lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on May 15, 2011 13:09:03 GMT -5
...okay, that's exaggerating a bit. We have some scrub jays in the backyard, which are the most obnoxious birds ever--very loud, and they routinely ruin the fruits and vegetables I grow by taking one bite of each fruit and then leaving it to rot. They've been spending a lot of time close to the house lately (DH and I throw tennis balls at them and they keep coming back). I finally went in and started poking at their favorite camellia tree, just outside the LR window, and sure enough, there was a nest there with four half-grown jays. It was hard to see the nest, and I'd already made it unlivable poking at it with the broom when DH noticed the youngsters. They couldn't quite fly distances yet, so we captured three of them--the fourth went hopping off across the lawn--and carried them over to them in a large bush near a church down the block. (My logical side wanted to kill them straight out, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do it.) I feel a little bad about it--but I don't want my carefully tended fruits and veggies supporting *another* four birds either! I love our house, but it seems like we spend half our energy poisoning gophers, spraying for mosquitoes and fleas, putting up netting and enclosing growing fruits in Ziploc baggies to thwart the birds, alternately stomping and poisoning snails and slugs, and dealing with ant infestations. Not to mention the codling moth infestation in our favorite apple tree, the cabbage worms that appear out of nowhere to grossify the broccoli, and I just this year realized that the roses are totally infested with red scale and aphids. Last winter the puppy alerted me to a rat in the living room, and two years ago I escorted a lizard out of the guest room (no, it wasn't Uncle Leon ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/tongue.png) ) (deep breath) Okay, rant over. What are your stories about home invaders?
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on May 15, 2011 13:11:59 GMT -5
It is raining hard here. I've just come inside after walking around spritzing slugs with a water/amonia spray.... They are our biggest pests. I have declared a War on Slugs!!!
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DVM gone riding
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Post by DVM gone riding on May 15, 2011 13:12:09 GMT -5
wow remind me not to live where you live!! Lizards and slugs how do you even get that combination. I have to deal with mice in the house but with two cats and a very alert beagle they don't live in the house for even 3 hours!! Dumb of them to come inside in the first place but it keeps happening.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on May 15, 2011 13:16:05 GMT -5
Our dog seems to nab, or at least scare away any critters that attack our vegetable garden. The bad news, is he's acquired a taste for fresh vegetables, and I sometimes have to chase HIM out of the garden. Bad dog! ![:o](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/shocked.png)
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Post by mtshastawriter on May 15, 2011 13:17:19 GMT -5
We have been working on lowering the blue jay and ground squirrel populations.
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lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on May 15, 2011 13:20:38 GMT -5
We're coastal CA--temperate enough for lizards, although they're not as common here as some local places, yet foggy enough for a thriving snail population. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png)
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midjd
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Post by midjd on May 15, 2011 13:41:34 GMT -5
There is a mouse living in DH's Jeep. He is a big softie and doesn't want to buy traps, so there it stays. (He stepped on its tail while driving and heard it squeak, whoops!) Of course, our cat is completely uninterested in eating anything but cat food and her own fur.
We are also having some mosquito problems from all the flooding this spring... the creek behind our house overflowed and there were small pools of stagnant water in the yard for almost a month. Other than that, our new house doesn't seem to be too pest-y... our last house had HORRIBLE ant issues, I'm glad those didn't follow us. *knock on wood*
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Post by ty on May 15, 2011 13:54:43 GMT -5
Our dog seems to nab, or at least scare away any critters that attack our vegetable garden. The bad news, is he's acquired a taste for fresh vegetables, and I sometimes have to chase HIM out of the garden. Bad dog! ![:o](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/shocked.png) Well he is earning is keep ya know. ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/button29934414.png)
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ruger2506
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Post by ruger2506 on May 15, 2011 14:08:57 GMT -5
A shot gun and some #8 shot solves that problem real quick. I had a nasty grackle problem for a while. But a couple BBQs for my friends later (grackle shoots) and they didn't seem to want to land in my yard anymore. In fact they seemed to fly around my yard instead of through it.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 15, 2011 14:26:21 GMT -5
Our beagle learned to eat the blueberries right off the bush and the sugar snap peas right off the vines. Also can not plant anything using bone meal because he will dig it up and lick the dirt. And has taken to eating any mushrooms that sprout up. This last one has me a bit worried.
