Michigan State University Extension
Ornamental Plants plus Version 3.0 - 00001651
11/12/99
Rodents
Rabbits and mice will eat the bark of trees and shrubs
during the winter. When the feeding encircles the stem,
it dies. Girdled stems may try to leaf out in the spring
but will die shortly after. Girdled evergreen stems will
turn brown.
You may use repellents or cylinders of hardware cloth or
sheet metal to protect the trunks and stems of trees and
shrubs. The repellent or rodent guard needs to extend
above the usual snow line so the animal can not stand on
the snow and feed above the protected area.
Squirrels will clip off branches and gnaw the bark of
trees. Squirrels clip the branches for use in nest
building but drop many of them to the ground. The bark
gnawing can leave small pieces of bark on the ground.
Girdled branches will die.
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endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not
mentioned. This information becomes public property upon
publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU
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This file was generated from data base ZZ on 01/19/00.
Data base ZZ was last revised on 11/12/99.
For more information about this data base or its contents please contact
heatley@msue.msu.edu . Please read our
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