Feral hogs?

[JustEm]

1 hour ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

That stuff sounds worse than bamboo. You always see the people here who have no idea and plant bamboo for privacy. Six months later they need a machete and a head lamp to find their front door. 

 

my dad planted bamboo in his backyard 4 years ago and somehow it hasn't gone out of control.  I don't understand how it is still tame because there is a house not far from him who did it around the same time and they have a darn bamboo forest around their whole house.  We all tried to warn my dad but he didn't listen.  I'm just thankful it hasn't gotten out of control like it usually does.  I don't look forward to cutting it all down when we help him sell the house next year.

[linders]

DH totaled his car hitting one a few years back. All over down South. Can be mean. Destroy vegetation.

[Lady Florida.]

7 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

 

my dad planted bamboo in his backyard 4 years ago and somehow it hasn't gone out of control.  I don't understand how it is still tame because there is a house not far from him who did it around the same time and they have a darn bamboo forest around their whole house.  We all tried to warn my dad but he didn't listen.  I'm just thankful it hasn't gotten out of control like it usually does.  I don't look forward to cutting it all down when we help him sell the house next year.

Is it clumping bamboo? There are some types that don't spread out of control. 

[gardenmom5]

31 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

 

my dad planted bamboo in his backyard 4 years ago and somehow it hasn't gone out of control.  I don't understand how it is still tame because there is a house not far from him who did it around the same time and they have a darn bamboo forest around their whole house.  We all tried to warn my dad but he didn't listen.  I'm just thankful it hasn't gotten out of control like it usually does.  I don't look forward to cutting it all down when we help him sell the house next year.

bamboo can be "seemingly" polite for 20 years, then erupt into dense growth in a very fast time frame.   the roots are underground.  I was at a cemetery that is extremely well maintained.  there was an 8" stalk of bamboo in a mowed area at least 15' - 20' away from where bamboo was growing, and had been growing, for years.  

an acquaintance  placed perforated copper in the planting hole for her bamboo.  bamboo hates copper, and won't go near it.  so, she got huge stalks and no spreading.  while she was prepping her house for sale, she had someone come by and offer good money for several stalks. (they didn't want a plant - they wanted the pieces of bamboo.)

 

eta: growing up a neighbor had "polite" clumps of bamboo for at least 10 years.  then one year it turned into a forest.

Edited August 9, 2019 by gardenmom5

[gardenmom5]

55 minutes ago, Farrar said:

According to this, it’s rare for attacks to be deadly, but worldwide, not just in the US, they’re increasing.

https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/predator-hunting/hogs/just-deadly-wild-boar

Factoid from that page: A wild boar stampede injured a bunch of ISIS guys a few years ago.

oh the irony.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

I used to always love the articles from Dave Barry on the crazy things people try to bring into MIA (unknowingly or intentionally) like crazy snails and fish etc. I love the little search beagles that rat them out! It fascinates me how they train dogs to sniff for things like that. 

there are now youtube videos of the things people try to bring into Canada... many claim ignorance, but they knew they had them.

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I bet Himalayan blackberries could make a nice glaze for roasted feral hog. 

Mmmm.

Bill

dsil wasn't impressed by the flavor of feral hog.  but he does like hunting them.

I'd rather make a pie.  or jam.  with copper river sockeye.  pity their season's are mutually exclusive.

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

That stuff sounds worse than bamboo. You always see the people here who have no idea and plant bamboo for privacy. Six months later they need a machete and a head lamp to find their front door. 

much.

we had an acquaintance who moved here from the rockies....  thought "oh, goody. we have blackberries"... they fertilized them.  boy did they learn their lesson!

and all the little birdies that are so kind as to plant their seeds everywhere...  I find them growing in planter boxes on my deck.  the birds were there too.  at least at that stage, they're easy to rip out.

[BeachGal]

2 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I bet Himalayan blackberries could make a nice glaze for roasted feral hog. 

Mmmm.

Bill

 

The berries are incredibly healthy, too!

[gardenmom5]

hey - dh brought home a fresh copper river sockeye!   I will go pick blackberries for pie.... and have them fresh, at the same time.  two of my favorite pnw delicacies.

