PLEASE Don't Steal My Mangoes!

[iLander]

So I'm walking across my front lawn, and realize there is a family of four helping themselves to my mango tree!

On bicycles, a dad, his two girls, ages 10 and 12, and another child being towed behind in a child carrier. I start to run and yell "NOOO! Don't steal my mangoes! You are stealing! NO!" and they don't even look at me, they just hop on their bikes and drive off down the sidewalk.

I can't believe it! The mango is near the sidewalk, but they have to walk onto my lawn to get at it, and they were there, just tromping around. And I WAIT all year for this! I water when it's dry, fertilize, and take care of this tree. They are just coming ripe and we've enjoyed a few, but in the last few days, I've noticed a lack of mangoes. Apparently, this is some kind of habit for these people! Or maybe other rude people.

This happened last year, too, and I had to put up a No Trespassing sign and write "Do not steal the fruit!" on it. I don't know why people need a sign to realize it's stealing! I will have to get a new sign tomorrow. Honestly, it's like children!

Seriously, what is the thought there? "It's in someone's yard, but I can have some." What? I mentioned this to a friend of mine, and she said that when she was in college, she and her friends came across a cherry tree and "we just stripped that tree." She said it like it was okay to do that and kind of laughed. What was that dad teaching his girls? "You see something you want, you can just take it"? "Don't be considerate or think of others, think only of yourself." I don't even pick the flowers in a park, I think they are there for everyone's enjoyment. But I've seen people take away bouquets!

What the heck?!!

 

[wakingdreams53]

As soon as I read the title I knew I'd relate to this post. There's a huge mango tree in our apartment complex. Outsiders can see in. I've shooed away trespassers too. People suck. Last year they completely raped the tree, but this year its producing very very well.

Is there any way to fence onlookers out?

 

[Kelinas]

that is so horrible! Alot of people are rude, I'm sorry

Id put up a sign, and if i had time (and nothing to do) I would just keep watch and try to bust them.

have you ever seen these people before in your neighborhood?

 

[iLander]

As soon as I read the title I knew I'd relate to this post. There's a huge mango tree in our apartment complex. Outsiders can see in. I've shooed away trespassers too. People suck. Last year they completely raped the tree, but this year its producing very very well.

Is there any way to fence onlookers out?

If I could, I would do it in a heartbeat. But our city doesn't allow fences any closer than 70 feet from the center line of the road (I've checked). In other words, you can only fence the back yard. I think it's to keep the place picturesque, or something.

I'm glad someone can relate, though.

I was hoping to have enough to make a nice family fruit salad for Fourth of July, but I can't do that now.

 

[iLander]

that is so horrible! Alot of people are rude, I'm sorry

Id put up a sign, and if i had time (and nothing to do) I would just keep watch and try to bust them.

have you ever seen these people before in your neighborhood?

Thanks for understanding.

No, if I had seen them before, I would have gone to their house and given them a piece of my mind!

 

[junebug17]

That really, really stinks - I don't blame you for feeling frustrated and angry, I would be too - these people are stealing and have absolutely no qualms about it I guess you have to resort to the sign again this year. Boo to fruit stealers

 

[ForteKitty]

Put up a giant sign that says "HAZARD!! Mango tree contaminated with toxic biohazard waste. Do not consume."

If the city says anything, tell them you pee on it, hence the biohazard waste warning.

 

[movie zombie]

private property
no trespassing
security camera on location.
stealing fruit is a crime and will be prosecuted.

that would be my sign......

also, i'd have my bike ready to follow them home, get their address, and call the police on my cell phone from their front door.

good luck.

 

[TooPatient]

Can you plant some sort of border plants so that they have to cross over a garden (preferably thorny) and through your yard to get to the tree?

I like the idea of a security camera. They are pretty inexpensive now and might discourage people.

Sorry you're dealing with this! I know how much work fruit trees are. I've always had them around at my grandparents' house and now we have planted in our yard too. It got so bad for my grandfather that he had to completely fence and lock his yard They have 6 apricot trees plus a couple of peach trees, grapes, rhubarb, and more. Picked completely clean a couple of years running before he put the fence in.

What is it with some people?!?!
Even when I was younger, I never dreamed of picking fruit from a tree in someone else's yard --- even those that grew out over the sidewalk!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

People have become crazy entitled and this is just the absolute extreme...them coming into your yard and stealing fruit from your tree is completely unacceptable, but people do not even see it this way these days.

I had an eye opener a few days ago. Some kids kept poking around an empty (foreclosed) house by us and I talked to my neighbor next to the foreclosed house and he was annoyed that kids were running through around by his house and he and his girlfriend have a beautiful yard, so I understand him not wanting kids trampling on it...well, I decided to talk to the kids who were poking around the empty house and the kids complained that the neighbors were not sharing their yard with them. What? Since when does a couple paying a mortgage have to share their yard with elementary school kids? The kids thought it was their right.

I'm not sure what to suggest, but would at least try Forte Kitty's idea about the biohazard sign. I was thinking similar when a bunch of teens kept walking through my yard...I was going to put out a sign that herbicide had been applied, but then the people moved. Say, the fruit has been sprayed with some sort of maggot spray (or fungicide...whatever is an issue for mangos as I don't know since they don't grow here) and that hopefully scares them away.

