Rubber snakes and birds

lebo · 10-03-2010, 12:45 PM

I have several young fruit trees that have only recently been setting fruit. My problem last year was keeping the birds off of my few fruit. I used bird netting (and unfortunately trapped a mockingbird with my grapes), dangled flashy things (pieces of broken CDs), ... my final solution last year was to pick the fruit under-ripe and hope it would ripen well on the counter.

This year, I bought a bunch of small rubber snakes and put them in the tress near the ripening fruit. YEAY! Not a single piece of fruit that was near a snake was touched by the birds. I don't know why I didn't think of this before - for years I've used a rubber snake to keep the finches from building a nest on my patio light. It sometimes startles the guests, but it does keep the birds away.

This worked so well this year, I'm wondering what I'll do when the trees are mature and setting more fruit. Perhaps buy some of the 25' rubber boa constrictors the halloween store is selling?

dcarch · 10-03-2010, 05:45 PM

The birds will come with rubber birds next year to fool your rubber snakes.

dcarch

lebo · 10-03-2010, 07:48 PM

Oh, will I then need to put out rubber fruit for the rubber birds? :-)

cow parsnip · 02-24-2011, 08:54 AM

typar (sold often as ground cover) works well as a cover for trees that are kept on the small side. You should open it up a bit after a rain to dry things off however.

in general, it is good to share with the birds as they return the favor by eating lots of insects too. Grow more fruit. I only have to cover cherries a few days before they ripen or else a flock of grackles and friends will descend upon them like locusts. I share with the Mockingbirds and bluebirds. Mockingbirds eat lots of bugs--they flex their wings to scare them up.

steev · 02-27-2011, 07:57 PM

Given that you're in sunny So Cal, perhaps you can "kill two birds with one stone" by planting rubber trees.

Got Worms? · 02-28-2011, 05:22 PM

Hire an Indian rubber man, to shoot them with rubber bullets!
Either that or leave "rubber biscuits" for the birds.

10-03-2010, 12:45 PM	#1
lebo Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: sunny SoCal, zone 9-10 Posts: 62	Rubber snakes and birds I have several young fruit trees that have only recently been setting fruit. My problem last year was keeping the birds off of my few fruit. I used bird netting (and unfortunately trapped a mockingbird with my grapes), dangled flashy things (pieces of broken CDs), ... my final solution last year was to pick the fruit under-ripe and hope it would ripen well on the counter. This year, I bought a bunch of small rubber snakes and put them in the tress near the ripening fruit. YEAY! Not a single piece of fruit that was near a snake was touched by the birds. I don't know why I didn't think of this before - for years I've used a rubber snake to keep the finches from building a nest on my patio light. It sometimes startles the guests, but it does keep the birds away. This worked so well this year, I'm wondering what I'll do when the trees are mature and setting more fruit. Perhaps buy some of the 25' rubber boa constrictors the halloween store is selling?

02-28-2011, 05:22 PM	#6
Got Worms? Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: NY Zone 5b/6a Posts: 341	Hire an Indian rubber man, to shoot them with rubber bullets! Either that or leave "rubber biscuits" for the birds. __________________ Good gardening is: Doing what you have to do, when you have to do it, whether you want to, or not.

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10-03-2010, 05:45 PM	#2
dcarch Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Zone 6 NY Posts: 976	The birds will come with rubber birds next year to fool your rubber snakes. dcarch

10-03-2010, 07:48 PM	#3
lebo Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: sunny SoCal, zone 9-10 Posts: 62	Oh, will I then need to put out rubber fruit for the rubber birds? :-)

02-24-2011, 08:54 AM	#4
cow parsnip Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: maryland Posts: 99	typar (sold often as ground cover) works well as a cover for trees that are kept on the small side. You should open it up a bit after a rain to dry things off however. in general, it is good to share with the birds as they return the favor by eating lots of insects too. Grow more fruit. I only have to cover cherries a few days before they ripen or else a flock of grackles and friends will descend upon them like locusts. I share with the Mockingbirds and bluebirds. Mockingbirds eat lots of bugs--they flex their wings to scare them up.

02-27-2011, 07:57 PM	#5
steev Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 438	Given that you're in sunny So Cal, perhaps you can "kill two birds with one stone" by planting rubber trees.