[Farrar]

40 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

hey - dh brought home a fresh copper river sockeye!   I will go pick blackberries for pie.... and have them fresh, at the same time.  two of my favorite pnw delicacies.

Oh, that sounds amazing. Sometimes I have this pang of childhood memory when we were basically homesteading and it was fish and fresh wild berries and homegrown vegetables every night all summer and... yeah. A million miles from my life now.

[JustEm]

3 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

Is it clumping bamboo? There are some types that don't spread out of control. 

 

No,it is certainly a type that grows out of control in general because he got it from a relative who was pulling it out of their yard because it was growing out of control.

[Farrar]

It's like all the people here who plant English ivy. Yes, I know it looks all European and pretty, but it's an invasive species and it's eating the forests and will grow out of control.

[Acadie]

Just please never plant trumpet vine, y'all. Pretty flowers but so invasive it will eat your landscaping and the siding of your home and the patio and the subterranean drainage and sewer and grow up the drain into your basement....

Amy 

[Lady Florida.]

2 hours ago, Acadie said:

Just please never plant trumpet vine, y'all. Pretty flowers but so invasive it will eat your landscaping and the siding of your home and the patio and the subterranean drainage and sewer and grow up the drain into your basement....

Amy 

Trumpet vine is native to Florida but people don't always realize that just because a plant is native doesn't mean it makes a good landscape plant. 

[Guest]

My daughter was convinced the Dursley’s live on Privet drive because Privet is often planted because it looks good, only to take over and be impossibly annoying. She was a little disappointed to discover that actually, it’s native to Europe and not considered a problem there, 

One of my favorite invasive species stories involves the Lake Erie watersnake. The snake, a completely harmless species, is native only to a very small area, mostly a single island with one small mainland colony and was in danger of becoming extinct. It was put on a species survival plan. The person in charge of that effort, Dr. Kristen Stanford, was successful-but one of the major reasons was that the snakes decided they really, really liked the taste of the round goby, an invasive species that is extremely salt tolerant and had been introduced to the Great Lakes via cargo ships (they were able to survive transfer in the bilge of the boats).The LEWS was eventually delisted, and a big part of it was that the local population, which was heavily dependent on fishing the Great Lakes, decided that anything that ate the things that were eating their fish was a friend-sort of an “the enemy of my enemy is my ally”.

Some invasives really aren’t a big deal, and are considered “introduced” vs invasive. There has been a lot of research on the brown anoles in Florida, who were imported from the islands along with plants, by accident, and the result is to discover that apparently Florida has enough mosquitoes for everyone. The green anoles moved farther up the trees, and prefer less populated by humans areas, the brown ones are happy in cities. The same has been true for the Mediterranean house gecko. There really aren’t many nocturnal lizards for them to compete with, and plenty of bugs in TN, AL, MS, and S. TX. The rainbow agama and iguana aren’t native, but don’t seem to be causing ecosystem problems, although iguana can be annoying to homeowners (they like eating flowers, and they poop a lot). 

 

Others, like the extremely poisonous, eats everything that moves cane toad, the Argentinian Tegu (large lizard that also eats almost everything, and is much more cold tolerant, so has a potential for expansion), and the Burmese pythons are more so. 

 

Part of the problem in FL and S. Cal is that for decades, it was common to raise exotics there, both plants and animals. It was easy because the climate was favorable. And escapes, accidental releases (pythons genetically tested from the Everglades all trace back to a single line, and while all the ones caught are wild type, many carry recessives for specialty morphs. It is believed that the initial population came from a single breeding facility smashed by a hurricane, and while many animals did not survive, the pythons thrived. Apparently Florida swamps and jungles of Thailand aren’t all that different), and  the occasional ‘I don’t want it, it will do fine on it’s own” (which is how the iguanas got here-they all genetically come from a single bunch brought in for some guy’s backyard in the 1920’s-and have gladly expanded through Miami ever since) has led to quite a range of creatures. 

