something is feeding on fruit

OzoneNY · June 2, 2016

my next door neighbor is losing fruit to something. 3 of them look like rodent damage but this first one looks like perhaps a worm?
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Bulldog · June 2, 2016

I vote squirrels.

Tracydr · June 2, 2016

Birds?

ginger2778 · June 2, 2016

Squirrels if daytime, Rats if overnight. Both are very attracted to peanut butter to use in a trap. I personally can't bring myself to kill, so I use a have a heart trap. (No judgements on those who do kill.)

Dewayne mater · June 2, 2016

What Ginger said. Also, that first one could be bird damage as they tend to do damage with the beaks and that damage looks like bird damage. For me, birds have produced small amounts of harm that I can live with. Rats and squirrels on the other hand can wipe out a lot of tomatoes in a short time. Irritatingly, they never finish the job, just do some damage, move on to another one and do more damage. Most people have no problem with rat control because they understand the wide array of damage they do and that they can even play host to diseases, fleas and even bite people. I find it helps to think of squirrels as extremely cute rats, but, still rats, and deal with them accordingly.

Dewyane

ContainerTed · June 2, 2016

Look for lost foliage if you suspect a hornworm. My vote is for some kind of rodent. Squirrels, rabbits, and groundhogs come to mind. But some of that damage might be birds. Blue Jays, mockingbirds, crows, and starlings would be on my suspect list. Last year, I had a rabbit do a little damage, but I never did catch him.

Edited to add: I've had o'possums and skunks eat tomatoes in the past. Not in a while, though.

decherdt · June 2, 2016

We move around a decoy snake for the Mockingbirds and keep suet in a cage on a tree for jays, squirrels, and wood peckers, with water for all, but it seems like every year some new squirrel has to take a bite of 6 tomatoes just to make sure that suet really is better. Our local Mockingbirds focus on tomatoes more in the Fall than the Spring.

b54red · June 4, 2016

Rats and or squirrels. Better stop them quick or they can do a lot of damage. Once they find the fruit they keep coming back til you get rid of them. One year during a drought the squirrels ate half my tomatoes before I got them under control and I had out around a 100 plants. Some days I couldn't find a blushing fruit that hadn't been chewed on. It seems that they pass the word of the wonderful buffet available and soon the number of critters feeding got out of hand. Pellet rifle for squirrels and poison for rats. If it is rats they will also eat your bell peppers every night until you kill them.

Bill

SeniorTomate · June 5, 2016

Yep since I live in the city I use a BB gun for the rodents. I didn't want to use poison since we have a lot of Hawks around here and I didn't want to effect them.

ChiliPeppa · June 5, 2016

I put ladies knee high stockings over the larger ripening fruit.

Cheryl2017 · June 5, 2016

The squirrels in my yard eat right through stocking/hose. Lol

brownrexx · June 6, 2016

You have different critters in Texas than I do in PA but if it were here, I would say groundhog and once the plants get bigger, they can't reach the tomatoes. I use 5' tall tomato cages.

June 2, 2016	#1
OzoneNY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Frisco Texas Posts: 390	something is feeding on fruit my next door neighbor is losing fruit to something. 3 of them look like rodent damage but this first one looks like perhaps a worm? IMG_20160601_195722346.jpg IMG_20160601_195713569.jpg IMG_20160601_195655296.jpg IMG_20160601_195650413.jpg

June 2, 2016	#6
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Look for lost foliage if you suspect a hornworm. My vote is for some kind of rodent. Squirrels, rabbits, and groundhogs come to mind. But some of that damage might be birds. Blue Jays, mockingbirds, crows, and starlings would be on my suspect list. Last year, I had a rabbit do a little damage, but I never did catch him. Edited to add: I've had o'possums and skunks eat tomatoes in the past. Not in a while, though. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

June 2, 2016	#7
decherdt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 329	We move around a decoy snake for the Mockingbirds and keep suet in a cage on a tree for jays, squirrels, and wood peckers, with water for all, but it seems like every year some new squirrel has to take a bite of 6 tomatoes just to make sure that suet really is better. Our local Mockingbirds focus on tomatoes more in the Fall than the Spring. __________________ 500 sq ft of raised rows zone 8a

June 5, 2016	#9
SeniorTomate Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Orange,Ca Posts: 28	Yep since I live in the city I use a BB gun for the rodents. I didn't want to use poison since we have a lot of Hawks around here and I didn't want to effect them. Last edited by SeniorTomate; June 5, 2016 at 02:49 PM. Reason: Clarafiction

June 2, 2016	#2
Bulldog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 126	I vote squirrels.

June 2, 2016	#3
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Birds?

June 2, 2016	#4
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Squirrels if daytime, Rats if overnight. Both are very attracted to peanut butter to use in a trap. I personally can't bring myself to kill, so I use a have a heart trap. (No judgements on those who do kill.)

June 2, 2016	#5
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	What Ginger said. Also, that first one could be bird damage as they tend to do damage with the beaks and that damage looks like bird damage. For me, birds have produced small amounts of harm that I can live with. Rats and squirrels on the other hand can wipe out a lot of tomatoes in a short time. Irritatingly, they never finish the job, just do some damage, move on to another one and do more damage. Most people have no problem with rat control because they understand the wide array of damage they do and that they can even play host to diseases, fleas and even bite people. I find it helps to think of squirrels as extremely cute rats, but, still rats, and deal with them accordingly. Dewyane

June 4, 2016	#8
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Rats and or squirrels. Better stop them quick or they can do a lot of damage. Once they find the fruit they keep coming back til you get rid of them. One year during a drought the squirrels ate half my tomatoes before I got them under control and I had out around a 100 plants. Some days I couldn't find a blushing fruit that hadn't been chewed on. It seems that they pass the word of the wonderful buffet available and soon the number of critters feeding got out of hand. Pellet rifle for squirrels and poison for rats. If it is rats they will also eat your bell peppers every night until you kill them. Bill

June 5, 2016	#10
ChiliPeppa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mojave Desert - California Posts: 368	I put ladies knee high stockings over the larger ripening fruit.

June 5, 2016	#11
Cheryl2017 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: san antonio, texas Posts: 174	The squirrels in my yard eat right through stocking/hose. Lol

June 6, 2016	#12
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	You have different critters in Texas than I do in PA but if it were here, I would say groundhog and once the plants get bigger, they can't reach the tomatoes. I use 5' tall tomato cages.