Please include me in replies to 1_Inch_Group’s question.
My particular issue this spring is bunny rabbit(s). In the morning, my pots with violas look like some animal was sleeping in them. Don’t know what to do. The coyote population has been quietly “taken care of” by local Animal Control so we’re seeing the return of the bunny population.
Last year, my son who lives in the heart of a big city lost every single peach on his tree to the critters. This year we talked about using netting. Would like to hear any other thoughts.
Finally, does anyone back East have a good method for reducing the hordes of mosquitoes in your own backyards? How do children play outside in summers or families sit on the back porch at night without getting covered with bites (besides covering yourself with DEET)?
Thanks in advance,
The Westerner
Got netting for the tomatoes...used it for a couple days. Squirrel got under it, and used it as cover while he dined in the restaurant instead of taking it to go.
Next day, the net had snagged a few day old bird. Took very gentle work and about half an hour to get it free. Net’s in the garbage now.
Soap. Last year the bunnies were enjoying salad every night. And the deer were starting to nibble on my baby trees in the orchard.
I cut bars of Irish Spring or Coast in half and put them in netting – I used cut up all potato bags and then tied it up with string. I left the ends of the string long so I could tied it to sticks. For the lettuce I just tied it to little short sticks I scavenged from the forest. For the trees I just hung it on the branches.
It worked marvelously. I’ve read the prey animals depend on their sense of Smell to detect predators. So they don’t like to be near anything with a strong smell because it takes away their defenses. I placed the soap about 3 feet apart from each other So there wouldn’t be a gap in the aroma. It worked marvelously! And even with all the rain we got I still have all the soap left for this year. I left the ones in the trees up and they are still there.
And after a summer shower, the whole garden just smelled fresh and clean :-)
Mosquitoes can be a problem in Wisconsin, too.
Make sure there is NO STANDING WATER anywhere on your property. If you keep bird baths, clean them out daily. If you have rain barrels, keep them covered, or float a few drops of cooking oil on top of the water (makes a seal that the mosquitoes can’t break to lay eggs in there.) Replenish the oil drops every few days. It only takes a 1/4 tsp. per barrel.
If you have a tree-line that is overgrown, clean out all of that shady vegetation beneath - Mosquito Heaven.
If you can destroy the environment where they can lay eggs, that’s half the battle right there!
Wear light colored or white clothing with long sleeves if you want to sit out in the evenings. For some reason, they can’t ‘see’ you well if you’re dressed that way.
Encourage bats to come to your yard. Put up bat houses and the like. Bats eat a zillion mosquitoes every night. They’re creepy, but they vacuum them up like nobody’s business!
Lastly, you can ‘fog’ your yard which kills them off. I’m sure by now they make a fogger that is MUCH more Earth-Friendly than the old fashioned ‘Raid’ bombs! ;)
See http://myhousepests.com/mosquitoes/homemade-mosquito-yard-spray.html
I can’t imagine I’d ever find 3 cans of stale beer. I’ve drank worse in desperate times!!!