The squirrels here usually die from lead poisoning . . . saw the first one in weeks today.
On Mon, Sep 17, 2018 at 2:35 PM Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes < mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > NEW ENGLANDHuge squirrel population chomps crops, driving farmers > nutsPublished: > Monday, September 17, 2018 > > There's a bumper crop of squirrels in New England, and the frenetic > critters are frustrating farmers by chomping their way through apple > orchards, pumpkin patches and corn fields. > > The varmints are fattening themselves for winter while destroying the crops > with bite marks. > > Robert Randall, who has a 60-acre orchard in Standish, Maine, said he's > never seen anything like it. > > "They're eating the pumpkins. They're eating the apples. They're raising > some hell this year. It's the worst I've ever seen," he said. > > Evidence of the squirrel population explosion is plain to see along New > England's highways, where the critters are becoming roadkill. > > Last year, there was a bumper crop of acorns and other food that > contributed to a larger-than-normal squirrel population this summer across > the region, said Rob Calvert, wildlife biologist from the New Hampshire > Fish and Game Department. > > This summer, there's not as much food, so the squirrels are looking for > nutrition wherever they can find it, including farms, Calvert said. > > New England is home to both red and gray squirrels. Known for their bushy > tails, the rodents are a common sight in city parks and backyards, and > people enjoy watching their frenetic movements. > > They eat everything from beechnuts and acorns to berries and seeds. > > And, apparently, apples, peaches, high-bush blueberries, pumpkins and > gourds. In New Hampshire, squirrels have been raiding corn fields, dragging > away ears. > > "It is crazy. You see squirrel tails everywhere," said Greg Sweetser, who > has a boutique apple orchard in Cumberland Center, Maine. In the past, he > said, squirrels have sometimes nibbled on apples that had fallen to the > ground. But this season they're skittering into the trees, scurrying to and > fro, and making their mark. > > Oftentimes, the squirrels will take a single bite, then move on. > > But a single bite is all it takes to ruin fruit. > > In Vermont, where the harvest is just beginning in earnest, farmers are > keeping a watchful eye because rodent damage has been a growing problem for > its apple producers, said Eric Boire, the president of the Vermont Tree > Fruit Growers Association. > > The good news for farmers is that boom years for both acorns and squirrels > are uncommon. Thus, it's likely that populations will return to normal > soon. > > As hungry as the squirrels are, it's unlikely that they'll inflict massive > economic damage. > > "Every year in farming, there's something that we're dealing with," said > Margie Hansel, an owner of Hansel's orchard in North Yarmouth, Maine. "It > is what it is. It's part of farming. You expect to have something like this > happen every once in a while." *— David Sharp, Associated Press* > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > -- OK Don *“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”* – Mark Twain "There are three kinds of men: The ones that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves." WILL ROGERS, *The Manly Wisdom of Will Rogers* 2013 F150, 18 mpg 2017 Subaru Legacy, 30 mpg 1957 C182A, 12 mpg - but at 150 mph! _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
