Squirrels eat LED lights, but not red ones

[The Straight Story]

Squirrels eat LED lights, but not red ones


FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Gray squirrels gobbling up outdoor LED Christmas lights are confounding officials in the eastern Canadian city of Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Bruce McCormack, general manager of a business improvement group told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. this is the fourth year the rodents are feasting on the lights, although he says they're particular.

"They'll come out … and they go up and they perch themselves in that tree and they gnaw away at the lights -- but not the red ones," he said. "The squirrels, I think, are getting the better of us."

McCormack said he thought he'd outfox the squirrels this year by using larger LED lights, but it seems they're just as tasty as the smaller ones, the report said.

Dave Morell, a marketing director for the University of New Brunswick, said he's experienced the same thing at his home's year-round LED display in the back yard.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/12/23/Squirrels-eat-LED-lights-but-not-red-ones/UPI-76911261595003/

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

1. Pellet guns... problem solved.

[Lochloosa]

6. Just add rice and gravy....

yummmm

[T Wolf]

2. Maybe the squirrels are simply rejecting the Matrix. nt

[xchrom]

3. God I love suirrels -- little curiosities they are. Nt

[Cetacea]

5. +1.

There is something very comical about them as well.

[TK421]

8. We have the most mischievous squirrels that hang out on our balcony

these things just KNOW when we're about to take the trash out....they have already destroyed several bags of trash ( not fun to pick all that up, though ) There are several power lines interconnecting right overhead of our balcony, and they use them to dive-bomb the trash cans

and after all that, I still think they're cute...and damn smart

[DJ13]

4. Whoo! That was shocking!

[aquart]

7. They eat the lights and then what? Die?

[Uncle Joe]

9. Is that because LED Light; tastes great or is less filling?

:shrug:

[Sabriel]

10. Tastes great n/t

[KittyWampus]

11. what's in them that squirrels like?

[HopeHoops]

13. No, less filling.

[benld74]

12. Nothing but tree rats!

[Mari333]

14. I KNEW IT!!!

Last week I put out beautiful LED lights on my back deck and they are chewed thru...couldnt figure out why ..now I know why.

those little bastards! and I feed them lots of nuts and berries.

and LED lights arent cheap/

the little shits.

[Igel]

15. Odd.

I wondered if squirrels could see the red LEDs.

Turns out the All-Knowing Web says they can see red/green as a single color, as opposed to all the other visible wavelengths. So do they eat the green ones as well? If so, why not the identically colored red ones?