Garden pest control

Pest control

Live bull snake

Snakes, real or fake in your garden can help deter pests.  If you cannot tolerate the real thing, then a few fake snakes here and there can be of big help.

rubber snake

The local dollar stores are a good source for rubber snakes. I try to select snakes that look like something you might find locally . I then place the rubber snake in a conspicuous place in the garden and make sure to move the snake periodically. If the snake does not look realistic enough I may take the time to paint the snake with model paint . I use rubber snakes in areas that get a lot of water as they tend to hold up better.

wooden snake

 Flexible wooden snakes are also great for the garden . The one pictured to the left is supported off the ground by a piece of coathanger wire . This gives the snake some animation when the wind blows and as a result does not have to be moved as often. 

This snake I simply zip tied to a fence railing .

It should be kept in mind that no artificial deterrent works 100% of the time .  How effective a deterrent works depends on the type being used and how often it is moved . Even with moving them daily wildlife tends to get used to them.

Bull snake garden friend

Bull snakes, our garden friends

One of the things to keep in mind this time of year is our friend the bull snake. Snakes are generally not welcome around homes but this one I always make the exception. The snake is responsible for helping keep rattlesnakes away, as well as help keep the rodent population down. He is one of the many reptiles that come in from the desert looking for food. It is very good at mimicking the look of a rattlesnake. If that is not enough, hissing and striking at you as if he were the real thing, will definitely get your attention. Snakes should never be killed as they are a very important part of our ecosystem. Without them rodent populations would explode. For the most part if you leave bull snakes alone they will leave you alone.

Rabbit problems

Rabbit Problems

Apple fruit trees

    This is the worst year that my family has ever seen for rabbits. That's going back over 70 years of living in Fallon, Nevada. We have lost several mature dwarf fruit trees to rabbits girdling the trees. In the past the rabbits only bothered the smaller younger trees, but this year due to lack of water the rabbits are eating anything they can find. In the photo above you can see where the rabbits have dug down several inches to even eat the roots.

They are all but climbing the trees in order to strip the bark and eat it. Some have girdled trees as high as 24 inches off the ground. We have painted the remaining trees with a water-based latex house paint, and sprinkled the ground with moth ball crystals, in hopes of deterring further damage.

    As you can see they have not limited themselves to eating just fruit trees. Wind breaks that were planted to stop wind erosion have also suffered the onslaught of these rabbits. And in desperation the rabbits are even eating toxic plants that they would not normally eat, such as greasewood which is full of turpentine.


Greasewood

   

                                                                              Unfortunately the fruit trees that have already been completely girdled have been lost and there's not a whole lot that we can do about it. There are companies that do make plastic wraps the go around the fruit tree but are usually designed for younger trees. Using wire hardware cloth is an option, as is feral cats or a good watchdog, but some of the rabbits have learned to dig under the hardware cloth and avoid the dogs. Even though we have killed large numbers of the rabbits, their numbers seem to be replenishing from the rabbits moving in off the desert. With no food and water, rabbits could be one of this year's biggest problems.