habitat: Replace tasty fruit trees with spruce and pine. Swap lilies for ferns and  rosemary. Add switch grass and ribbon grass--they’ll avoid these ornamentals. Bonus: Works for bunnies, too.

Reprinted from House Logic with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.  Copyright  2012.  All rights reserved.