How To Protect Zucchini Plant Flowers From Being Eaten by Rats

Question From: V. KALAMAJKA - Dearborn Heights, Michigan, United States
Q: Dear Nancy....love your column! You recommend Plantskydd for critters in the garden...would this work on rodents/rats???? There is a rat problem in Dearborn Hts....yes, how this came about I don't know....but something is eating the flowers from our zucchini plants. We haven't grown them in years, thought we'd try this year....great plants, huge leaves...we get the bud, then they are chomped off! I tried a repellent, that contains dried blood, egg emulsion, etc.....but it doesn't seem to help much.....we also have lots of squirrels, rabbits....but there is a wire fence around the garden. We'd like to get at least ONE zucchini this year!!! Thank you so much!! Also, I was very sorry to hear of your partner, Jeff's, passing....I have enjoyed both your columns for many years....

A: Thank you for the kind words Veronica. Plantskydd does not work for rats. My article next week talks about covering plants with nylon net. That might be the ticket for you. But you will have to pollinate the flowers by hand. My son in law uses a rat zapper trap to catch rats. He baits it with peanut butter. It's battery powered and electrocutes them. Available on Amazon. Good Luck, Nancy