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haapai
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Post by haapai on May 15, 2011 14:34:38 GMT -5
I dog-sat a rather ill-behaved terrier last week just to convince a rabbit to relocate. Both the bunny and the dog are gone now but I have several holes to fill in. I think the dog did more damage in a day than the rabbit did all year.
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lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on May 15, 2011 14:42:36 GMT -5
I think animals in general are attracted to bone meal and blood meal. ruger: I'd love to shoot them all, but we're within city limits and I suspect I'd get in trouble for discharging any kind of gun. lonewolf: let me know when you figure out what to do about aphids! Strong stream of water my hairy yellow butt. ![>:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/angry.png) I think another poster a while back (Dark, maybe?) was questioning why anyone would live where it gets cold. This is the answer--it gives you 3-6 months off per year from worrying about yard pests!
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Post by ty on May 15, 2011 14:46:27 GMT -5
![](http://www.norcalblogs.com/birds/blue-jay-canada-2008.jpg) Scrub Jay
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Mad Dawg Wiccan
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Post by Mad Dawg Wiccan on May 15, 2011 15:19:46 GMT -5
My parent's house has a lot of fruit trees, and the scrub jays used to decimate the crops. I spent one summer with a pellet gun and killed over 50 of them.
Lurkyloo, for aphids try getting a squirt bottle and add a few drops of dish soap to the water. The soap lowers the surface tension of the water and it should then drown them.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 15, 2011 15:25:48 GMT -5
My parent's house has a lot of fruit trees, and the scrub jays used to decimate the crops. I spent one summer with a pellet gun and killed over 50 of them. . Unfortunately, i'm pretty sure that that scrub jays are protected and that it is illegal to shoot them.
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Post by ty on May 15, 2011 15:38:11 GMT -5
My parent's house has a lot of fruit trees, and the scrub jays used to decimate the crops. I spent one summer with a pellet gun and killed over 50 of them. . Unfortunately, i'm pretty sure that that scrub jays are protected and that it is illegal to shoot them. ![](http://us.social.s-msn.com/s/images/emoticons/thumbs_up.gif)
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lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on May 15, 2011 15:39:05 GMT -5
![](http://www.norcalblogs.com/birds/blue-jay-canada-2008.jpg) Scrub Jay Welfare queen Fixed ;D Lonewolf: my in-laws reported success with the soap spray, but said it took three applications. Me, it took all of three weekends of hacking ginormous grandfather mallow plants out of our lawn before I went to the "better living through chemistry" approach. ![8-)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cool.png) They're still winning, but I'm not getting shut out anymore... lynnerself: Really, scrub jays are protected? That's kind of mindblowing ::toddles off to confirm with the intarwebs::
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lurkyloo
Junior Associate
“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
Joined: Jan 8, 2011 11:26:56 GMT -5
Posts: 5,782
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Post by lurkyloo on May 15, 2011 15:43:38 GMT -5
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ruger2506
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Post by ruger2506 on May 15, 2011 15:48:26 GMT -5
ruger: I'd love to shoot them all, but we're within city limits and I suspect I'd get in trouble for discharging any kind of gun. That's where the "Bone Collector" comes in. www.gamousa.com/family.aspx?familyID=89Or the "Silent Cat" Open a window, take the screen out (careful not to shoot the window), when the birds show up let them have it. City folk and neighbors are never the wiser. ;D Not that I've ever used this technique.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on May 15, 2011 16:30:50 GMT -5
We feed our jays. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Then again, we feed our squirrels and possums, too. And the neighborhood cats. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) We buy ladybugs to keep our aphids in check. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) For snails and slugs, we use a 3-pronged approach: Sluggo, Salt, and Squooshing. ;D
