Are Your Fruit Trees Inviting Unwanted Guests?

Fruit trees can be a wonderful addition to your property. Stepping out into your backyard and smelling the gentle scent of the trees or picking a ripe piece to enjoy can be a lovely experience. However, you aren’t the only one that loves fruit. Your trees may be attracting some unwanted visits by mice and rats. Fortunately, there are some ways you can keep your property safe from infestation, and our mice removal Okanagan experts can help.

Fruit Trees and Rodents

Mice, rats and other rodents are happy eating pretty much anything. However, fruit is among their favourite options. So, if they find a reliable source of fruit, they will likely come back. For fruit tree owners, this can pose a problem. The rodents can smell your fruit from a surprising distance and are drawn to the sweetness. Rodents like to make nests near places where they can regularly find food. This can spell bad news for people with fruit trees. However, all hope is not lost. You can protect your property against mice and rat infestations while still having fruit trees.

Protecting Your Property

The keys to protecting your property are two-fold: make your trees less attractive to rodents and make them harder to access. The following four techniques can help significantly:

• Prune Regularly: Drooping branches make it easier for mice and rats to climb into the tree and reach fruit. Rodents like to stay hidden when they can. Overgrown and low-hanging trees can offer plenty of places to hide. Additionally, if there are lots of fallen leaves and twigs on the ground, they will use these as nest materials. So, pruning and trimming regularly can help.
• Space Out Trees: If your trees are very close to each other, rats and mice can easily hop from tree to tree. They will also be significantly more attracted to the area and more likely to make nests. Spacing the trees out as much as possible is a good strategy.
• Clean Up Fallen Fruit: Rats and mice have few qualms about eating fruit from the ground. There is no reason to make the food search easy for them. Pick up fruit that has fallen as soon as possible. Also, make sure to carefully seal any trash receptacles you put it in.
• Add Rat Guards: Rats are impressive climbers, and mice aren’t bad either. You can protect your trees by adding sturdy plastic or metal around the trunks. These rat guards make climbing significantly more challenging.
• Avoid Other Structures: If possible, plant your trees away from other structures such as your home and any fences or sheds. Rodents, especially roof rats, can use those structures to jump to your trees. A little extra space is all you need.

By keep your fruit trees well-trimmed, clearing the ground and making climbing difficult, you can substantially reduce the risk of mice or rat problems around your fruit trees. You may still occasionally have issues, but the above tips will help a lot.

Handling a Mouse or Rat Infestation

Mice and rats may not seem all that scary. However, they can bite and scratch when threatened. Plus, traditional removal methods such as traps and over-the-counter poisons tend to be ineffective long-term. Get professional help dealing with your mouse or rat infestations. It is the safer and more effective option. You’ll be glad you did when you can walk outside and pick a piece of fruit from your rodent-free tree.

Contact Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control in Okanagan

For rat and mice removal, Okanagan Valley residents and business owners turn to Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. Our proven methods will not only remove the rodent infestation from your property but also ensure long-term protection. Contact us today to learn more.