A2O-UncMter Faming, Saturday, July S, IW7
ANDY ANDREWS lings from dining on blueberries,
Lancaster Farming Staff one Berks County orchard mana-
LEESPORT (Berks Co.) —ln ger makes use of a variety of wea
the* battle to control orchard pons, including reflective tape,
rodents, the weapons can be propane gun, floating eyeballs, and
awesome. whatever else is needed.
To control blackbirds and star- Another orchardist makes use of
inspects the Red Delicious apple trees at Ontelaunee with
Dave Huber, also with Snipes?*^
Anne Weaver, with one of the pest control dogs, Oreo, at Weaver’s Orchard.
VJfc manages five acres of pick-your-own strawberries. All of the crdp is
trickle Irrigated, according to Ed Weaver, far right. Varieties grown Include Delmarvel,
Sweet Charlie, Early Glow, Raritan, Jewel, Off-Star, Early Glow with Guardian, and
Late Glow.
dogs.
Dogs?
That’s right Weaver’s Orchard
in Morgantown, Berks County,
makes use of crossbred dogs of
various breeds to provide what
they consider an “Off-Limits Pest
Control System.” For the wary
traveler, signs are posted at the
entrance to the farm along road
frontage near RL 10.
Orchardists are making use of
all sorts of techniques to ward off
fruit and vegetable pests. And the
methods often prove effective.
More than 85 members and
friends of the State Horticultural
Association of Pennsylvania
found out firsthand what some
growers are doing to control crop
damaging rodents on several
orchards on a 'two-day tour in
Berks County on Wednesday and
Thursday last week at the annual
Summer Orchard Tour.
Douglas E. Nemeth, orchard
operations manager for Ontelau
nee Orchards, Inc. in Leesport,
indicated that in the war to control
pests such as birds, no matter what
you do, “the birds get used to about
most everything.”
On the five acres of lush blueb
erries at Ontelaunee, Nemeth said
there have been some years where
the birds “absolutely cleaned
house in here.” The birds include
It’s A *Dog ’ Day Fi
And Pesky Blackbirds A
blackbirds and starlings. A friend
who has an orchard in the New
Jersey pine barrens, which is
devoid of those kinds of birds,
blames the problem on orchards
close to towns, indicated Nemeth.
As a result, Nemeth said he
makes limited use of reflective
tape, which is red on one side and
silver on the other, to help control
the birds, which can cause exten
sive damage to blueberries and
other crops. The silver decorative
like a scarecrow, wards them
away.
Ontelaunee also uses a propane
gun, floating eyes, and snake
“things” in the war against the
birds.
During the winter, deer can
make quick lunch of growth on
fruit trees. During the summer,
deer simply love pumpkins.
One time, Ed Weaver, orchard
manager for Weaver’s Orchard in
Morgantown, planted some pump
kin on the slope of a hill next to a
forest. Deer completed decimated
the crop.
Weaver noted that mice can bur
row into and surround the base of a
tree. And fruit and vegetable grow
ers are well aware of what damage
groundhogs and raccoons cause.
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Mora than 85 members and friends of the Stall
nsylvania found out firsthand what some growersi
rodents on several orchards on a two-day tour ml
Thursday at the annual Summer Orchard Tour.
Douglas E. Nemeth, orchard operations mana
Leesport, comer, with clipboard, indicated that
birds, no mattsr what you do, "the birds get
Jf’vm***’ 'i *»v >, V'.' - /
State Fruit Grow*
Previous rodent control
methods, such as soap, hair, chem
icals, and lead proved insufficient.
So two years ago, fed up with the
problems of rodent damage,
Weaver went to work. He did some
research on a system used by sev
eral growers that made use of dogs.
He spent $5,600, which included
the wiring and transmitter, and less
than an average of $3O per dog
extra.
Installation of the off-limits pest
control system was another
$l,OOO. For less than $lO,OOO,
Weaver had a complete system to
protect the orchard’s 70 acres of
tree fruit, eight acres of strawber
ries, 1/2 acre of blueberries, one
acre of raspberries, 12 acres of
sweet com, and five acres of
pumpkins from pests, including
deer and groundhogs. Weaver
believes that the rodent control
system saves him $40,000 per year
on lost product.
At the time he started. Weaver
mapped out one zone and used one
dog. A year ago he added three
zones and seven dogs. Today there
are eight dogs three Norwegian
Elkhounds, one Husky/Akita, one
Husky/Shephetd/Lab. one Ger
man Shepherd, and two Beagles.
it-
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