 

The Kentucky Reptile Zoo, which is one of the biggest venom farms for antivenin and one of the only places that harvests venom from non-US snakes in the USA is where it is intentionally so that if a tornado or some disaster comes through, and one of their buildings is destroyed, the animals will not survive the winter and breed. They have multiple buildings both to maintain different climate conditions, but also, again, to mitigate risks. And they are located very, very far out from major population so that if such an accident did occur, it is unlikely any human would encounter a lost snake before that first hard freeze kills them. That seems smart to me, and I would love to see a ban on breeding any non-native reptile below the Mason-Dixon Line. And that any potentially invasive pet animal imported into the South needs to be neutered first. 

[Farrar]

Fascinating stuff, @dmmetler!

I do tend to focus on only the bad invasions. They seem so much more plentiful. Yesterday, ds was doing forced work in the yard and we were bemoaning the tree of heaven. I easily pull a couple hundred of those every summer in my yard, which is the size of a living room. They’re often more than three feet tall by the time I nab them. I thought of this thread. At least they’re not feral hogs. But also, if only they were as useful as iguanas, eating my mosquitos and not screwing up the ecosystem.

[Guest]

One thing I have noticed is that truly accidental introductions (little lizards or frogs introduced via plants coming in) tend to be relatively harmless. Either they survive and find a niche, where things eat them and are eaten by them, or they die off. The ones people actually bring in often don’t have competitors and tend to take over. There are exceptions (some of the mussels in waterways are pretty awful), but by and large, it is that we as humans decide we need some kudzu in our lives that causes problems.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

We had dozens of feral hogs visit our yard in TX, we were surrounded on 2 sides by farmland and a pond. They would wander around the pond edges, but never bothered the yard or came close to the house. One large mother would bring her babies out in the evening and our dog would play chase with them. When mom was ready to leave, she’d stand and face our dog, look tough, and he’d run off. We had many armadillo, they’d dig little round holes but nothing serious. We had several peacocks who moved onto the property and pooped all over the sidewalk and porch swing. Raccoons ate a few chickens. Animals do what they’re meant to do. The only creatures I disliked were copperheads and cottonmouths, those were shown no mercy. Holes and the occasional dead bird? who the heck cares. Venomous bites? Nope.

Honestly, the copperheads and cottonmouths don't really cause trouble, either-if you leave them alone, and keep an eye on where you put your hands and feet, they will leave you alone, and NO snake wants to use it's venom on something it can't eat. And they are doing what they're meant to do- eating rodents and the ticks they carry.  And the biggest reason people get bitten is trying to kill the snake. A snake can strike faster than you can, and if you are trying to kill it, will protect itself. 

Edited August 11, 2019 by dmmetler

[Lady Florida.]

2 hours ago, dmmetler said:

 

Some invasives really aren’t a big deal, and are considered “introduced” vs invasive. There has been a lot of research on the brown anoles in Florida, who were imported from the islands along with plants, by accident, and the result is to discover that apparently Florida has enough mosquitoes for everyone. The green anoles moved farther up the trees, and prefer less populated by humans areas, the brown ones are happy in cities.

 

This is only partly true. It's not food that brown anoles are taking but habitat. They're extremely territorial and will drive out green anoles to take over an area. It's true that green (Carolina) anoles have moved higher into the trees and in fact their foot pads very quickly evolved to give them better traction on tree branches (Scientists expected this but it happened much faster than was predicted). There's much more to it though and brown anoles are still crowding them out and affecting their population. 

Neither lizard includes mosquitoes as part of their diet though they'd probably eat one if it came their way. Both eat mostly spiders, crickets, moths, ants, and sometimes grasshoppers. Brown anoles also eat other lizards. They often eat green anole eggs as well as newly hatched baby green anoles. 

While green anoles have moved up, so have brown ones. They can go as high as 13 feet and they've been gradually, steadily moving up as their population explodes. Also, much of the former green anole habitat was in scrub land which didn't have an "up" to go to. 

