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Rats like my apple trees. Advice?

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Casdon Wed 06-May-26 11:21:45

I don’t think there is a solution as such, rats will eat fallen apples, and there are rats all around us, so although you can deter them, lay poison or trap them, more will be living nearby regardless, and will come for food. I collect fallen apples daily, which is the only solution I’ve found, other than picking them all from the tree before they fall. I’ve never seen rats climbing trees for them.

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J52 Wed 06-May-26 11:07:54

Wipe Vaseline around the trunks, so they are slippy.
I use Vapour rub ( cheap sort nit Vicks) to deter cats from messing in my garden. The smell might also deter the rats.

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beachcomber76 Wed 06-May-26 10:58:16

I have 5 young apple trees in my garden and the last 2 years have seen good production.

First good year I saw a rat in the garden, trapped it. No sign again.

Second good year:
I noticed that fallen apples disappeared slowly but then noticed nibbles out of an apple on a tree 6ft up.

I thought it was birds - they love pecking at the cherries from a tree in the front.

I then saw a small rat in the garden, which alarmed me. I thought it was after the fallen apples but I'd started to pick them all up. [I set a trap again but no takers]. Days later I saw a rat run up one of the trees to get at the apples! I picked all apples from the trees and then no sign of a rat at all nor in the rest of the year since.

So obviously I have a rat/apple problem. Has anyone else had the same problem - and how do you solve it? I feel like cutting the trees down but that's a bit drastic! Any ideas please? Thanks.

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