# Some animal is eating my grapes...advice needed please



## Sashie

We have grapes on Eastern Long Island, New York. When viewing our pinot gris row, I noticed some holes in our nets and 30% of the fruit eaten. Our consultant said it wasn;t birds because they leave nothing behind and we noticed grapes on the ground. So he thinks its raccoons but I think the raccoons would have torn up everything. I think it's squirrels. None of our other varieties have been touched - yet.

We had our first crop in 2010 - no problems at all. Last year we lost all of our fruit to birds. This year we put up a new netting system and it seems we are losing. 

Has anyone had any problems with squirrels or raccoons? Any idea how to get rid of them? Raccoons we can trap but what about squirrels?


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## rob

Last year we had birds in the vineyard and they put a small hole in the grape and sucked the juice out,


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## UBB

rob said:


> Last year we had birds in the vineyard and they put a small hole in the grape and sucked the juice out,



I seen that first hand in our vineyard this year.


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## Swilley

Dawgawn opossums ate a lot of mine last year


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## Itch

If you think its racoons or a possom go and get a trap and bait with sardines.....you may get some cats but most likely will catch the culprit.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Havahart-2-Door-Large-Animal-Cage-Trap/100348069/


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## garymc

Possums, racoons, and skunks will feast on grapes. I had a possum eating my muscadines a couple of years ago. He would suck the insides out of the skin and spit the skin out.


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## Sashie

What did you guys do? put up more netting? how did they get in - rip the netting?

I have traps but I really don't think it's raccoons, more likely squirrels. Maybe my dog can sit outside during the day (she hates squirrels) and scare them off but I don't want to leave her outside at night. I'm scared the culprits have gotten a taste and they won't leave.

I don't want a repeat of last year ----all that work!!! All that pruning, weeding, spraying (in 95 degree weather)- to lose it all to squirrels? And they ate all of my shiro plums as well. You could see them running with yellow plums in their mouths....


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## deboard

They make some animal deterrents that have motion sensors, and either turn on a light, make noise (sometimes ultrasonic), or both that you can buy. Here is an example:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZWOYQG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I've never used one, so I don't know much about their effectiveness.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

Get a game cam to find out exactaly what you have eating your grapes.


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## JohnT

My father's pride and joy was his veg. garden. Dogone rabbits would really make a mess out of it.

The he found an electric fence system. The fence is advertised as "self weeding" (where the weeds would touch the wires, then fry). 

BOY DID THIS DO THE TRICK. nothing like a little electric shock to make them varmits run! He never had rabbit or deer issues again.


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## Brew and Wine Supply

JohnT said:


> My father's pride and joy was his veg. garden. Dogone rabbits would really make a mess out of it.
> 
> The he found an electric fence system. The fence is advertised as "self weeding" (where the weeds would touch the wires, then fry).
> 
> BOY DID THIS DO THE TRICK. nothing like a little electric shock to make them varmits run! He never had rabbit or deer issues again.




Neighbor has a bunch of fruit trees, ran the electric fence with the white ribbon with it, he put peanut butter on it in spots, Once the deer would try to eat it ZAP! deer stayed away.


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## Boatboy24

JohnT said:


> My father's pride and joy was his veg. garden. Dogone rabbits would really make a mess out of it.
> 
> The he found an electric fence system. The fence is advertised as "self weeding" (where the weeds would touch the wires, then fry).
> 
> BOY DID THIS DO THE TRICK. nothing like a little electric shock to make them varmits run! He never had rabbit or deer issues again.



Why did I not think of this before? Thanks for sharing John. Groundhogs have been the demise of my garden the last few years. A quick search turned up a battery operated fence on Amazon for under $100. I'll most certainly be implementing this new weapon next season.


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## JohnT

Boatboy24 said:


> Why did I not think of this before? Thanks for sharing John. Groundhogs have been the demise of my garden the last few years. A quick search turned up a battery operated fence on Amazon for under $100. I'll most certainly be implementing this new weapon next season.


 
Yup, but you really do not want to have one of these if there are any small kids in the vacinity.


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## Boatboy24

JohnT said:


> Yup, but you really do not want to have one of these if there are any small kids in the vacinity.



I don't want them in the garden either. :<


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## JohnT

Boatboy24 said:


> I don't want them in the garden either. :<


 
instant afro. Not a good look on kids.


