Solko

 

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Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:00 am

Location: Northern Portugal

Climate Zone: USDA 9

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In this video Sepp Holzer, a permaculture pioneer explains his solution to the problem of deer and voles nibbling the bark of his fruit trees. I have never tried it, since I don't have voles or deer (yet... fortunately) but what do you think?
He basically makes a really foul smelling oil from cooking bones, and smears that on the trees. Having used bone-glue as an artist, I know that smell can be haunting in it's foulness!
I have no idea if this works. But I thought if nothing else, maybe Axel might want to give it a try, after reading about your vole problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4xVKVc4 ... re=g-all-u


Solko

Axel

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Location: Hanalei Bay, HI & Fallbrook, CA

Climate Zone: 12b/H2 & 10b/S23

Since I don't have the deer problem, catching the voles and adding a feral cat to the mix has worked. I have no more voles. Sounds like this solution smells nasty.

DavidLJ48

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Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:38 pm

Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA

Climate Zone: Sunset Zone 14, USDA zone 9b

I had forgotten about bone tar. When I lived up in Eastern Oregon, before moving back to CA. One of the State or Federal Agencies, or both, used to give out free bone tar, to apply to your trees/plants to keep their deer away; less tempted to shoot their government deer.

Anyway, if they gave it out, one should be able to buy it somewhere.

David

Ed of Somis

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Location: Ventura Co.

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A...I wanted to ask you about how you keep the cat around....and do you find the females better "mousers"? I have been thinking about an outdoor cat...but I have always been a dog man. does the pound have good cats for this? (dogless now)

Axel

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Location: Hanalei Bay, HI & Fallbrook, CA

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Ed, We used a service called project purr that relocates feral cats after fixing the cats. They try to place them as outdoor cats at farms and other homes that need outdoor rodent control.

We have two feral cats that we feed and our dog doesn't chace them off because we taught her not to.

DavidLJ48

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Posts: 2283

Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:38 pm

Location: San Joaquin Valley, CA

Climate Zone: Sunset Zone 14, USDA zone 9b

Our yard and home is the site of a Pride or a cat colony. So many cats, that they park themselves around the property, spaced out sort of evenly, at least the older ones, the younger ones hang around more near the back porch and feeding area.

Normally female cats and especially female cats with babies to feed are the best or most ravenous hunters. But I think it is much to do about training when young and inherited traits. My parents had a mother cat, it died giving birth, and they feed the cats with a baby bottle in the beginning to start them off.

They kept two orange males, and had them fixed, and then as they were growing up, my father took them out into the apple orchard and cut up fresh gophers and squirrels to eat, caught in traps and shot birds bothering the apple trees. They acted like mothers to the young cats, and they were hunters from then on. They hunted until they died, the only thing is, they would bring their kills to show my parents, then when they showed recognition that that they done a good job, then they would eat them. If they were not careful, they would bring the kills into the home, and put them in the bath tub to show and eat.

Having cats around for rodent control is not unlike the native people who plant crops in the territorial ranges of the Guinea bird range for protection against bugs; I did the same thing up in Oregon, to help with bugs and rattle snakes, one advantage of rural living. A family or group of Guineas have around a 1/4 mile, to plus range from home base. I had my chickens hatch the eggs, and raise them up, as adults they realized their own identity and formed their own sub group from the chickens, though they all came into to the same chicken house for protection at night.
David

Ed of Somis

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Posts: 435

Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:46 am

Location: Ventura Co.

Climate Zone: Sunset zone 21

A and D....quite interesting and informative stuff about cats. I had two cats (sisters) for a few years. I actually got to the point of enjoying them. I didn't think I would take to a cat. Unfortunately, I lost the best cat to a coyote. I want to get one more dog in my life. I am trying to time it so I don't have to put another dog down. That is not fun for me. I guess this could be a difficult thing to time...haha. My gophers are starting to get on my nerves....