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Preventing Mouse and Rabbit Damage to Fruit Trees

Source: NDSU Extension Service Horticulturists

Mice and rabbits can do considerable damage to fruit trees in your yard or orchard.

No single control procedure will get the job done. Nor is fall the only or best time to control these pests. Meadow mice and rabbit control should be as much a part of garden and orchard management as insect and disease control.

The following control procedures are offered as suggestions. You can use one or more of these measures depending upon your situation.

Guards. Use one-quarter inch mesh hardware cloth around the base of fruit and ornamental trees. Set the guards about three to four inches in the ground at the base of the tree trunk. Extend them about 18 inches above the ground. Wire mesh will protect your trees for many years and reduce total labor and material costs.

Habitat destruction is the elimination of high grass cover through repeated mowing or the use of grass-killing chemicals in and around trees and shrubs. This will reduce the mice population. It is particularly important to have a grass free area immediately surrounding the main stem of the tree or shrub.

Trapping. This is also a safe and practical way to eliminate meadow mice and rabbits from small areas such as the yard. If you place wooden snaptraps in runways you can control mice well. Peanut butter, oatmeal, or small slices of apple make the best bait. Rabbits are easy to catch in wire or wooden box traps.

Repellents. There are several repellents on the market. When you apply them in the fall, they will last throughout the winter. Thiram is an excellent repellent on both rabbits and mice. If you apply it with a latex or resin adhesive, Thiram will protect woody plants from fall to spring. Use commercially prepared repellents containing Thiram as directed by the manufacturer. You can usually buy them at a garden center or farm supply store.

If you have further questions, contact your county office of the NDSU Extension Service for additional information on preventing mice and rabbit damage of fruit trees.

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