ETA - and I'm sorry your mangos were stolen. That's just really lame.

 

[Enerchi]

ooooh that makes me angry! I'm all about rules and respect and following society norms. How disgusting that this family thought it was ok to do that - and they probably aren't the only family raping your tree!!

ARGH!!

But I love the sign ideas - what ever you put on there!

("Tree grown upon toxic waste site, cancer causing fruit, impotency and blindness will result if you consume fruit from this tree. Seizures have been reported. Security camera on site w direct feed to Homeland Security"----something like that would get my attention!)

 

[junebug17]

Tree grown upon toxic waste site, cancer causing fruit, impotency and blindness will result if you consume fruit from this tree. Seizures have been reported. Security camera on site w direct feed to Homeland Security"----something like that would get my attention!)

Lol Enerchi! You are too funny! I'm pretty sure a sign like that would do the trick!

 

[AGBF]

As soon as I read the title I knew I'd relate to this post.

That is so interesting, wakingdreams. When I saw the title, I completely misinterpreted what the thread would be about since I come from a dissimilar background.

I envisioned someone stealing a grocery bag full of mangoes (not that I have ever bought any fresh mangoes) since I have never seen a mango tree! I have visited Florida and spent summers in the Bay area of California. I remember seeing at least one lemon tree in Florida or LA. I have seen palm trees on islands and California and in other places...but never a mango tree.

Deb/AGBF

 

[arkieb1]

I would try a sign and if that doesn't work, put a sprinkler out there and watch them. Turn it on full pelt if they come back or for anyone else that goes near the fruit. It's on your property it's yours. I have an amazingly wonderful passionfruit vine that has the biggest juiciest passionfruits on it, we have neighbours kids on one side and fruit bats that come at night and strip it bare. Annoys me no end as I am the person who looks after it....

 

[distracts]

I'd put up a no trespassing sign and then CALL THE POLICE if you see anyone doing it again. That is trespassing and theft.

Those motion-activated sprinklers are also supposed to be good deterrents...

 

[monarch64]

Oh man. I would be livid! We have veggie gardens and fruit. I would be so angry and feel so violated if someone helped themselves without asking!

Up the street from us lives a family with small children who have several trees that actually impede both sidewalk and vehicular traffic because they refuse to trim their trees. One of the trees is a peach tree that actually bears fruit every year. The peaches drop all over the sidewalk, and we have to crouch down to walk underneath it. We have NEVER taken one single fruit from the tree or the walk or the street. Because it's NOT OURS. I have, in passing, kindly offered to come over to help trim/prune (recently.). I got a smile, wave, and thanks, sure! Trees are still not trimmed. Still doesn't give us or anyone else the right to take fruit or even trim the trees for them.

I just wanted to tell you that story so you know that not all people are idiots. What that family did is definitely stealing. I'm so sorry that happened to you. I agree with others' suggestions of posting a sign. A camera seems a bit extreme but I guess if that's what it would take to scare off offenders, and you felt more secure, then do it.

I know several friends who have set up neighborhood Facebook pages so they can share gardening tips, trade plants and harvests, and generally keep an eye on things for each other. Aside from getting to know your neighbors and establishing a rapport/commoradery, it seems like the best way in this day and age of helping maintain neighborhood security. My husband and I have made a point of at least meeting and greeting all the inhabitants of the closest three streets in our neighborhood over the past two years since we moved in, and I feel like that has made a huge difference in how we are perceived and treated. It can be a double edged sword at times, like when the kid across the street knocks at the most in opportune times (husband nearly fell off a ladder weeks ago, and the other night I almost electrocuted myself with the clippers when he popped up out of nowhere), but for the most part we feel a strong sense of community and like we are all looking after each other.

I wish you had your mangoes back. This totally sucks.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

As soon as I read the title I knew I'd relate to this post.

That is so interesting, wakingdreams. When I saw the title, I completely misinterpreted what the thread would be about since I come from a dissimilar background.

I envisioned someone stealing a grocery bag full of mangoes (not that I have ever bought any fresh mangoes) since I have never seen a mango tree! I have visited Florida and spent summers in the Bay area of California. I remember seeing at least one lemon tree in Florida or LA. I have seen palm trees on islands and California and in other places...but never a mango tree.

Deb/AGBF

What does a mango tree look like? Good point. lol I'm from the Pac NW and only see mangos in the stores and am not even sure how to pick out the good ones, but I recall Ilander had posted about mangoes in the past.

That said, I LOVE the sprinkler idea that arkieb1 suggested. A high-power one like a pressure washer strength that will make them run for cover! Or some sort of zapper device. There must be something out there that if they touch the tree, they get zapped??? Or you could even pay a couple of neighborhood kids to stand guard for you with water balloons.

 

[tammy77]

http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CRO101-Scarecrow-Activated-Sprinkler/dp/B000071NUS No monitoring needed, unless it's for entertainment value. Sadly, they'd probably welcome a cool down, sigh.

 

[VRBeauty]

I have to admit that at one time I was one of those rubes.