2 hours ago, dmmetler said:

One thing I have noticed is that truly accidental introductions (little lizards or frogs introduced via plants coming in) tend to be relatively harmless. Either they survive and find a niche, where things eat them and are eaten by them, or they die off. The ones people actually bring in often don’t have competitors and tend to take over. There are exceptions (some of the mussels in waterways are pretty awful), but by and large, it is that we as humans decide we need some kudzu in our lives that causes problems.

Cuban tree frogs are terrible invaders. They too eat their competition (native green tree frogs). It's so bad that the Florida Agricultural Extension Service recommends capturing and humanely killing them if you find them. 

Capture & Humane Euthanization

*Because native treefrogs pose an invasive threat and cause many problems, UF/IFAS recommends you capture and humanely euthanize Cuban treefrogs.
*You can also reduce Cuban treefrog impacts by eliminating their eggs and potential breeding sites.
*Be positive about the frog's identification before euthanizing what you believe to be a Cuban treefrog.

Humanely Euthanizing Cuban Treefrogs

*Remember to use gloves when touching the frog.
*After positively identifying a frog as a Cuban treefrog, humanely euthanize by applying benzocaine ointment—a numbing agent used to treat skin pain and itching—to the frog's back. Name brand and generic products are available over-the-counter in tubes or sprays.
*After the ointment is applied, place the frog in a sealable plastic bag for 15–20 minutes, so the benzocaine makes the frog unconscious.
*Keep the frog in the bag, and place it in the freezer overnight. In the morning, throw it away in the trash. Do not throw live frogs in the trash.

Source: http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/archive/hot_topics/environment/cuban_treefrogs.shtml

1 hour ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

We had dozens of feral hogs visit our yard in TX, we were surrounded on 2 sides by farmland and a pond. They would wander around the pond edges, but never bothered the yard or came close to the house. One large mother would bring her babies out in the evening and our dog would play chase with them. When mom was ready to leave, she’d stand and face our dog, look tough, and he’d run off. We had many armadillo, they’d dig little round holes but nothing serious. We had several peacocks who moved onto the property and pooped all over the sidewalk and porch swing. Raccoons ate a few chickens. Animals do what they’re meant to do. The only creatures I disliked were copperheads and cottonmouths, those were shown no mercy. Holes and the occasional dead bird? who the heck cares. Venomous bites? Nope.

We had a pond at our old house and only saw a cottonmouth once, but there were probably more. We had dogs and a toddler so dh killed that one we found. We had an Indigo snake living in our yard (4-1/2 acres) so that's probably why we didn't see more of the other snakes. The armadillos were annoying like you said, but harmless if you don't have contact with them. We sometimes worried that one of the dogs would get one and contract a disease (they carry several) so we tried to control the population. The hogs should have been a bigger source of worry but they rarely wandered on to our property (we backed up to a nature preserve) and when they did they were easy to scare off without a gun.  

We've never had peacocks but another part of our current neighborhood has a big problem with them. They're really loud and they poop everywhere! 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Lady Florida.

[Guest]

DD’s mentor specifically works with anoles, so we get to go to a lot of current research on them. The habitat issues are less due to the Browns and more due to the humans, because the greens need more Open space and tree canopy. The browns can adapt to urban environments, and even tend to use artificial lights for hunting and heat in colder parts of the year. The greens, not so much, but if you go into less developed areas, are still doing well. Overall, it has not been as much of a concern as predicted (there were serious concerns a few decades ago as to whether ANY Florida natives would survive. And in the Everglades, for some mammal species, that is a concern). That’s not the case for, say, the tegu, where they are more damaging than predicted, and the survival range keeps expanding (there are studies underway at Auburn to test winter hardiness, and it is likely that they can survive through most of the southern USA), or the cane toads, that are deveatating. Pythons vary-for some species, they have had a major impact, others have just started eating more snake in their diet. Overall, though, they are pretty damaging, especially for mammals. 

Cuban tree frogs are a definite issue because they do eat other frogs, and many US species are already struggling due to Chytrid and ranavirus. Green treefrogs in general tend to get out competed pretty easily. They kind of have the same issues the green anoles do, and the Cubans reproduce extremely quickly. So, unfortunately, do the cane toads. 

