Rats! The ultimate fruit protection?

[@e.l.1303]

Keep us posted regarding rat damage and those bags. It won't stop the squirrels in my yard -- they chew holes thru metal mesh traps. - Maybe post a report on the Foothill CRFG email group.

[@geriannroth449]

Here in the Caribbean some frustrated fruit farmers use this method as a very effective method against the Green Monkey invasion. Build a frame out of PVC pipes & cover it in hardwarecloth or a more robust metal mesh & link it up to a power source probably solar powered once they get "zapped " they'll tell the others in the troup & they'll leave you & your fruit in blissful peace. You'd just have to regularly prune the trees to keep them within the electrified cage.

[@AJTheGraftMan]

Sucks to see your fruit getting robbed like that Kelly. I feel your pain. Rats ate most of my mandarins last year. I've started using the chain mesh bags as well. Seems to work well so far protecting my mangoes and pomegranates. Keep up the annona pollination project! It's fascinating work! Hope to see some cool hybrids in the next few years...

[@FancyPlants]

Thanks man. Glad to hear it’s working for you. They got every single one of my mangoes this year so I’ll have to protect them like you did yours. Very glad to know it worked! When they would eat your mandarins, would they take the whole thing or would they just eat the skin and leave the rest?

[@geriannroth449]

Maybe abit extreme pest control method for all those closely planted trees you have but you could just have it set up for your MOST DESIRED FRUIT TREES!😊😊😊

[@geriannroth449]

Maybe a kevlar based material for the bags or wrap the plastic containers in metal mesh? Maybe rig up a protective cover or netting hooked up to an electric device used to shock animals/ livestock. In that way you'd protect the whole tree link them up in a series or parallel system this would prevent them from even climbing the tree cuz they're naturally very nervous animals & they pee frequently which as you know can contaminate the contact area with the leptospirosis virus. If you get a technical guy or electrician I'm sure he could safely rig up your trees.

[@Dragonmastercj32]

Would re-applying the strawberry container over the top of the bag create a double layered deterrent, or just be superfluous? Might consider that if you think it would help.

[@FancyPlants]

I think that’s a good idea but not sure if the strawberry container would bulge ot even close around the metal mesh, but I’m going to try it

[@Jakkalsie]

Brother...rubber snakes do not work! Only thing that works at a high % is trapping but if that is not your thing the metal bags will work. Problem is I have thousands of fruits. Very time consuming😆