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Squirrels chewing bark on hawthorn?

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JimLewis
GeneMartin
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Post  GeneMartin Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:55 pm

I've recently noticed some damage to the bark on a hawthorn just coming out of winter storage. And it is getting worse. If it were a larger tree near a creek, I would think a beaver had taken a liking to it. Are tree rats known to favor the bark of hawthorns? Cayenne pepper sprinkled around the tree deter them? Any ill effects on the tree? Other remedies? Should I treat the wounds with cut paste?

Gene Martin
Zone 7
Piedmont NC, USA
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Post  JimLewis Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:38 pm

Where was the tree being stored? Almost ANY rodent will chew bark during the winter. If the tree was on the ground, I'd suspect rabbits. If it was on a table, squirrels might be the culprits. Rats could be the chewers in either case.
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Post  GeneMartin Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:04 pm

Yes, Jim, it has been sitting on the ground and there are rabbits and squirrels known to frequent that area. I've moved it up to a bench now that freezing temps are history (hopefully). Should I treat the byte marks with cut paste?
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Post  Alan Walker Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:15 pm

GeneMartin wrote:Should I treat the byte marks with cut paste?
Oh, so this is a digital tree?!?!?!? Just scroll your cursor over the byte mark and hit delete! cheers
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Post  JimLewis Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:18 pm

I'd say no cut paste. But then, I say that all the time, since I don't use it.
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Post  GeneMartin Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:23 pm

Kev's digital remark prompted me to snap a couple of pictures (does that make it a digital tree?) and show you what the poor trunk looks like.

Squirrels chewing bark on hawthorn? Hawtho12

Squirrels chewing bark on hawthorn? Hawtho13

Not sure if the culprit was a rabbit or a squirrel, but the question is - cut paste or no cut paste? Jim says No. I guess that translates to personal preference.
--Gene
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Post  Kev Bailey Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:30 pm

Excellent Alan! Laughing

Gene, I wouldn't bother with cut paste. Hawthorn is a hedging plant and can stand any amount of abuse, survive and thrive.
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Post  GeneMartin Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:02 pm

Thanks to everyone - no cut paste it is. This hawthorn may have just gained some additional "character", eh? affraid
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Post  Nina Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:46 pm

Here in Maryland, I'd blame voles. My problem is that I mulch my bonsai for winter hibernation, and voles make shallow tunnels to move around in winter, so they love to tunnel from tree to tree in the mulch and chew the bark. They like trees with sweet bark, and they girdled and killed my paperbark maple, something for which I have never forgiven them.

Of course, my cat Widmerpool, in his prime, killed two voles a day. But there are lots of voles. I'm thinking of making a big hardware screen tray for them. Or, given my deer problems, a mesh *cage* for them.

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Post  TreeKiller64 Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:58 am

Gene,,,
I'd go wqith the rabbit or squirrel for the criminal. Suspect
Trap, Shoot, or Bait it away from your area. I lost alot of trees and had the rest pruned from varmints like these.
I would pile snow up on the trunks and higher to avoid wind dessication. the bad thing I found was the varmints
decide to eat that was above ground and the rest chewed a ring of bark below.
TRAP, SHOOT, BAIT, is all I can say.
Sincerely
KJ
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Post  Alan Walker Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:05 am

GeneMartin wrote:Kev's digital remark prompted me to snap a couple of pictures (does that make it a digital tree?) and show you what the poor trunk looks like.
--Gene
The reference to digital tree had to do with the unusual spelling of bite as "byte". alien
Mr. Johnson may be on to something. Bwast dat wascally wabbit into kingdom come! B-da, b-da, b-da, b-dat's all folks! albino
(Make sure you don't bust a pot doing it, though.)
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Post  GeneMartin Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:09 pm

I've been thinking ones and zeros for 34 years, so bites have become bytes quite naturally! I believe a squirrel is the guilty party. The hawthorn was moved and has been spared further abuse; the cotoneaster that now occupies that space is seeing some substantial damage. Guess I'll swap the cotoneaster and a wisteria today and see what happens. The neighborhood is much too dense to break out the firearms - other methods will have to suffice. If I could just convince the local mockingbird to build a nest there, but that would cause other problems - better not to introduce any additional devils, eh?
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