 

UF’s focus on invasives and killing them is one reason why they are not on DD’s college list. It’s work that needs to be done, but she does not want to study the best ways to kill large numbers of frogs, snakes, or lizards. Especially when in some cases the same species is threatened or endangered in it’s home range. 

[Lady Florida.]

28 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

 The habitat issues are less due to the Browns and more due to the humans, because the greens need more Open space and tree canopy. The browns can adapt to urban environments, and even tend to use artificial lights for hunting and heat in colder parts of the year. 

Cuban tree frogs are a definite issue because they do eat other frogs, and many US species are already struggling due to Chytrid and ranavirus. Green treefrogs in general tend to get out competed pretty easily. They kind of have the same issues the green anoles do, and the Cubans reproduce extremely quickly. So, unfortunately, do the cane toads. 

 

UF’s focus on invasives and killing them is one reason why they are not on DD’s college list. It’s work that needs to be done, but she does not want to study the best ways to kill large numbers of frogs, snakes, or lizards. Especially when in some cases the same species is threatened or endangered in it’s home range. 

Humans are the reason most of the invasive species, both plants and animals, are here. Humans have to fix it. These invaders are thriving in their native lands so destroying them here won't eliminate them. I love my beautiful state too much to NOT try and rid it of invasive species. Some we will never eliminate, some have adapted well, but the ones that haven't should be removed if at all possible imo. 

[Guest]

There is a lot of good work on pythons involving pheromones and basically luring the snakes into traps so they can be removed (and especially females) without also destroying the ecosystem. Pythons are extremely hard to see, and detect temperatures. A human emits heat and glows, so they see us far before we see them, so hunting is hard and often causes more damage to the swamps than is gained by removing a few snakes. But if they can lure them in and remove entire populations, that helps a lot. They also use “Judas snakes” which are telemetered neutered males to find and remove females. They’re starting pheromone studies with tegu as well. We also attended a really cool talk on using calls to lure in female cane toads so they can be removed without hurting the other frogs and toads. 

Another interesting study from more my part of the country is that invasive privet blocks so much of the sun that it actually forces snakes and turtles onto roads and paths to bask. Which is bad for animals that then get hit by cars, and bad for hikers who then have copperheads on the walking trails. There are a lot of super bad plants sold at every garden center.

One thing DD was able to make the state aware of here was that tadpoles could be purchased on eBay. One of the most scary lots we found were “unidentified tadpoles” from Florida. Extremely scary, not just for invasives but for disease transmission. 

 

[gardenmom5]

5 hours ago, dmmetler said:

One thing I have noticed is that truly accidental introductions (little lizards or frogs introduced via plants coming in) tend to be relatively harmless. Either they survive and find a niche, where things eat them and are eaten by them, or they die off. The ones people actually bring in often don’t have competitors and tend to take over. There are exceptions (some of the mussels in waterways are pretty awful), but by and large, it is that we as humans decide we need some kudzu in our lives that causes problems.

this is a myth.  there's a reason Hawaii is so meticulous about checking the wheelwells of airplanes originating outside the island.  they catch snake occasionally, and those snakes can do a lot of damage to a delicate ecosystem.

 

mussles/etc. ( and milfoil here) - are a huge problem, brought in accidently because people didn't carefully clean their boats before heading to another body of water.

[brehon]

4 hours ago, dmmetler said:

Honestly, the copperheads and cottonmouths don't really cause trouble, either-if you leave them alone, and keep an eye on where you put your hands and feet, they will leave you alone, and NO snake wants to use it's venom on something it can't eat. And they are doing what they're meant to do- eating rodents and the ticks they carry.  And the biggest reason people get bitten is trying to kill the snake. A snake can strike faster than you can, and if you are trying to kill it, will protect itself. 

I agree about copperheads. You have to practically step on them before they’ll bite. Cottonmouths, on the other hand, are in my experience aggressive. I’ve seen a nest of them start across an otherwise placid pond, literally charging people who were on the bank (not swimming). The water looked like whitewater rapids. 

