Wild animals just love the ripened flesh and sweet juice of the fruit in your trees. They will even go to great lengths to get a tasty bite. But as many are agile climbers, wild animals usually don’t have to work that hard. This includes raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and more. You see, fruit trees are not very tall, so animals only have to climb a little bit to reach the succulent fruit at the canopy. This has homeowners and gardeners pulling their hair out everywhere! They want to know how to keep pesky animals from eating all their fruit!
If you have noticed some animal activity on or around your fruit trees, you can rightfully assume that nuisance wildlife is to blame. But fortunately, there are some safe and easy methods that prove effective for keeping wild animals out of your fruit trees. Continue reading to learn how to protect your fruit from nuisance animals all year long.
Inhibit their Climbing Ability
If animals can’t climb your fruit trees, they certainly can’t reach the fruit and empty your reserves overnight. But how do you inhibit their climbing ability when they are so good at it? Simple; with a metal collar. You can purchase a metal tree collar at any local home improvement center or gardening store for a relatively low price. It is basically a piece of thin sheet metal that you wrap around your trees so animals cannot gain enough traction to climb them. They will slip and slide for hours before tiring out and moving onto the next place for food.
Tips for Installing a Metal Tree Collar:
🌳 Trim any low-hanging branches. This will create a work space, but also prevent the possibility of animals climbing branches to get to the canopy.
🌳 For bigger animals like raccoons and opossums, cut branches that are within their reach if they were to stand on their back legs. That would be around 30 to 40 inches.
🌳 Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to wrap and secure the collar around the tree. Products will vary, so be sure you have the right materials for the tree collar you choose.