Will Tabasco harm Sycamore

[Nat2711]

Our Sycamore has suffered quite a bit of damage this year as a result of squirrels chewing off the bark to get to the softer and sweeter flesh.

it was suggested that we spray the branches with Tabasco diluted in water, to deter the squirrels. Will the Tabasco harm the tree?

[Stubby]

Its an ongoing revolving cycle . You just godda keep shooting them . As has been said when you create a vacuum another will come along and fill it . I can recommend a Daystate Huntsman Revere . You can get one in sub 12flbs if you don't have an FAC .

[Rich Rule]

35 minutes ago, daltontrees said:

It would be interesting to see what would happen if you injected the stem with tabasco? Or spray the leaves with it, and let it be absorbed into the phloem (bark) like glyphosate is.

On the other hand the wee buggers might get to like the hot taste and come along every friday nght after the pubs shut and give it a good chew.

When I lived in South London, 3 times foxes chewed on the ABS sensor on my Nissan Navara.  The third time I paid to replace them I cut a section of garden hose to shield the cable.  Coated it on the inside with extra hot chilli paste and slid it over the sensor and used duck tape to seal it.  
 

Never had a problem with the buggers again.  Can’t say I noticed them kicking around in the middle of the night, beers in hand accompanied by Naan bread from the local bins.

 

It might well have happened though 😂

[Paul in the woods]

Surely if there's a TPO on the sycamore then the council should prosecute the squirrels.... I

 

Actually is a badly bark stripped syc worthy of a TPO?

 

Anyway, it's been a bad year for squirrel damage round here but they seem to be a bit daft and just sit there in the open waiting for me to get the air rifle so numbers are reducing quite well.

 

If you don't want to shoot them then these traps work well. https://www.fourteenacre.co.uk/shop/fineren-bodygrip-box-for-squirrels/

 

Edited June 21 by Paul in the woods

[roys]

Serious question Paul, have you tried eating the squirrels?

[Paul in the woods]

2 minutes ago, roys said:

Serious question Paul, have you tried eating the squirrels?

Yes. They're not the easiest animal to skin so I just use the back legs. They are ok, flavour fine but texture a little strange but something I could get used to. I should eat more.

 

I wouldn't eat one from from a built up area as they eat all sorts of rubbish.

[skc101fc]

1 hour ago, Paul in the woods said:

I wouldn't eat one from from a built up area as they eat all sorts of rubbish.

 

[skc101fc]

1 minute ago, skc101fc said:

 

I was trying to say that's nothing compared to what free range chickens will willingly eat given the chance

[peds]

Mine love eating the Polystyrene around the outside of our raft foundations. Cannot get enough of it, the weird little bastards. 

[Paul in the woods]

19 minutes ago, skc101fc said:

I was trying to say that's nothing compared to what free range chickens will willingly eat given the chance

Our hens would eat almost anything that moved but I never liked the idea of eating a squirrel that has spent most of its life eating cheap supermarket fat balls. I would also wonder about them ingesting rat poison etc.

[Mesterh]

This is something new for sure!

 

I think that they will attack your sycamore no matter what you do, unless what you do is reduce the squirrel population.