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| LIFE IN SOLERA | NOVEMBER 2025 | 9 Winning the Fight for Persimmons? I have previously described my often losing war with raccoons that invade my persimmon tree in the fall. Raccoons love persimmons. Twice in past years, before I bought a couple of live traps, I lost the entire crop to raccoons. The animals attack the fruit when green and ripe so the battle each year is a long one. Raccoons usually travel as a family, so four or five are often in the tree together. They can visit the tree two to three times per week. I know some Solera people who have removed their persimmon trees rather than continually deal with the problem, but my stubbornness on this problem goes back to my father, "It's either them or me!" With live traps most years result in win-win (lose-lose?) when I lose only half the crop but capture some of the invaders (Photos 1 and 2). However, there are three problems with live traps: 1) no travel trips (not around to set and monitor the traps), 2) young raccoons in traps whine which wakes me up (raccoons are nocturnal) and I have go out into the cold night to set them free and shoo them away, and 3) they keep coming. I am 80 years old now and dealing with the problem this way, while somewhat effective, is a chore. I recently heard of a product called Repels-All which is supposed to effectively and harmlessly keep raccoons away (Photo 3). The product is scented granules that raccoons do not like. A month ago I bought some at Home Depot and applied it, following directions, especially scattering the granules in and near the persimmon tree and on "raccoon highway," the block wall from the Oak Valley Golf Course (where they live) to my yard (Photo 4). After one month I have not seen or heard a single raccoon and the persimmons — all of them — are ripening nicely (Photo 5). Have I won the fight? Stand by. By Richard Crowe 1 5 4 2 3