How do I keep squirrels out of my pear tree other than cutting down all surrounding trees?

I've heard about tying mothballs to limbs. Does this work? Won't they dissolve when it rains?How do I keep squirrels out of my pear tree other than cutting down all surrounding trees?
my sister has the same problem, the squirrels calmed down a bit after the cat decided to hang in the backyard, she also dedicated a few trees in her yard to the squirrels. She'd leave them treats all around that area. they hang out close to those trees now but they still do run in and out of the other ones... it did help. You have a lot of space to work with, leave an area for them and provide them wit food, maybe plant a few sunflowers...





good luck!How do I keep squirrels out of my pear tree other than cutting down all surrounding trees?
I've heard of a peach farmer here in Texas using a border collie to help scare away squirrels from his peach trees. I have also hear tying long strips of cloth or ribbons from the tree. The ribbons will blow in the wind and scare away birds and squirrels.





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I don't think an owl statue would work, the statue doesn't move so eventually the squirrels will figure out they aren't real.
They really are ultra pests from hades, and disturbingly cute aswell.


1. put the pear tree in a cage


2. put a dog in the cage to guard the pear tree


3. put a moat around the cage


4. If all else fails cut down the pear tree and burn your garden


5. Run





................or the slighlty less drastic approach would be to feed the squirrels in the hope they will leave your pears alone!!
if you live in a tree-heavy area (as i am assuming you do) then there is very little you can do about them unfortunately. my best advice is to try and provide them some food elsewhere in your garden. although, then you run the risk of attracting more!





a dog might help. we have a jack russell who loves nothing more than to chase after the little buggers!
Cutting down the surrounding trees will do nothing. Mothballs are dangerous to neighborhood children. Why don't you just leave the squirrels be?





Addtional Details


I was raised in a house with 3 acres and an apple and pear orchard. We never worried about the squirrels; they are part of life.
Shoot the squirrels.....


Wire might work..as long as the holes are small enough they can't climb through. Not practical on a large tree though.


Bird netting would be a waste of time..they can just chew through it ( had it happen with my strawberies...which I have since pulled up because I was frustrated with the red squirrels)


Also, you could live trap them...and take them for a little ride to another area..just don't get caught as it is illegal to transport ';wild life';
The only thing I know to do is to kill as many squirrels as possible. You can trap and kill them. You could also trap and relocate them if you are not into killing. It is a never ending processes but it will cut down on your problem if your stick with it.
try some of those traps, see if that works. i tried it and they are just too smart for it and wont go into the trap. and once u trap them, go and release them to some where els besides your pear tree( far way)!!


hope this helps!!
Owls. Lots of owls.
Oh my gosh, I am surprised at some of these answers! Yes squirrels are pesky little animals, but some of the suggestions on here are ridiculous and insensitive.





You can try putting a owl statue in the tree, until they start to realize that it doesn't move, ever. I have put coils of small black tubing in the branches, painted some stripes on it to make it look like snakes. You can do that throughout the tree and it appear to be rather natural, much more so than 5 or 6 plastic owls. Sometimes people put human hair out to detract deer, so maybe it would also do the same for squirrel. No harm trying. Hang a couple of net baggies of hair in the tree. You could ask a local beauty salon for it. I don't know why someone would think that moth balls would be all that harmful to children unless you scattered them all over the ground with a sign that says ';candy';. Moth balls stink and I think a child would reconsider before popping one into his/her mouth. Try hanging a few bags of moth balls as well. One thing is for sure if it doesn't run off the squirrels, it will run off the pesky birds and unwanted neighbors! Good luck....good for you not wanting to kill squirrels!!!
It is virtually impossible to keep squirrels out of fruit or nut trees because of their climbing and jumping ability. Sometimes you can protect the crop of a single tree by netting it as you would to exclude birds. While squirrels can easily gnaw through the plastic netting, they may not persist if sufficient alternative food is easily available. Put up a feeder somewhere else in your yard and provide them with nuts, dried corn or even birdseed.... they seem to love birdseed.... I have many birdfeeders in my yard and seem to attract more squirrels than birds. Good Luck.
Asking to keep squirrels out of trees is like asking the sun not to shine. However, a dog is good at discouraging squirrels and a bird netting around the tree is another option. My favorite of course is to distribute a hot wire fencing system around the tree. Any local hardware store will carry electric fencing and instruction on installation. It doesn't kill or hurt the animals it is an excellent system to totally discourage most irritating critters, even good at keeping critters in a fenced in area. This electric fencing system is typically used to keep in cattle and horses. And also works well to keep raccoons from eating expensive Koi fish from ponds. So once you hook up this system to your pear tree you should be free from the offending squirrel. It only take it once to hit the hot wire fence and your home free. Good Luck.
I have two pear trees. My property backs up onto a wooded area full of squirrels.





I bought a squirrel feeder http://www.flickr.com/photos/8879785@N07鈥?/a> (not my photo, but it looks like what I bought) and put it on a post in the very far corner of my 1-acre yard.





I keep the feeder full of black-oil sunflower seeds. Since then (1 year ago), not one squirrel has ventured into my pear trees, tomatoes, peppers, or bird feeders. The squirrels eat from their feeder, then leave.





This doesn't attract more squirrels. Squirrels are territorial, and they won't let other squirrels into their ';property';.
When I lived in the states I had same problem. Nobody can see you on a acre of land , so get a cross-man air rifle and shoot them. If not a good shot ,get a shotgun. You could try putting plastic bags around each fruit. But you know Squirrels are smarter than we are. Also there are big nets made for purposes such as yours. An expense, but worth it. The price of pears is outrageous.The net completely surrounds the tree all the way to the ground. Good luck. Again a great avatar


Ps : bitter apple spray will work, also 2 cats will eliminate the problem.