After one of the hurricanes hit where I grew up my parents forbade my brother and I from going in the backyard. The bayou rose enough to creat our back fence and the backyard was  absolutely infested with venomous snakes, especially coral snakes and cottonmouths. 

Maybe we mean something different by “cottonmouths”? In my area, cottonmouth is synonymous with water moccasin. 

 

[Lady Florida.]

6 minutes ago, brehon said:

 

Maybe we mean something different by “cottonmouths”? In my area, cottonmouth is synonymous with water moccasin. 

 

Here too a water moccasin and cottonmouth are the same snake. And they are quite aggressive, unlike many other snakes.

[Katy]

I don't think the wild ones taste that good.  Mostly because they're not grain fed, so they end up being a bit gamey.  Or maybe eating things like palmetto roots just don't lead to them tasting as good as whatever they eat in Europe.

My dad got charged by a wild boar as a teen (in the woods in rural North Central Florida).  When I was a teen & he saw evidence of wild hogs in his pastures he wouldn't let me go for a walk without a 45.  Even though I was pretty sure I didn't have the arm strength to properly control a gun that big, at least not for more than 1 shot.  And even though he was very much a don't carry unless you have the muscle memory to shoot properly kind of person.

I don't feel a need to carry a gun in upper middle class subdivisions & towns with quick police response, but if we moved to a rural area where police response might take an hour even for a serious issue, or if we were in the South I'd probably start carrying again. My dad was a cop and he used guns for dealing with wildlife FAR more often than he had to use a gun around criminals. Like twice a month vs twice in a career.   Again, rural area where the police would be called for aggressive snakes, gators in swimming pools, and other wild animal issues.

I wonder if the herds of 30-50 aren't actually javelina.   I've heard of them running in large herds in the southwest, but not hogs in herds that big.

[Farrar]

3 hours ago, Katy said:

I don't think the wild ones taste that good.  Mostly because they're not grain fed, so they end up being a bit gamey.  Or maybe eating things like palmetto roots just don't lead to them tasting as good as whatever they eat in Europe.

My dad got charged by a wild boar as a teen (in the woods in rural North Central Florida).  When I was a teen & he saw evidence of wild hogs in his pastures he wouldn't let me go for a walk without a 45.  Even though I was pretty sure I didn't have the arm strength to properly control a gun that big, at least not for more than 1 shot.  And even though he was very much a don't carry unless you have the muscle memory to shoot properly kind of person.

I don't feel a need to carry a gun in upper middle class subdivisions & towns with quick police response, but if we moved to a rural area where police response might take an hour even for a serious issue, or if we were in the South I'd probably start carrying again. My dad was a cop and he used guns for dealing with wildlife FAR more often than he had to use a gun around criminals. Like twice a month vs twice in a career.   Again, rural area where the police would be called for aggressive snakes, gators in swimming pools, and other wild animal issues.

I wonder if the herds of 30-50 aren't actually javelina.   I've heard of them running in large herds in the southwest, but not hogs in herds that big.

But is 30-50 javelina as funny as 30-50 feral hogs?

This is how I felt about the black bears, like the one that invaded my car. It was a subdivision (although a rural gated one) so I didn't feel the need to protect myself in any way. I'm not a gun person anyway (my father is rolling over in his grave if he can see me typing that), but if I was out in the wilderness, I can get that.

[Farrar]

Lord of the Flies!

[moonflower]

On 8/11/2019 at 9:16 AM, Dotwithaperiod said:

We had dozens of feral hogs visit our yard in TX, we were surrounded on 2 sides by farmland and a pond. They would wander around the pond edges, but never bothered the yard or came close to the house. One large mother would bring her babies out in the evening and our dog would play chase with them. When mom was ready to leave, she’d stand and face our dog, look tough, and he’d run off. We had many armadillo, they’d dig little round holes but nothing serious. We had several peacocks who moved onto the property and pooped all over the sidewalk and porch swing. Raccoons ate a few chickens. Animals do what they’re meant to do. The only creatures I disliked were copperheads and cottonmouths, those were shown no mercy. Holes and the occasional dead bird? who the heck cares. Venomous bites? Nope.

