Peaches disappearing

I've had this dwarf peach tree for some years now and it has always been a real battle with the squirrels, birds, etc. I've tried a lot of things and this year discovered Liquid Fence worked well. This year I had about 100 good size peaches that were just beginning to blush and I was sure excited. Then a few days ago I went out to find most of the peaches gone - NOT ANY on the ground, not any partially eaten anywhere in the yard, no pits anywhere. I still had 9 (NINE!) peaches left until yesterday I went out and they were gone too. This tree is in my fenced backyard. I cannot see anybody bringing in a ladder in the middle of the night and picking the peaches...? None of the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc was touched. (I do love that Liquid Fence as I've fought the critters every year for my garden and it sure works.)

This happened last year too but the peaches were not so big yet and I had not used the liquid fence but had put a big "collar" on the tree to keep the squirrels off. One day a full tree and the next day gone.

I am so perplexed! I have only gotten one good crop - for me - off this tree since I planted it.

Any ideas?

Time for a critter cam? Be interested to see what became of them all.

I have had turkeys eat all my apricots...

For something to eat all the peaches in 2 days, and remove the pit, too, sounds like an animal large enough to hold the whole peach and run off with it, or a flock of whatever it was.

I think I would put a net over the whole tree, and make sure to seal the bottom.

thanks - and I am going to do a critter cam next year - this is just too perplexing. I did try a net one year in my battle with the squirrels and it was a terrible failure. Even though it is called a dwarf peach, it is about 15' tall and about that wide. I used several nets and a lot of clothespins. This was for the squirrels mainly.

The squirrels would strip the tree of small green peaches, about 1" dia by taking ONE bite, thinking 'sour', pitching that one, grabbing the next and repeat, repeat until the tree was empty and small hard peaches covered the ground. The net was a bear to get on the tree and to get connected and it did work, sort of but a few squirrels finally did get in... the biggest problem was that the tree grew into the net - leaf and small branches - and it was a screaming mess to get it untangled and off.

I do have deer but I discount them for two reasons - there was no mess/residue/pits under the tree and no deer could have gotten up to the top ones. Plus I think it would take them a longer time - over a week or so...

I cannot believe it was people as the peaches were not quite ripe. If you were going to be a peach thief, wouldn't you wait until they were ready?

I saw a pix on the net where someone had literally built a huge cage with screen and lumber around several fruit trees with a door for entry. That's more than I want to try.

I hate this.

I think the eco nuts have brainwashed Us into believing that being self sufficient (food wise) is easy and as cost effective as pie) and in reality it is NOT. If I tallied loss to weather, critters, inexperience, I could have bought at the store more fruit and veggies than I could eat in 10 yrs. We made room in our prop for a grove and it has been the biggest money pit. And if somebody says "start slowly, with one tree, ie apples" you can't be self sufficient unless you are into apple pie, apple salad, apple soup, apple steak...can't live on one apple tree alone.

The naturalist hype got the best of me and I don't think I'm alone

vossner, you are SO right!
Unless you make it a full time job you cannot grow enough food to not have to go to the store. Full time job includes pest control, planting, harvesting and storing the crop. As you suggest for apples, the same goes for almost all the other things. Short ripening season, so if you want to enjoy something more or less year round you need to be into canning, freezing, drying and so on. Which take time.

Some vegies are worth it, though.

Tomatoes right out of the garden!

oh tomatoes!!! I have such a crop of tomatoes I could open a veggie stand. All my neighbors love me. Nothing beats those red beauties when you can go out and pick a big bowlful. I start 4th of July seeds in the late winter and they come in early and so tasty. My bigger ones are now ripening and the family says 'hey - BLTs for lunch, pleeeeze!" Fresh tomatoes and mayo on homemade bread with apple wood smoked thick bacon... yum!

I do know what you mean vossner - but my peach tree is pretty much free now. I don't do anything to it except the Liquid fence this year. I would have had some tasty peaches if, if, if... WTF had not happened.

could be a bear? we've actually had a bear wandering around this suburban neighborhood, a fact I find fantastic, but there are pictures of the bear and the police say he cannot be captured or hurt. Something about being a free wandering animal...

My son said he thought a bear could strip all those peaches in two nights. There is only one bear that's been spotted. Nothing was broken in the yard and I never saw any poo...

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/black-bear-sighting-reported-dunwoody/nmHqW/