Fighting off the Fruit Bats (forum)

Mike starts with ...
How am I to with fruit bat colonies arriving in force and defruiting my trees overnight. There is a least one colony about 1-2 km from here

They will take the crop off the lychee overnight and devestate the nectarine as they ripen. Pawpaw they remove the moment there is any suggestion of yellow on the fruit. They hit the jabicaba this year for the first time. The only thing they have not touched (yet) are my citrus trees. I am hoping that they don't like the skins.

Some years ago when I had peach trees I netted them loosely and then had trouble with catching the odd one or two in the net. The next problem was when I was threatened by the wildlife people with court action so I cut them out. I still have the odd tree but would still like to have some fruit to myself. The issue is complicated by the Qld Fruit Fly which seems to be in plague proportions in the area. I have read the forum on the fruit fly and found it most useful but I would now like to be able to deal with the fruit bat



Time: 21st December 2008 1:23pm

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About the Author Slicko
Brisbane
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Wayne says...
Mike, we have bowed to the pressure from the conservationists. These disease carrying Flying Foxes are protected and cost us millions of dollars each year here in Queensland in lost fruit production, so much so that this year some fruit producers are calling it quits.

Now that I have had my tantrum, you might like to try the diesel or kerosene wick trick. Punch a hole through the cap of a screw top container and feed a cloth wick through it. Fill the container with the liquid and hang in the tree. The theory is that the smell of the fuel will confuse the Foxes, I can't confirm that it works but after the shotgun method it sounds worth a try.

Time: 21st December 2008 5:57pm

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About the Author Wayne
Mackay
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Mike says...
In many ways I am glad that I am not trying to make a living out of my fruit trees because the fruit bats would send be broke. I cant help but feel greatly for those who have to devise ways of dealing with them in order to protect their livlihoods. Somehow I cannot believe that they are endangered but there you go. I can remember as a kid my father going up into his banana plantation in the evening with his shot gun in an attempt to save his crop.

I will try the diesel/kero trick the next time that I have ripening fruit.

Thanks for that.

Time: 21st December 2008 9:01pm

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About the Author Slicko
Brisbane
#UserID: 1775
Posts: 227
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