My family had just moved to California from Holland via Utah. It was early December, and we were amazed that it was still short sleeve weather. My mother, brothers and I were walking from the grocery store to the duplex we were renting when we spotted an orange tree - with oranges on it. What a wonder! Oranges had been pretty much a luxury, and here we saw them growing on a tree! I'm sure we thought we were in paradise! I don't recall whether it was me or one of my brothers who was reaching for an orange when someone came out of the house and asked us not to... and brought us back down to earth. I'm sure they were perfectly nice about it. I'm sure we were perfectly embarrassed about our lapse, and that was the end of that. The incident does live on in memory, however!

Anyhow, I can relate. A couple of years ago I built a dry stream in the hell strip in front of my house drain water from a low spot in the sidewalk to the gutter, using lots of large and small river rock. Lately someone has been stealing the larger rocks, one at a time. I really don't want to go to the trouble of setting up a security camera just to get pictures of some stranger's backside! I just hope they get tired of stealing the rock before they take it all!

 

[hippi_pixi]

Put up a giant sign that says "HAZARD!! Mango tree contaminated with toxic biohazard waste. Do not consume."

If the city says anything, tell them you pee on it, hence the biohazard waste warning.

This is perfect

On the flip side our neighbours as i grew up had a passionfruit tree/vine that grew over our fence and passionfruit grew on our side as well as theirs. We felt these were fair game. But we never touched the ones an inch further away on their side of the fence I still think that if the neighbours plants invade my property i have the right to cut off the overflow or keep the fruit if i dont cut it back

 

[rosetta]

As soon as I read the title I knew I'd relate to this post.

That is so interesting, wakingdreams. When I saw the title, I completely misinterpreted what the thread would be about since I come from a dissimilar background.

I envisioned someone stealing a grocery bag full of mangoes (not that I have ever bought any fresh mangoes) since I have never seen a mango tree! I have visited Florida and spent summers in the Bay area of California. I remember seeing at least one lemon tree in Florida or LA. I have seen palm trees on islands and California and in other places...but never a mango tree.

Deb/AGBF

As someone who hails from a country full of mango trees, and picked many herself, this makes me sad! Mangoes are my favourite fruit BY FAR so I have an irrational love for them Deb!

iLander I'm fuming on your behalf!

 

[missy]

iLander, I am sorry. That really sucks. People are truly inconsiderate and unpleasant much of the time. That is just plain wrong and it makes me very angry on your behalf. I can just see that happening. Not even a stretch for me to imagine someone doing something that wrong unfortunately. Great example that man is setting for his children. People just don't care and that is so disappointing. It's yours but hey they can just take it and get away with it so it must be OK right?

I like the idea of a sign or 2 and definitely security cameras. We put them in at our beach house and it was relatively inexpensive. Peace of mind. Mind you that even if you have video of people taking the mangos there might not be much recourse (not sure the police really care about this type of thing sadly) but it could definitely act as a deterrent so worth doing IMO.

I hope whatever you end up doing acts as a deterrent and no one else steals your mangos. Some people have no shame.

 

[Venti25]

What about netting? Like the stuff they use to keep birds away etc? Although if it's a big tree..I guess you can just net the fruit?

 

[chrono]

Put up a giant sign that says "HAZARD!! Mango tree contaminated with toxic biohazard waste. Do not consume."
If the city says anything, tell them you pee on it, hence the biohazard waste warning.

I love this. It is very sad indeed that one has to consider cameras just to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour! I love mangoes very much and short of a fence, which isn't allowed, I don't know what else you can do.

 

[PintoBean]

I like the security cam idea, and how about a wall of shame to post pics of those captured on camera stealing?

 

[Enerchi]

I like the security cam idea, and how about a wall of shame to post pics of those captured on camera stealing?

oooh!! I like the way you think, PintoBean!!! A wall of shame... niiiiiiiiiiice!!!

 

[LoveLikeCrazy]

I like the security cam idea, and how about a wall of shame to post pics of those captured on camera stealing?

Love this haha. I can't believe people think it's OK to steal mangos. Maybe you can booby trap it

 

[missy]

I like the security cam idea, and how about a wall of shame to post pics of those captured on camera stealing?

Love this haha. I can't believe people think it's OK to steal mangos. Maybe you can booby trap it

Hmm, I wonder if you can electrify the tree? With a warning notice attached ofc. Probably not though because the law works backwards here IMO. iLander would be the one to get in trouble instead of the other way around... But if it were legal I would do that. Serves them right for stealing what is not theirs and they darn well know it is wrong. Getting a shock would certainly be a deterrent and I bet it would make them think twice before they did something like that again!

 

[amc80]

How rude! I'd sit waiting...with a water gun or hose.

private property
no trespassing
security camera on location.
stealing fruit is a crime and will be prosecuted.

This is a great idea.

 

[SB621]

Not to downplay your anger towards the entire situation with ppl walking on your property and taking your fruit but as a parent, I'm DISGUSTED that the father who when caught- RAN OFF!!!!!! I mean seriously!!! If I were that parent I would have apologized profusely and seen what I could have done to "right" the situation.