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Bettybho starts with ... Possums ate every flower on my apple tree so I will have no apples this year. I don't mind sharing the fruit but this is not good you would think the Possums would know better? Has anyone experienced this and what can I do to stop these pesky critters from stripping the trees flowers. | About the Author Bettybho COBURG,3058,VIC 12th June 2020 11:16pm #UserID: 23090 Posts: 5 View All Bettybho's Edible Fruit Trees |
Cool_Breeze says... Hi Betty, You might just have to find a way to live them because it is almost impossible to get rid of them. Three years ago, we had a few possum start gnawing on our jackfruits. I don't know how legal this is but we made a cage trap and baited it with apple. And we got the bugger on the very first night!! We relocated it to close by bush/parkland about 20 minutes away. But we still got new chew marks so we set the trap again. Second catch was a mother possum with a baby on her back. Was the cutest thing to look at but sounds it made are horrible. Like a fierce hissing!! Again relocated. Then we got a third and a fourth. Both males. (roughly 2 week period) That's when we found out when one goes, another will soon move in. Apparently mature males will occupy and defend small territories from other males. Whereas females move freely to feed. So we just live whichever male is around at the moment. Luckily jackfruits are big so they don't get the entire thing. And they only seem to eat parts of some fruit at the start of the season which last a good few months before moving onto other fruits in the area. We just cut off the little bits they get at from the first few fruits of each season now. And the later ones are mostly all fine. So we have just learnt to share with them since they are well and truly staying. Did you know they are a pest in New Zealand and are regularly hunted for fur and dog food?? Hope that gives you some insight. However, you should give relocating a go just incase the possum population in your area is very low. Let us know how you go. Cool. | About the Author Cool_Breeze RIVERHILLS 4074 QLD Australia 21st June 2020 12:37pm #UserID: 23144 Posts: 6 View All Cool_Breeze's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Bettybho says... Hi thanks for your reply, you are 100% correct about trapping, it doesn't work for the reasons you outlined. I personally wouldn't ever do that because taking them from their own family group and relocating a possum in a new environment is too stressful for these animals and they are attacked and killed by the other possums who are already established in the area. I am looking into some way to protect the fruit and flowers so they can't eat them all. We have Ringtails which are smaller than Brushtails so they eat smaller amounts but I just wish they would leave us some fruit! I am thinking to place individual nets around each cluster of flowers and leaving some unnetted so i can share with them. Has anyone had any experience with this method. I only use the environmentaly safe netting which isn't harmful to birds and other wildlife. | About the Author Bettybho COBURG,3058,VIC 22nd June 2020 6:32pm #UserID: 23090 Posts: 5 View All Bettybho's Edible Fruit Trees |