Question
Last year when I was about to harvest my corn from my yard I found that something got to about half of it before I did. I don't think it was insect because of the nature of the damage; I suspect birds. On the ears in question the husks were literally shredded and each kernel picked out. I know there are blue jays nesting in the area but this was the first time any thing like that happened. I don't think it was a mammal since the stalks were intact and not collapsed from the weight of what got at the ears that were devoured. Do you what causd this to happen? Is there something I can do to prevent that from happening this year? Thanks
Answer(s)
Without seeing the ears, there could be some different possibilities for damage. Racoons, especially young ones are able to climb a corn stalk and eat the kernels without bending them. The first thing to do is to determine if damage is happening at night - and if so probably small raccoons. If this is the case, perhaps flashing LED light, like a bicycle light may help.
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