 

well to be fair the bird cared

[moonflower]

we buy feral swine (Texan) occasionally from Broken Arrow Ranch.  We're not into farmed animal products but we're not really hunters, and Broken Arrow is pretty awesome for that.  

when I was little my dad had a trailer in a small town outside Rockport (which is near Corpus Christi, on the coast, for non-Texans) and it backed up to a state wildlife refuge.  the fence was not, in my memory, all that significant.  On not that rare occasion I could hear what sounded to my 8 year old ears like hundreds of wild pigs rampaging in the forest back there.

there was also a gator in the pond down the street (ponds locally are called "alligator tanks" or just "tanks").  He was huge!  we used to feed him Funyuns, no joke.  We'd throw a bag in, run back to the car, slam the door, and watch out the window while he gobbled it.

[gardenmom5]

23 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Isn't that the opposite?  A horde of wild boys kill a pig, instead of a horde of wild pigs killing a boy?

Side note:  What is the collective noun for feral pigs? 

The name for a group of pigs depends on the animals' ages. A group of young pigs is called a drift, drove or litter. Groups of older pigs are called a sounder of swine, a team or passel of hogs or a singular of boars.

Pigs also are called hogs or swine. A male pig of any age is called a boar; female pigs are sows. A baby pig is called a piglet.

[ktgrok]

On 8/9/2019 at 11:38 AM, Lady Florida. said:

Armadillos do a lot of damage to suburban yards here. They're invasive. 

urricanes can destroy invasives but they can also bring them. Matthew brought us a weed called Florida snow that was previously mostly found in South Florida.

1. I didn't know Armadilos are invasive!

2. Florida snow is the devil! I totally redid my yard, and my irrigation, all by hand. Seeded bermuda. and the neighbor's yard, which is mostly weeds, is full of Florida Snow (aka Florida Pusley), and it spread ALL into my yard. And I couldn't use any herbicides on my new bermuda until it was more established. I spent literally 2-3 hours a DAY pulling that darned stuff and still didn't make a dent. Photo shows the dead spots from where I finally was able to kill it with weed killer. Huge parts of my yard. I HATE that stuff! 

 

[Bambam]

"Texas has long faced the destruction feral hogs can have on land and wildlife. Now feral hogs' rampant damage is stretching as far north as Canada, with particularly prominent populations in U.S. northern border states, including Montana and North Dakota,"

BUT ... 
"And this spread isn't natural, it's being caused by people, scientists explain.  Dale Nolte, manager of the feral swine program at the Department of Agriculture, told the outlet that there's "every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.”"

??? 

 

https://www.chron.com/news/article/Feral-hogs-a-familiar-Texas-pest-are-roaming-14943508.php?cmpid=hpctp

[Laura Corin]

On 8/9/2019 at 6:01 PM, hjffkj said:

 

my dad planted bamboo in his backyard 4 years ago and somehow it hasn't gone out of control.  I don't understand how it is still tame because there is a house not far from him who did it around the same time and they have a darn bamboo forest around their whole house.  We all tried to warn my dad but he didn't listen.  I'm just thankful it hasn't gotten out of control like it usually does.  I don't look forward to cutting it all down when we help him sell the house next year.

Is it surrounded by lawn? Mowing can discourage the shoots.

Edited January 2, 2020 by Laura Corin

[Farrar]

So... people are purposefully causing the feral hog issue?

Geez. People are so dumb.

I assume folks saw that sad case a couple months ago where the woman who was a home healthcare worker was killed by the feral pigs. That was so tragic.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

Is it surrounded by lawn? Mowing can discourage the shoots.

I was at the cemetery where my parents are buried.  they are extremely attentive with the landscaping.  there were bamboo shoots a foot high - out in the middle of the lawn, at least 10' - 15' from a clump.

bamboo can sit and do nothing for a decade because all the growth is in the roots - then send up shoots over night.  and depending on variety - that can be 35" in a DAY.

 

I had an acquaintance who did the perforated copper around her bamboo planting.  bamboo doesn't like it - so it won't touch it.  she ended up with fat stalks - but they stayed where she planted.

