DEAR JOAN: For the tertiary time in the past two weeks I accept found an orangish on the
ground next to our orangish tree that I idea had just fallen. We had
about four oranges left near the top of the tree from final twelvemonth's crop
that were unreachable for picking.

Pet Pal Connection FormPicking them upward though revealed a foreign affair — a perfectly cut (chewed) rectangle virtually 1 inch by 2-i/2 inches on the side of the orange, and the insides had been completely eaten or removed somehow, leaving only the outer skin of the orange intact.

The inside of the skin is completely clean and white, and the edges of the rectangle
are perfectly straight almost as though cutting with a pocketknife. In the 35 years nosotros have lived hither, we have never seen anything like this before.

Apparently there is a "new child on the block," but what is it? Information technology's hard to believe a squirrel or a bird did this, nor an opossum, skunk or the raccoons we have around here.

Any idea what is going on and if I need to do anything to protect the new crop growing that volition be ripe around December?

Don Senger, Martinez

Honey DON: It'due south definitely non a new kid, but a very, very quondam one. Oranges hollowed out with virtually surgical precision is the work of a rat.

With the winter and early spring rains we had, it's been a very bad year for rats. Well, bad from the human perspective, very skilful from the rat's. That means a lot of people are seeing rats and the damages they tin crusade, which they might not have noticed before.

Rats are just a role of the suburban environment, and about the just way to deal with them is to make your thousand as unwelcoming to rodents as you tin can and focus on exclusion.

The commencement logical stride, which unfortunately isn't possible for most people, is to prune the tree away from fences and other structures to shut off entrance ramps. And then you demand to wrap the tree with metal flashing to prevent them from climbing the torso.

Next, remove all the food and water sources you tin can. For instance, don't leave pet food out and brand sure your garbage cans are tightly sealed. Rats can nest in ground cover, such every bit ivy, so y'all should pull it out, and check for entrances into your home where the rats might too be living. Seal holes under decks and get rid of forest piles.

The problem is, as you lot've probably already spotted, that unless your neighbors exercise the same, the rats might live in their yards but visit you lot for the oranges.

Olive festival

The Wagner Ranch Nature Area is hosting the annual Orinda Olive Festival xi:thirty a.1000. to iv:30 p.1000. Oct. one, 350 Camino Pablo, Orinda. It'due south adjacent to Wagner Ranch Uncomplicated School.

If you've never been out to the nature area, I highly recommend a visit, and gratuitous olive oil tastings are just an added bonus.

There too volition be nature craft, food and music, cooking demos, activities in the pond and garden area, goats, turtles and docent-led tours of the historic ranch and the county'southward oldest producing olive grove.

Admission is gratis, so bring the kids and come on out.