"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...


There is only one way, as recomended by the forestry commision, and
that
is to drown the things, it's _very_ quick, takes an average of ten
seconds.

I wonder how you are supposed to get near enough to drown them ...
(and
I
quote, see above ... )

You immerse the whole cage in the water, and wait!

Oh! Silly me, never thought about that!

How big is the cage? Will it fit in the sink? The bath I suppose ...

I have an old storage tank, which was removed from the house some years
ago, I keep it in the garden full of water, a left over from the days when I
had
an allotment, and you had to use watering cans filled from the tank!

It's just big enought to drop the cage in.

Be careful though, the squirrels have very long and very sharp claws so you
may find they reach through the cage and take their revenge on your hand!

If you manage to kill squirrels why not eat them?

You have a point, but the effort of skining and gutting them puts me
off.

It's worth it. You only use the back legs and they're delicious.

The ones I'm catching now seem rather small, to small to eat.

Four so far this year, there are not many about and I'm starting to eat the
walnuts myself, at last!

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

Mary

Alan

"Derek Turner" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Sep 2002 14:55:46 +0100, Jane Lumley
wrote:

My tulip bulbs are falling prey to a grey squirrel. I don't really want
to net over the entire area with chicken wire, and I understand they can
get under it anyway. What I really want is to get rid of the tree rat -
I feel no real compunction as they are an introduced species and a
menace to native species. Anyone know a bait they'll take, but one that
won't harm other animals or pets? Or a suitable trap?

What you need is a Fenn trap from your local gunsmiths. You also need
a few bricks a couple of pieces of drain-pipe and a roofing
tile/slate. The idea is to surround the trap with bricks, lay the
slate on top and have the pipes lead in an out of the 'death-chamber'.
There's no need to bait the trap, squirrels can't resist running
through tunnels. The Fenn trap is lethal so there's no need to
drown/otherwise kill them. The tunnel arrangement stops you local cats
and dogs getting caught, you may catch rats though.

I was not aware that the Fenn trap is lethal, I was under the impression
that it just caught them alive.

But there is still the chance that hedgehogs will get caught as well, last
year we managed to trap several hedgehogs, and they were a b*gger
to get out of the trap, as they curl up into a ball, and their spines get
caught in the wire, but so far I haven't managed to kill one!

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

hth
--
Derek Turner

The english summer consists of three fine days and a thunderstorm. -
Charles II

It would be more effective killing the females, I've had a look underneath
the
last ones I've disposed of, and there was a smal projection about a third of
the
way up the body on some of them but the last one did not appear to have this
projection, is that the difference?

Alan

Ith the projection is a penis, I think you've found your 'difference', though I
doubt you'd be able to get close enough to any squirrel to 'lift its skirt' to
be able to tell the difference before you decided whether you were going to
dispatch it or not.

;o)

Dave.

Xref: 127.0.0.1 uk.rec.gardening:160667


"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...


You immerse the whole cage in the water, and wait!

Oh! Silly me, never thought about that!

How big is the cage? Will it fit in the sink? The bath I suppose ...

I have an old storage tank, which was removed from the house some years
ago, I keep it in the garden full of water, a left over from the days when
I
had
an allotment, and you had to use watering cans filled from the tank!

It's just big enought to drop the cage in.

Be careful though, the squirrels have very long and very sharp claws so
you
may find they reach through the cage and take their revenge on your hand!

Not my hand. We've no room for an old storage tank!

That reminds me that a couple of years ago I saw a squirrel fall into our
little pond. It almost flew out and you've never seen anything to miserably
bedraggled!


Four so far this year, there are not many about and I'm starting to eat
the
walnuts myself, at last!

I've not seen so many either, but they've been evident this last few days.
Well, it might b the same one ...

Mary

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

Mary

Alan