Yes,we nicked one with the CD on I95 going through Providence yesterday. Can't really tell if there are more in my hood.
Dwight Giles Jr. Wickford RI On Sep 17, 2018 11:22 PM, "Dimitri via Mercedes" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > There are dead squirrels all over the highways in Maine. I almost hit 2 > squirrels on my drive down to Boston the other day. Never seen anything > like it. > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Sep 17, 2018, at 3:34 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 > > > > > _______________________________________ > 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 > > _______________________________________ 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
