Wasn't it "Murphy" who once said, "No good deed shall go unpunished?"

I'm not sure if this would be considered a "stupid mistake" but I did once fall victim to a bald-faced lie by this guy: http://www.dbnursery.com/
   Since I'd previously bought several fruit trees from him, I never dreamed Don would pull such a fast one, but he did.
    I wanted a third lychee tree. My other two came from Treehouse Nursery in Bokeelia. This guy Don was a lot closer, so I bought a Mauritius from him. There were a lot of leaves that had obviously been chewed by something, and he assured me that this had been done by "leaf-cutting bees" and it was nothing to worry about.
    So, I bought the tree, planted it, and as time went on, discovered more chewing, but, try as I might, I never saw even one "leaf-cutting bee" at work, no matter what time of the day I checked the tree. Did they operate at night? Hmmm...
    Then I noticed that the "leaf-cutting bees" were hard at work on many of my other trees. Not only lychees, but jujubes and everything else. Strange, I never noticed the chewings of "leaf-cutting bees" in my trees before. Hmmm...
      Then I started noticing little powdery-white bugs everywhere. Of course, these turned out to be Shri Lankan leaf-notching weevils. Isn't it odd how they arrived the same time as the invisible "leaf-cutting bees"?
      I'll never forgive or forget! 

Quote from: JeffDM on May 01, 2015, 12:51:13 PM

I bought two Rat Zappers and was finally victorious in the battle with the pesky squirrels.

there is something so sinister about that photo, with the squirrels tail hanging out of the back of the trap, and the little cartoon logo on the side...

 

To be honest I feel bad every time I kill an animal (other than mosquitoes, fleas, and roaches..or similar parasites)...but I know these squirrels are going to test me at this new location.

thankfully the armadillos and racoons have been somewhat well behaved...if they do any damage to the plants (or disrupt my growing operation) I will turn cold blooded very quickly.

I like to sneak around my property late at night, or during early morning hours, with a flashlight and a gun of some sort.  So far I haven't caught any animals...I just see marsh rabbits, and armadillos, and the occasional stray cat or dog.


   I also "sneak around my property" at night, but a couple of years ago I traded my flashlight for a night vision monocular. I love this thing!: http://www.opticsplanet.com/firefield-nightfall-ii-5x50-gen-1-night-vision-monocular.html
    The great thing about night vision technology is that the varmints don't know you're looking at them. They go on doing what they're doing, unaware that you are watching and sneaking up on them. On the other hand, shining a light on them causes them to turn their attention on you, and probably bolt before you can line up a shot.
      I also own a $35 scope-mounted shooting light from Burnham Brothers. After I've closed in on a varmint, using my night vision monocular to keep him in sight, I turn off the unit, put it in my pocket, and turn on the shooting light once I've mounted the rifle to my shoulder and flipped the safety off. The varmint doesn't even have time to react to the bright light shining on him before it's all over.
    By the way, always try to work your way upwind on these patrols. If the wind is at your back, the varmints will know you are coming long before you get close enough to see them.

I used to wrap my trellis with burlap, but it tends to get all rotten and raggedy. Your HOA would love to see that!
    I ditched the burlap and now I just rough up the post with a hand saw. This creates a bunch of scratches up and down the post the roots can cling to.
     I also gave up trying to grow dragonfruit directly out of the ground. No matter how much I fertilized, the cactus ended up looking all yellowish and enemic. Now I plant them in large flowerpots with good topsoil in them.

Fiddler don't you live near me?  I'm in osprey.  You should come by some day and see my yard.  It's now pretty much planted out. 

Brad

   PM sent.

Aside from green iguanas, what kind of lizard eats vegetation? I live only a few miles from Brad and I've never seen any tree-eating lizards. Are you sure? Have you actually seen these lizards causing damage? 

Thank you all very much for the suggestions, sorry for not being specific about my current possessions and causing confusion, here they are:

Lychee
Sweetheart
Hak Ip
Sugar Apple
PIN - unknown variety
Atemoya
Gefner
Pomegranate
PIN - unknown variety
Jackfruit
NS1
Honey gold
Mai 1
Sapodilla
Alano
White Sappote
Redland
Guava
Thai White
Pink
Mexican cream
Banana
Ice Cream
Dwarf plantain
Manzano
Mysore
Dwarf Red
Gold finger
Mango
Alphonso
Carrie
Dot
Fairchild
Kent
Kesar
Lemon Zest
Maha Chanok
Mallika
Nam doc mai
Neelam
Pickering
Valencia pride

  Jeez! Where do you live? The Ponderosa?
   I jest. I've got a pretty good spread myself. Lotsa room for my tree addiction.
   By the way: Hey Brad! Did you go to the tropical fruit tree sale in Nokomis yesterday?
     I did, and bought a Sweet Tart mango and a Kadoda fig from Steve. The Master Gardeners were a no-show for some reason.
     I told Steve about my "war on squirrels" and how this offensive made it possible for me to enjoy a tray full of roasted macadamias this year. He said I should host a dinner for the neighbors featuring roast squirrel and macadamias.
     The problem with that, is if I have enough squirrels to feed the neighbors, then I won't have enough macadamias. On the other hand, if I have enough macadamias, then I won't have enough squirrels.
     For the time being, I'm living in a "squirrel-free zone" and loving it!
   

