• Rabbits are out in force, says John Ball, Professor and SDSU Extension Forestry Specialist.
• "You may have noticed the bark missing from the lower trunks of young trees. When I walked through several shelterbelts last week every tree and shrub was cut off at about 1-foot as cleanly as if someone came by with a pair of hand pruners," Ball said.
• Ball reminds readers that rabbits can chew bark off of larger trees up to a height of 18 to 20 inches above the snow line, any chewing that is done under the snow line is usually done by voles or mice.
• "The damage is most common to trees such as crabapples, apples, honeylocust and maples," he said. "Shrub damage is usually entire twigs or stems cut cleanly at a 45-degree angle. You'll often find small brown droppings on the snow near these plants."
• To avoid this problem, Ball says the best method is to remove any hiding cover; brush and woodpiles, which are perfect habitat for rabbits. He encourages homeowners to fence off valuable shrub beds using chicken wire that is at least 3 feet tall.
• "That is 3 feet above the snow lineand tight with the ground. However, it is probably a little late to begin thinking about fencing at this point," Ball said. "But, it might not be too late to apply some repellents during some of the warmer January days."
• Ball explains that repellents work one of two ways, either as odor, usually mimicking the odor of a predator (usually their urine), or taste/irritation, such as capsaicin (think of hot peppers).
• "Usually repellents based on odor are more effective than taste/irritation but not always, so it never hurts to experiment a little bit," he said.
• Finally, Ball says not to live trap rabbits.
• "No one else wants them either and most animals that are released in unfamiliar territory have a very short life span," Ball said.
• For more updates and information on controlling rabbits visit the Pest Update at http://sdda.sd.gov/conservation-forestry/tree-pest-alerts/.
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