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greenstone
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Post by greenstone on May 15, 2011 16:58:05 GMT -5
Every spring I get at least one pair of mockingbirds that squawk from sun-up til sun-down whenever any living creature enters my yard. It is one of the most annoying sounds in the world. They divebomb my poor cat so often he no longer reacts when they hit him. I just got rid of the pair this year (they left on there own, thank god) but I noticed today another mockingbird was building a new nest in my orange tree. I am going outside to get rid of it right now. Every evening at dusk, I go around the yard looking for lubbers (voracious grasshoppers). After dark, I go on snail hunts. Between the snail and possible pill bugs, some of my flowers will have all the leaves striped off in a matter of 2 or 3 days. I am making progress with the snails but something else is eating my flowers. I've only ever seen two slugs in my garden so I don't think its them and it is a different chew pattern than the lubbers. I saw my first snake of the year two days ago, but as long as they keep their distance, we're cool. I've got a problem lately with ants in my walls, I think I will need to get the bug guy out soon. A neighborhood cat strolls into my house whenever the door is open. I have been telling him for years that he doesn't live with me but haven't convinced him yet.
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MN-Investor
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Post by MN-Investor on May 15, 2011 17:32:37 GMT -5
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to disturb the nest of any native bird. You can't kill or trap native birds without a permit. Scrub jays are native birds. Just an FYI.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on May 15, 2011 18:01:46 GMT -5
![](http://www.norcalblogs.com/birds/blue-jay-canada-2008.jpg) Scrub Jay Nope, that is a Blue Jay This is a Scrub Jay ![](http://www.bird-friends.com/pics/WesternScrubJay/WesternScrubJay2LR.jpg)
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lurkyloo
Junior Associate
“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
Joined: Jan 8, 2011 11:26:56 GMT -5
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Post by lurkyloo on May 15, 2011 21:23:54 GMT -5
tough: FL scrub jays are protected, CA scrub jays are just native. I'm curious about the disturbing native birds nests; does that still apply if, say, they build a nest in your attic? Would it have been more legal to shoot the parents for being nuisances and leave the babies to fend for themselves?
Hey, wood chucks! Something we don't have to deal with, woo hoo! Actually, we don't have deer in town either, though there's a healthy population 10-15 minutes out of town. And, we don't have squirrels or bunnies either, though once again you don't have to drive too far to find them. Hmm, I should probably keep my mouth shut before they figure that out.
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Post by ty on May 15, 2011 21:26:02 GMT -5
![](http://www.norcalblogs.com/birds/blue-jay-canada-2008.jpg) Scrub Jay Welfare queen Fixed ;D Lonewolf: my in-laws reported success with the soap spray, but said it took three applications. Me, it took all of three weekends of hacking ginormous grandfather mallow plants out of our lawn before I went to the "better living through chemistry" approach. ![8-)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cool.png) They're still winning, but I'm not getting shut out anymore... lynnerself: Really, scrub jays are protected? That's kind of mindblowing ::toddles off to confirm with the intarwebs:: lmao... ![](http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/smileys/button29934414.png)
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Post by ty on May 15, 2011 21:31:31 GMT -5
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Post by ty on May 15, 2011 21:31:54 GMT -5
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Post by ty on May 15, 2011 21:32:45 GMT -5
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lurkyloo
Junior Associate
“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
Joined: Jan 8, 2011 11:26:56 GMT -5
Posts: 5,782
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Post by lurkyloo on May 15, 2011 21:38:57 GMT -5
Thanks, KK! (And thank-you to the anonymous caramelizer, too ![:))](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cheesy.png)
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Post by lisaa on May 15, 2011 22:45:24 GMT -5
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