Category: GARDEN

Do Squirrels Eat Longan Fruits?

The answer is, now, yes.

Now, after years, squirrels know how to eat longan fruit flesh from our longan fruit trees. At first, they didn’t know how to eat, they ignored our longan fruit trees when fruiting. Later, they seems knowing there is a seed in a longan fruit, then they started visiting our trees when fruiting. They trashed all; they just got the seeds. For sure, they created messy under the trees; we must swept and clean everyday when the trees fruiting. They ate them when fruits are still very young.

At first, they visited every couple days. Later, they came once everyday. Next, they came twice a day on the right schedule. My dad told me that they came in the early morning around 6 a.m. and in the evening after 4 or 5 p.m. (I forgot it was 4 or 5. When I recall the right one, I’ll make a correction.) However, thing was changed after the end of the year 2020. For the fruit season in 2021, they came at none schedule anymore. They came anytime they want. If I monitored my fruit tree, they didn’t come but when I just turned my back doing something else, they came. Sometimes, they came out at 8 p.m. and possible later too. If they didn’t have a chance getting any fruit on that day yet, they tried many ways to get fruits at any possible chance. Is it because of the pandemic, lacking of fruits or because they knew my dad is no longer around in the yard everyday anymore? I don’t really know.

In 2020 fruiting season, we didn’t have many fruits, just around 2 pounds of longan fruits on the tree and around 20 mangoes. I chased them off the property very often; my dad told me, don’t chase them, just let them eat because of the pandemic, there might be lacking food for them. Now, at the time writing this post, I realize that maybe, my dad was afraid I slipped and got an injure; that was why he said so. He knew very well about my feet; I had a plenty of history with them, actually my entire legs, especially from knee down, since 3 year old.

Through our observation, they are now very smart. They know when fruits are ready to eat and know very well how to choose the best fruits to eat. They left small fruits and not tasty fruits for last resources. Sometimes, they hide the seeds in the ground after the end of fruiting season and dig up later in the year.

If you like to hear more stories about squirrels with our fruit trees then don’t forget coming back; I will add more when remembering something about them or observing anything new or strange.

May 1, 2022, Sunday 11:30 p.m.