Rabbits
Rabbits can be a serious pest, particularly during the winter when they eat the bark and branches or ornamental trees and shrubs. When natural controls fail to keep rabbit populations within tolerable limits, nursery and landscape managers may need to implement control measures.
An initial control measure would be to make the property less habitable for rabbits by removing any brush piles, stone, and trash heaps, weed patches and other structures that rabbits might use for refuge.
No lethal chemicals are registered for rabbit control, but many repellents are available. Repellents should be applied to exposed plant parts after snow is on the ground. Rain, wind and sunlight degrade repellents, so several applications may be necessary. Note that rabbits may eat repellent-treated lant parts when more palatable food is not available.
Live trapping and removal is another rabbit control method that preserves this small-game resource wile preventing plant damage on a property. Generally, rabbits forage in an area of only a few acres. Transferring captured rabbits to an appropriate area outside this range makes their return unlikely.
Tree guards, such as those used for vole control, are another means of preventing rabbit damage. When placing them, be certain that the barrier will extend above the normal expected snow cover.
