Cohousing-L Mailing List: How do you keep raccoons and opossums out of the fruit trees

[Melanie Mindlin (sassetta]

I’ve had good luck with raccoon “guards” made out of sheet metal in my grapes, 
and this would likely work in trees with smaller trunks.  Cut a round piece of 
sheet metal, probably as wide as you can get at the store.  Using metal snips,  
cut into the center and then make a hole large enough to go around the trunk of 
your tree.  Put it on the tree and overlap the edges making a slight downward 
sloping cone.  Punch a small hole through both sides and use a piece of wire to 
hold it together.  Racoons and hopefully possums, will find this a 
non-climbable barrier.

I’ve also used boards with a close pattern of nails or screws in it ringed 
around the trunk of the tree with the sharp bits pointing out.  This is bit 
complicated to make, install, and store afterwards, but worked pretty well.  I 
prefer the metal cones.

Dogs would have to be vigilant since they can’t do anything except wake 
everybody up after creatures have gotten up into the tree.  Smaller, less 
aggressive dogs may not win an argument with one, or a family group, of these 
wild animals.  I’ve tried to trap them, but they are too clever for that.  You 
could also bring fruit in early and have it ripen inside.

Good luck with it,
Melanie

> On Sep 10, 2020, at 3:16 AM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org wrote:
> 
> Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2020 19:54:29 +0000 (UTC)
> From: Brian Bartholomew <bartholomew.brian [at] yahoo.com 
> <mailto:bartholomew.brian [at] yahoo.com>>
> To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org <mailto:cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Community Garden Structure
> Message-ID: <272607815.2185723.1599681269090 [at] mail.yahoo.com 
> <mailto:272607815.2185723.1599681269090 [at] mail.yahoo.com>>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> How do you keep raccoons and opossums out of the fruit trees, taking
> one bite from each fruit and wasting it for humans? Do you have night
> shift coverage by dogs?
> 
> Brian