Squirrels love trees! Even ground squirrels love them! Instead of scurrying about the branches, the little diggers do what they do best - chew and dig. They dig at the base of trees and eat the roots, bark and the fruit or nuts the tree produces.
Since rodents live to chew, even irrigation equipment is in danger. Sometimes when they feel the coolness of the irrigation hose, they'll bite right into it to get a blast of water. Chances are if you are a farmer, you have seen the bite marks on irrigation hoses and have been forced to make costly repairs.
Orchards would be fine if ground squirrels only ate a few pieces of fruit. The problem is when there is an over-population of them and they do what they do in massive quantities. Hundreds of ground squirrels chewing and digging in an orchard means massive destruction.
Did you know that crews have refused to harvest crops because of the overabundance of dangerous ground squirrel holes? In one walnut orchard, the owner was told that the harvesting company couldn't bring in their shakers because they could be damaged due to the numerous holes. Another thing to worry about is someone getting injured because holes and ladders don't mix.
Ignoring a ground squirrel over-population in an orchard is not a good idea. Eventually the little munchers will destroy trees and affect the orchard's yields. Ranchers seem to take action about the same time they are tripping over holes and stressing over the income that is being devoured by the destructive rodents.
Often times, baits are the first choice in getting rid of ground squirrels. (I'll save for another blog, the dangers of using poisons and why it is best to find a green solution.) Even if the baits kill the ground squirrels, the orchard is still left with dangerous holes that are ready for the next ground squirrels to call home. The destruction of the orchard will continue.
Squirrels have a habit of always chewing on trees. Constant chewing is not good for trees. Though big ones might be able to handle it but small ones will eventually die. Chewed barks and branches also aren’t very good to look at either. They are also responsible for complete destruction of plants. As the squirrels have a bit of constantly chewing and digging searching for food, they can rip the plant from roots. There goes your dream of seeing a plant grow in front of your eyes in your yard. We know how to get rid of squirrels in the trees!http://starpestcontrol.ca/pest_control_service/squirrel/
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