I'm not sure what a "tree rat" is supposed to be.
   Here in Florida, we have the brown rat and the black (Norway) rat. Both of these are invasive species from Europe and have pretty much colonized the planet.
     We also have a critter called the cotton rat. This is a native species, and I'll have to admit, rather cute and fluffy (for a rat).
      The brown rat is an excellent climber and spends a lot of time up in trees, especially palms. And yes, palmettoes are always home to all kinds of rodents, reptiles, and insects.
     Just pitch a tent or hang a hammock near palmettoes, then lie awake listening to all the nocturnal scuffling and scampering going on in there. Nothing can silently move through palmettoes.

In an earlier post I mentioned that shooting at squirrels with a cheap, innaccurate air rifle will merely scare them. What I should have said is that you would have "educated" them.
     While the sight of a fruit-raiding squirrel dashing away might lead you to believe you've solved your problem bloodlessly, you'd just be fooling yourself.
     That varmint will come back. You just won't see him. Nothing can "hide in plain sight" like a squirrel who knows he's in danger. The moment you step out of your house, the squirrel will flatten himself against the tree trunk or branch and not move a muscle. And even if you saw him and absolutely know he's in there somewhere, he'll keep the tree trunk between you and him as you circle around, looking for him. It is quite maddening!
     I've been through this scenario a million times and learned long ago that squirrels must be killed with the very first shot, while they're still relaxed and haven't yet become alarmed. There's a world of difference in behavior of animals who know they're being hunted as opposed to those who know they're not being hunted.
      An accurate scope-sighted rifle (whether air or firearm) puts the odds back in your favor and makes you master of your domain once again. Just make sure to buy quality and practice, practice, practice, until you can confidently hit what you're aiming at.
       Then, sit back and enjoy your homegrown fruit and veggies!       

My mangos ripen around the end of June and early July. I don't know what variety it is. I bought it years ago and it just says "mango" on the sales receipt. My neighbor's tree is still holding fruit, but he also doesn't know what kind of tree he has.
    I'd like to plant a second, late-season mango in my yard, but don't know which variety to get, or if they are even available locally. I buy most of my fruit trees from Treehouse and Fruitscapes nurseries on Pine Island in Lee County.
      I've given up sending e-mail inquiries to these two businesses because they never answer.
     Any suggestions on late-season mangos for Southwest Florida?

I'll be there. I believe I'll go early and stop by Treehouse and Fruitscapes nurseries and perhaps buy a tree or two. I've bought many trees from them and have been very happy with my purchases.  See ya there! 

You know, I hate to sound harsh toward my fellow fruit-growing enthusiasts, but I'm getting damned sick and tired of the bleating and bellyaching from people who refuse to kill nuisance squirrels. Why even go to the work and expense of planting and nurturing fruit trees in the first place if you won't protect them?
      Personally, if I spot a squirrel on my property, I stop what I'm doing, fetch my shootin' iron, and go deal with the varmint. Perhaps you live in a town that forbids the discharge of firearms within the city limits. No problem. Today's higher-priced air rifles are every bit as effective as a .22 rifle. Very few communities in Florida ban the use of air rifles. The trick is to "think like a sniper", that is, make your shot and quietly withdraw from the scene, going back later to collect the dead squirrel. Don't make a spectacle of yourself and you should keep out of trouble with the neighbors.
        And if you're not exactly Annie Oakley and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside? Okay, fine. There are many other ways to kill squirrels besides shooting them. Right here on this forum there has been plenty of info on trapping, snaring, and electrically zapping nuisance rodents for years.   
        For the record, I've been eating mangoes till I'm getting sick of them. Not one has been lost to varmints this summer.

Here in America, us fruit growers often have problems with creatures like raccoons, squirrels, and some birds. I've seen TV nature show video of fruit bats in foreign lands and it makes my skin crawl. Seeing as how they fly in huge flocks and operate at night, they seem to me like the ultimate fruit-grower's nightmare.
     How do you people deal with these creatures? Do they cause much damage?