The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: Lizt on June 10, 2009, 01:01:00 pm

Title: egg shells
Post by: Lizt on June 10, 2009, 01:01:00 pm
Hello
does anybody know why a neighbour of mine has tied net bags of eggs shells in their fruit trees?
Puzzled ???
Liz
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: sellickbhoy on June 10, 2009, 01:07:34 pm
as a warning to birds not to make nests in their fruit trees - or their young will go the way of humpty dumpty???
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 10, 2009, 02:12:50 pm
if they are whole shells might have been to do with easter (techincally religiously it's not long finished)

if they are crush shells have no idea, some form of warding of the evil spirits

Linz
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: The Relic on June 10, 2009, 02:20:52 pm
spooky. is there twigs in the shape of people (blair witch style)
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 10, 2009, 02:24:59 pm
how about asking your neighbour?
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: sellickbhoy on June 10, 2009, 02:55:57 pm
and then telling us!!
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: The Relic on June 10, 2009, 03:11:37 pm
unless your neighbour is Mags Haney
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: doganjo on June 10, 2009, 03:33:55 pm
Maybe they attract beasties or wasps?
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: Lizt on June 10, 2009, 05:38:46 pm
Thanks guys!
Very sensible suggestion from Fluffy but the situation is not that simple.
The aforesaid shells (empty half shells) are in trees surrounding a privately owned lake bordering our property - no body lives there and we rarely see the owners therefore we can't ask them. There are no obvious effigies, pentagrams or evidence of ritual sacrifice nearby so I assume the shells are to attract (or maybe deter) something. Although so far I haven't seen anything being attracted (or deterred). Will walk the dog that way later and see what's happening!
Liz
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: Fluffywelshsheep on June 10, 2009, 06:23:23 pm
okay googling and found this

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:EqMQ34PegjkJ:www.worldspirituality.org/fairies-brittany.html+brittany+egg+shell+uses&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a


It say something about fairies and possibly changlings preventions in brittany

Just had a rought scan of the website so could be wrong

Linz
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 10, 2009, 09:39:57 pm
found it, supposedly keeping deer off the trees (as in nibbling on them, not climbing them)

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf337915.tip.html

it might work for bunnies, too, Sellickbhoy

(I saw something similar in Germany, they hang little reflectors in the trees near roads, apparently the deer go the other way which reduces accidents)

 :&>
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: The Relic on June 10, 2009, 09:46:42 pm
great stuff northfifeduckling was going to start trawling the internet for answers as in the words of tom cruise " i think im entitled to answers"
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: sellickbhoy on June 10, 2009, 09:50:02 pm
If it was to deter something, how would you see what it was detering? as clearly they are being detered by the egg shells

maybe it's to deter dinosaurs or aliens - don't see many of them about do you?

Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: The Relic on June 10, 2009, 09:56:45 pm
you have me started now apparently if you hang the egg shells from newly hatched chicks in a tree hawks will not fly down past them and attack your chicks.

not so sure about this one the deer deterrent seems a little more plausible
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 10, 2009, 10:19:38 pm
I think it's the smell of eggs! And we do not know how high the trees are and how big the deer. Must be experience, maybe they were watched approaching and then turning round after sniffing the air, lol.
Eggs certainly do not deter foxes, crows or magpies, not sure about the hawk:&>
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: Lizt on June 11, 2009, 09:51:31 am
OK - had a closer look and the eggs are in peach trees. Trees about 12ft high, eggs about 8ft - the forming fruits don't appear to have been pecked or chewed. The net bag is carrier bag size with quite a lot of shells in (maybe 2 doz eggs) - I have a picture! Don't think deer are a big problem around here although there are a few about in the wild wood across the river by the lake where the trees are. The chasse are very efficient so there aren't many 'pest' animals around here. There is also a strange metallic box under another tree - do da do da (twilight zone music) I have noticed more than usual numbers of airforce jets flying very low here just lately!! Blimey!
Liz
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 11, 2009, 03:30:32 pm
it's getting weirder and weirder! :&>
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: doganjo on June 11, 2009, 03:36:24 pm
Is this just one bag of shells or are there a few?  If it is one I would guess it's just a prank, if there are a few there is a reason for them and I'd guess at keeping away flying beasties from the fruit.  No idea about low flying jets though.
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: sheila on June 11, 2009, 04:48:37 pm
     Bats?
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: The Relic on June 11, 2009, 05:34:19 pm
look what you have started Lizt lol. so if its up 8 foot does it look like it was placed or thrown if placed it would have to be put there by ladder. is the metal box a trap? can u post the pic.
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: northfifeduckling on June 11, 2009, 06:22:27 pm
maybe crows or starlings might go for peaches? Although peach trees do need a deterrent for people, yum! :&>
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: Tullywood Farm on July 06, 2009, 10:02:28 pm
Really intriguing - do wasps like peach trees and eat the fruit?

I have never grown peaches, but had plum trees and all I did was feed the Bl**dy wasps - never harvested any myself, either could not get near the d*mn tree for the wasps, or the wasps had gone, and so had the fruit too - not great at growing fruit you might notice ;D
Julie
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: northfifeduckling on July 06, 2009, 10:27:10 pm
wasps like anything sweet and soft at certain times of the year (other times they go for meat), so peaches and plums are a good target. They had my 3 cherries last year...:&>
Title: Re: egg shells
Post by: gavo on July 06, 2009, 11:12:42 pm
hi if you are trying to deter deer etc from eating the trees the best thing to use is human hair. we had problems with plants of all sorts being eaten until we put up bags of the stuff.