A darn squirrel stole my Mango!!!

10 years ago

That's right...

I was growing a nice healthy Mango fruit about 2 inches in size when I happened to look at the darn critter walking on my fence with my only fruit in it;s mouth!

Ooooh, I was so mad and depressed...I was really getting excited that my first year growing a foot tall tree was going to reward me with a fruit.

Do any critters ever steal your fruit?

Mike

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Comments (9)

brute
10 years ago
Happens all the time.
The last straw occurred a couple of months ago during a period when things got real busy at work. I left at 5:30 every morning and didn't come dragging back home until around 6:30 at night. During this time I couldn't find time to patrol my property. The squirrels and coons took full advantage and totally stripped my mango and macadamia trees. This would have been my very first macadamia crop and I had been waiting since 2009 for this tree to begin producing. There were about a dozen nuts and I didn't get any. There were also about a dozen mangoes, and I ended up with one.
I've been on the warpath ever since.
Back when I was "Mr. Nice Guy", I tried all the usual non-lethal deterrents like fake owls, shiny hanging objects, cayenne pepper, bird netting, etc.
Mr. Nice Guy doesn't live here anymore.
The only answer is the liberal use of a .22 rifle and traps.
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
10 years ago
Btute, wow I thought I had it bad..lol

I don't blame you one bit there..what a shame, And yet my friends tell me they have to eat too...Ok. let them try growing anything difficult or for years just to be stolen from you...
Once, I had two peach trees strip down to NO fruit of hundreds for years, until I decided to take the trees down.
Now, I think I'll do the netting method since the pot and the plant measure about 2 feet...up from the ground total..
I didn't even think it was possible for a Mango tree to produce fruit so early in the game..
It started with 6 but all fell off but that one.
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Well I bought a Valencia Pride tree today from my local nursery here in East Central Florida. I had pre-ordered an Alphonso mango in a 30 gallon container and a Phoenix mango in a 7 gallon container. As it happens they had received a huge delivery of mangoes that also included my order. So in addition to the previously mentioned mangoes I also purchased a second Alphonso in a 15 gal container and a Valencia Pride in a 15 gallon container. I ignored the Haden mango tree next to it because I thought that tree gets too big. I had been thinking about getting a Valencia Pride for a long time. I didn't realize they got so big though. No matter I have an empty spot in my front yard where my old Aberquina Olive tree used to be. That tree died earlier this year and there isn't much around it so that is where I will plant it. Normally I don't like to put mango trees in parts of my yard which are not fenced because my past experience in South Florida tells me the fruit is likely to be stolen by random strangers who live near by. They seem to think that if the tree is accessible then it's ok to steal the fruit from it. I think in East Central Florida where I live now though things might be different. For one thing there are fewer people here and second there are no sidewalks in my neighborhood so few people take leisurely strolls around the neighborhood. But most important of all though the paved street in front of my property can serve as a heat source during cold (such as it is in Florida) winter nights. The sun will bake the asphalt during the day and the asphalt will radiate that heat out during the night. That will hopefully keep the air temperature a little higher around the tree and prevent limb damage or the death of flowers. All things considered I am happy I purchased the Valencia Pride. I grew up in South Florida and we always had mango trees in our property. One of my favorite varieties from when I was a boy is the Kent mango which makes a really big piece of fruit. By all accounts the VP makes a similar large fruit. That's good because I have also have Glenn mango trees right now in my property which makes rather small fruit. It is nice to have a mix it up a bit and get a tree like VP that will make a big piece of fruit. Unlike the Kent which has more roundish fruit the VP fruit is sigmoidal. Some people think that looks pretty but I don't care that much about the shape of the fruit. I just care about what it taste like.
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tropicbreezent
10 years ago
If it's a grafted tree it can produce fruit straight away, although it may not be strong enough to support it. When it comes to animals stripping fruit from my trees, is there a limit to the number of names I can list, LOL.
puglvr1
10 years ago
Mike, I'm SO sorry....I didn't even know you bought a mango tree!! Congrats...Love to see a picture :o)

Been there done that...I lose about 40%-50% of my mangoes to racoons, squirrels, possums and gosh knows what else is lurking in my yard :o(

I even cover them with aluminum window screen and they just chew through them like it was paper!
puglvr1
10 years ago
They even eat them when they're GREEN!! Grrrr.....

What variety did you get Mike?
puglvr1
10 years ago
One more...completely green and immature!!
meyermike_1micha
Original Author
10 years ago
My Goodness Nancy!!!! I think I am going to have to keep a watch dog near mine....You hate to laugh, but wow! I never thought any animal would go through such extremes to get a Mango!

I will snap a pic for you as soon as tomorrow...So good to see you friend!
I can't believe it!

Tropical...lol...I just caught another skunk snooping around my yard..Arg!!!!!

What's next!?

MIke
Boukmn
10 years ago
I waited 7 years for my mango to bear grown from seed. This summer it finally gave its first crop. Then, the squirrels descended. I lost 1/3 of the mangoes. Fortunately, the tree got quite large so its first crop was large enough in total numbers so I got fruit. But the squirrels are multiplying. When my ackee tree first began to bear, they got greedy and ate the unopened ones...big mistake. Had few squirrels for a while...not anymore. My guess is the survivors were the smart ones.

I'm with Brute on this one. I am @rming for w@r next mango season!! Pellet g#n in hand and a serious zapper trap. A member on this list (JeffDM) recommended it. It will nuke up to 30 squirrels a day if you have a bad infestation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rat / Squirrel Zapper
Andrew Scott
10 years ago
Hi Mike. First off I have to say congrats on buying your mango tree! What variety did you go with? If you bought it from Logees, I know...Cogshall right? With your tree being only a foot tall, I have to say even though it was heart breaking, it was probably best for your tree. I have had egg sized fruit drop from my 3 ft tree. Sadly I feel like I am back pedaling this year with all my citrus and tropical fruits. The damn mites have been worse than ever and citrus that I have had for 3-4 years are almost completely defoliated! I am really upset and am all ready planning on moving everything to a much larger growing area with 100% better ventilation. I just am praying that everything will recover. As of now the only mango I have is my 'Carrie'. I have to say that I truly regret not returning it when I got it.The tree was in poor shape when I got it 3 years ago, and it still is struggling. My biggest absolute worst loss was my 5ft Maha Chinook. I pugged it in the fall(and yes I knew better but I was trying to make sure it would fit in my growing space) and it died on me :( The previous year it bloomed but the fruits aborted and I am positive that if that tree made it, it would have fruited nicley the following summer.

And I too would like to see a picture of your mango tree!

A darn squirrel stole my Mango!!!

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brute

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A darn squirrel stole my Mango!!!

Comments (9)

brute

meyermike_1michaOriginal Author

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