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## Sashie

We have spikes holding the netting to the ground. This morning I saw a few holes dug under the netting. It is not a large gap/hole so I think it's squirrels. I could probably put down another 1000 spikes but they will get in by digging. So, time for the electric fence. Can I lay it on the ground? Our vineyard is fenced in to keep the deer out (and kids!).


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## Racer

Sashie said:


> We have spikes holding the netting to the ground. This morning I saw a few holes dug under the netting. It is not a large gap/hole so I think it's squirrels. I could probably put down another 1000 spikes but they will get in by digging. So, time for the electric fence. Can I lay it on the ground? Our vineyard is fenced in to keep the deer out (and kids!).



You cant lay electric fence on the ground it would just short it out and be of no use to you. You can attach it with insulators to your fencing you already have installed.

The damage you describe sure sounds like what a small raccoon would do. I have one that found my grapes this year again. If whole clusters have been cleaned off of the stems and grapes litter the ground underneath that spot I'd bet you have raccoons.


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## Sashie

But the gap is extremely small???!!!... but yes, I do see grapes on the ground and whole clusters eaten.


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## Itch

If this is happening at night it is more likely a racoon, Squirrels dont do much after dark. I would try the baited trap. I would bait the trap with the grapes, the trap will also catch squrrels then just release them around another woods or call your local wildlife agent they can help you with that..


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## Sashie

I have traps, so I'll do that. But someone mentioned sardines... I'd rather give him that, than a taste of my grapes...
Yesterday morning I put some metal poles around the area where they were digging and the poles were moved sometime during the night....I'm not saying it couldn't be raccoons, but they must be squirrel-size.


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## Itch

Only reason I say grapes is because thats whats getting eat set the trap where the holes are that they made or you could use sardines, coons love em.


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## tjbryner

Plus



And a few hours of lost sleep.

So far possums, starlings, and skunks have been the biggest issue for my grapes this year. I also have seen a ton of damage to my young fruit trees from rabbits. 

Seems like this year has been the worst year so far for damage.


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## Racer

Sashie said:


> But the gap is extremely small???!!!... but yes, I do see grapes on the ground and whole clusters eaten.


My problem raccoon this year is definitely a juvenile. I kicked it out of my vines a week ago. I do mean that I put my boot to its butt in an unkind way. This morning I now have a 4" x6" hole in my bird netting and about 1 dozen clusters stripped clean with lots of grapes on the ground.  

If your like me and cant shoot the offending critter then a baited trap might be able to help.


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## Sashie

I lent my trap out so that was out but I tried something else and it worked. So far - I didn't see any more damage.

I bought 36"X15' hard plastic netting (small holes) that I found at Home Depot. I made three panels of 12 inch X15 ft panels - I bought four rolls. I stapled the panels on the ground, making sure I overlapped my current netting that is already stapled to the ground. This netting sits very flat on the ground with no gaps. So if the squirrel wants to dig under, he has to dig a 12 inch tunnel to get to the grapes.

Of course, I ran out of netting at about 7:00 pm and was too tired to go back to Home Depot - it would have been my fourth trip. It was a small area so I used a lot of sod staples instead. This was a lot of work and I have three more rows to do (3 other rows are new plants so I can wait for next year). Luckily, the animals haven't discovered my other grapes.

Now I see a lot of bees - I'm thinking of cutting out the bad fruit but my husband wants to use Oxidate. Any ideas on bees?


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## LCW

Sounds like coons or opossums they destroyed all of mine while we vacationing this yr.We have since dispatched 8 or nine coons and 3 opossums.don't put off the trapping they can wipe you out in a just a few nights.LCW


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## LCW

Oops forgot marshmellows make grear bait for coons sardine work for both LCW


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## AVanhoever08

We have lost 90% of our grape crop to a little masked bandit that we trapped and let go far away from our home. They are very destructive little varmints. I would hate to think of a skunk getting into the grapes. I have had dogs sprayed by them. I wouldn't want to have to deal with trapping one of those.


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## Sashie

I haven't seen any more damage. The plastic netting I secured to the ground seems to be working and I've also worked hard making sure the seams on the nets have no gaps. I go out every morning and check and add more ties here and there. The only problem I have are bees. From what I have heard, bees will only go after grapes that are already compromised.


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