Edited January 2, 2020 by gardenmom5

[gardenmom5]

28 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

I'd personally pay to watch some guys try to get a bunch of feral hogs on a truck...........I find that far fetched judging by the ones around here. They're big enough to flip cars. Good luck herding that into anything without a large caliber gun. 

my sil used to have a hog farm.  one day as they were loading hogs her then teen dd said "this isn't my career choice".   

and no, full grown sows and boars - even domestic - aren't to be trifled with.

[Selkie]

Maybe they're tranquilized first?

[Farrar]

Maybe people are moving the piglets? The hoglets? The babies. But then where would they get them? It seems like someone who works professionally in land management or whatever would know, it just seems weird.

[gardenmom5]

36 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Maybe they're tranquilized first?

they're heavy. really heavy.

6 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Oh and now he's showing me youtube videos. I sort of wish I hadn't asked. 😂

maybe we should introduce him to my son-in-law.  He didn't come here for Christmas - he wanted to go hog hunting.( - among other things. )

He now has an open invitation from someone with acreage about an hour from them.

 

[fairfarmhand]

Pigs are animals that can do pretty well in their own. I can see people releasing tame young pigs in the wild and them going feral. But in that case you’d load on farm.

if you’ve ever loaded pigs before you’d find it very far fetched that people could just wrangle wild ones on a truck. It is NOT for the faint of heart. They don’t herd like cows and they’re way smarter than goats or sheep. It’s Horrible. And our pigs were only like 250-300 pounds.

[Selkie]

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

they're heavy. really heavy.

maybe we should introduce him to my son-in-law.  He didn't come here for Christmas - he wanted to go hog hunting.( - among other things. )

He now has an open invitation from someone with acreage about an hour from them.

 

Yeah, I was thinking maybe they load them into the truck with a skid loader with forks or a big enough bucket.

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Dh hates hogs and LOVES to shoot them. He's now showing me helicopter hog hunting trip he wants to go on. #Imnotgoing

sounds like a perfect match.  I'm not sure what they do with the hogs - but they're a big nuisance.

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

Pigs are animals that can do pretty well in their own. I can see people releasing tame young pigs in the wild and them going feral. But in that case you’d load on farm.

if you’ve ever loaded pigs before you’d find it very far fetched that people could just wrangle wild ones on a truck. It is NOT for the faint of heart. They don’t herd like cows and they’re way smarter than goats or sheep. It’s Horrible. And our pigs were only like 250-300 pounds.

My sil used to raise hogs in the Grande Ronde Valley.  (I don't know how many head they had.) someone had a boar escape. . . . it was spotted a few months later - along the freeway, it was doing really well.  really. well . . . . 

I recall going outside one night - and a sow had escaped and made it down to the house . . . .

[Katy]

I think I've heard that pigs are one of those animals that switch to LOOKING wild once they escape a farm.  Like it's an epigenetic switch or something.  Escaped pigs establishing a new colony is much more likely to me than anyone trapping and releasing them.

[sassenach]

I had a dream about being attacked by a feral hog last night and shooting it and I blame this thread! 😂

[JustEm]

On 1/2/2020 at 4:31 PM, Laura Corin said:

Is it surrounded by lawn? Mowing can discourage the shoots.

 

There is lawn on one side and forest on the other. He planted it right on the perimeter of the woods. So, the lawn side certainly had been restricted by mowing. But the woods side hasn't produced much either. I guess the other plants in the woods are competing and winning out over the bamboo

[ktgrok]

5 hours ago, hjffkj said:

 

There is lawn on one side and forest on the other. He planted it right on the perimeter of the woods. So, the lawn side certainly had been restricted by mowing. But the woods side hasn't produced much either. I guess the other plants in the woods are competing and winning out over the bamboo

There are different kinds of bamboo - not all of them spread. some are clumping varieties. 

[vonfirmath]

My sister lives outside the Bryan/College Station area in a more rural area and they have to be on the watchout for feral hogs; their dogs will go after them to keep them away from the house but they are big enough to do the dogs damage.