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Just when I think I'm getting some where with my figs, the rats show up. Organza bags are no match for a big rat. I've resorted to stapling little pouches of metal window screen material around ripening figs but what a pain in the butt! I've been really enjoying Scott's Black and Malta Black recently but now they are all being eaten at night. I put our cat in the back yard at night but even that's only slowed them down slightly. They still do recon and attack at the first chance. So what's the best way to attack these little @@@@@@@s! I know rat poison and traps are the staple but what other methods or tricks can talk share?
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You should ask HarveyC about all the stuff he tried when he was hunting rats in his workshop. I think he tried everything, I'm not sure what finally worked. Snap traps have worked best for me (but that was when I was in Boston and rats were coming into the basement of the building). Seeing you have a cat I wouldn't do the rat poison.Kevin (Eastern MA - Zone 5b/6a) -
peanut butter, warm hot dogs, chicken wing bones...especially with barbeque sauce zip tied to the trap mechanism...but the best and fastest....drum roll.....oil from a smoked oyster can dripped on the trigger..batta bing...
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duble
You may only view thumbnails in this gallery. This gallery has 1 photos.Ross B. Santa Rosa Calif zone 9b, wish list: CdD Blanc, Igo, Palmata, Sucrette, Morroco, Galicia NegraComment
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I like the smoked oyster juice idea, proof is in the pudding! 2 at a time is all I needed!!! I like the oysters too, win winComment
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Welcome abroad in the ratland! I thought I saved my bbs from birds with the bird netting, but here comes the new thief (thieves). They cut the nettings at the corner andmy bbs and tomatoes are now gone. I caught 6 of them using the glue trap but who knows how many more rats are out there.
Zone 8B, TexasComment
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Where do you live that you have rats?Scott - Colorado Springs, CO - Zone 4/5 (Depending on the year) - Elevation 6266ft
“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” – Bill MollisonComment
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in the country...they're everywhere but you usually don't see them...nocturnal little SOB's
don't put up a birdfeeder...don't encourage your neighbors to get horses and no chickens.....all country animals requiring feed...the rats clean up the leftovers...and all your's at the same time...they also love compost piles, vege gardens and fallen fruit.... -
I'm moving to the country in a few years, but we don't have rats in Colorado.... at least not that I've heard of. Mice however...... yeah!
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Poison, traps, Burmese python, Nile monitor, mongoose.... Cage the figs on all sides with a heavy wire that they can't chew through, make the door real tight so they can't squeeze through.Scott - Colorado Springs, CO - Zone 4/5 (Depending on the year) - Elevation 6266ft
“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” – Bill MollisonComment
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NVGs and a Ruger 10/22. One shot, one kill...and very satisfying. I don't have a problem with them in fig trees yet since I'm just getting started...but they no longer raid my garden.Bryant...Franklin County, VA...Zone 7a. Wish List: a 32 hour day....more sleepComment
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Kania trap is good too. Decapitates the friggers.Rafael
Zone 10b, Miami, FLComment
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Got 4 big sticky traps, rat poison and a big snap trap lased with peanut butter and drizzled with oyster juice! 🙏Comment
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Rob,
The first thing you have to find out if they are northern rats or southern tree rats and no don't mean squirrels. The northern rats are a LOT easier to trap. Like rusty hooks said chicken leg ends, the knuckle is perfect or peanut butter. The southern tree rats or roof rats or black rats or fruit rats whatever you want to call them are tough. They are smaller and don't like the same foods. They also seem to be a lot smarter and faster.Comment
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I'm not sure what kind they are. I've seen a couple of them and they seem to be large for a rat. My neighbor had problems with them eating her tomatoes all spring. I had my trap tripped this morning with nothing in it and one of the sticky traps were flipped over. Nothing to show for it. I think I will just resort to the pellet gun if I don't catch one soon.Comment
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I keep rat poison bars from the feed store out year round. Keep them thinned out.Nothing in the world takes the place of growing citrus till figs come along. Ray City, Ga. Zone 8 b.Comment
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When I just read the title of the thread again, I had just been watching Bizarre foods. And thought... hmmm Rats and Figs... how would that taste?Scott - Colorado Springs, CO - Zone 4/5 (Depending on the year) - Elevation 6266ft
“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” – Bill MollisonComment
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Originally posted by lilfiggy View Post
Don't think so but Amazon has them. I tried the Ramkin bars first and every night the entire bar would disappear so I put out a trail camera and it was a dang raccoon. He ate the bar night after night and you could see it was the same coon so I don't have a lot of confidence in how deadly they are. The just one bite bars are much better.Comment
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i get mine from ebay or amazon which ever is the cheaperComment
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for squirrels i wire a bite bar in a slatted orchid basket and hang in a tree where they hang around about 4 feet up. But for rat I would wire them down in some of type of wooden flat box so they can't jack the whole bar at once.Comment
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also try your local feed store for horses etc they might have themComment
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Birds arent affected?Darkman AKA Charles in Pensacola South of I-10 zone 8b/9aComment
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no they don't seem to notice them. I have two large wire urn stands about 5' tall on my front porch. Bottom is a column top is wire urn they are just big enough to place a potted plant in side the top. I have some type of trailing vine I purchased as a cutting from Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg inside. In each pot this year I have had a nest of some kind of little bird that raised their babys peacefully. Plenty of cardinals in yard also front door to location of bar about 20'. I have placed the slat basket in the back yard when I see a squirrel back there. Never have seen a dead birdComment
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ThanksDarkman AKA Charles in Pensacola South of I-10 zone 8b/9aComment
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I had a major raid last night (or early this morning) of my grape vine growing over a pergola on my patio. I have had problems with coons in the past but they pull down the bunch of grapes with the organza bag still on and leave scratches on the posts where they climb up. I didn't see those signs. These critters are nocturnal and go for one grape at a time. They seem to be able to loosen up and reach inside organza bags. It could be chipmunks, squirrels or run of the mill rats. I don't know if squirrels and chipmunks feed at night but rats would. I'll have to set some traps and see what happens. If I'm successful I'll report back.Steve
D-i-c-k-e-r-s-o-n, MD; zone 7a
WL: Castillon, Fort Mill Dark, White BacaComment
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Squirrels and chipmunks are not nocturnal. Possums, coons, rats would be my suspects.Ed
SW PA zone 6aComment
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