Vermin..darned critters

[Ger-annie-um]

We have a very nice private allotment situated on a farm. This year we've had problems with small critters - moles (not too bad) rabbits (little buglighters), but mostly mice/rats. They've chewed their way through our bird netting and were most disappointed to find brassicas - which they appear not to like! However, they have loved the oca (blast them), I went to pull my carrots and found they are experts in leaving the tops but nothing underneath.
So now I need help
I have bird netting for all my large beds (made big holes in that), enviromesh for the raised beds (tunnelled from the base up and under the mesh) so what else can I do. We have some mice/rat/mole traps which are partially successful but what else can I do?
Chicken wire?
Bait?
Live with it?

HELP

[Bigmallly]

I had a similar problem with voles & mice last year so this year apart from filling 8 builders bags for spuds, I have raised the raised beds a further 6" and am going to edge all the beds with Garlic as it is supposed to deter them..............we'll see.

[Guest]

All of the above. It sounds like the rats are well established. How long have you had your lottie? I tend to find rats here seem to disappear in summer but move back in winter. Rats don't trust anything new so there is no quick fix. Options include bait stations (changing the type of bait regularly so they don't become immune) , cage traps, fen traps, snap traps and tunnel traps (with traps you will normally still need to kill/ shoot them also for use on snap traps try peanut butter, chocolate or choc sauce), do you know any one with ferrets, cats or jack russells that are good at getting rats, also trying to force them from their tunnels and shooting. Not trying to control them will unfortunately lead to the problem escalating.

Good luck

[Guest]

I seem so mean after after BM's post

I REALLY hate rats

[greenishfing]

I once read that they don't like mint.......stuck it all over.....nobody had told my invaders however. Mine eventually decamped after several of their number fell victim to my airgun

[mothhawk]

No doubt they're living in/under the farm buildings, so unless the farmer does something about it, you're stuck with them. maybe discuss the situation with the farmer, see if he can offer any help?

[muddled]

I don't know anything that will help with such a large area but for specific spaces (under a chicken coop for example) the way to deter rats is with wire wool.
They cannot bear their sensitive noses to get anywhere near the stuff so it is very good for blocking up holes with.

There's not many animals that give me the eebyjeebies but rats....shudder....Bleughhh!

[Two_Sheds]

I once read that they don't like mint..

What they hate most of all is human activity. They like their homes warm & quiet, so ....

1. keep your compost heaps damp at all times, & turn/fork them often
2. shove crumpled chickenwire into gaps under sheds, which is where they shelter
3. don't leave any bird food around (chicken food and bread both bring the rats in)
4. keep chicken/bird feed in plastic/metal tight-lidded containers

and get all the neighbours to do all that too

[Ger-annie-um]

Thanks all for your replies.
I'll try the wire wool tip in the holes on the raised beds (can't raise them anymore - they are already 3' high at one end). I'll definitely get traps as well send o/h down with his airgun.
The farmer does have a couple of cats but they are a bit fat and lazy (stuffed with meeces do doubt). I'll get some bait but can anyone advise as to what's best and would it be safe for the moggies.
Yep we do turn the compost regularly but I'll remember to keep it damp too.
We're very lucky, only 2 allotments on site, both measure 12 metres x 36 metres and we have access to water via IBC tanks or we can take water from the huge lake just in front of us.

[Guest]

. I'll get some bait but can anyone advise as to what's best and would it be safe for the moggies.

Buy bait from a trade/ agricultural outfit (sorry, I don't know what you would have out your way) not a diy house. Most baits these days are designed not to cause secondary poisoning but check the label or ask staff they should soon help. Unfortunately there is no one bait. Where I used to live the meeces liked the small red grain type baits, here they like green block baits. Like so many things it is a bit of trial and error. Keep poison covered ideally use a bait station to stop cats having access.

Hope this helps.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I seem so mean after after BM's post

I REALLY hate rats

not mean at all. If you do nothing, as has already been said, the problem will get worse.

[WendyC]

I keep a nice big tub of blue rat sweeties at the allotment and put in pots in the compost heap whenever I notice any activity.
Another tip I was given by the council rat man was that rats need access to water as they drink, and wee, a lot. If you can make water difficult to get to that will help. Obviously sometimes this isn't practical.

[Ger-annie-um]

Okay.......so restricting access to water might be a problem - we have a large lake right next to the lotties. Great to know we can get bait that doesn't cause a secondary problem so I'll get straight on to our local farm store and find out which is best. Blue sweeties in the compost a definite possibility and we will keep it covered so puss isn't the first visitor.

And..........I hate rats too. Once left home for 3 days because o/h said we had one in the garage. No dinners for 3 days really focussed his attention on solving the problem!

[Bohobumble]

Mice

There is a tunnel into the back of my inherited shed, which earlier in the year I had traps in; the roof of my shed was the finest pop-up organic Red Kite restaurant in the area.

I got so busy with work in the last 4 months of the year that I stopped trapping (it was too dark to see and I was generally too exhausted - I don't like to trap unless I can check them regularly) and the population appears to have recovered, they've nibbled pretty much anything they can climb onto including the lid/valve on my beer pressure barrel (it had to be stored somewhere). The also have a nibble of nearby potatoes etc.

Anyways the traps have rusted now so I need to buy new ones (cheaper than replacing the valve again!) and deep clean the shed. I have constructed a greenhouse since acquiring the plot so they (or possibly a rat) have made a tunnel into there and eaten all the overwintering strawb plants to the root that were within reach (those on higher shelves are ok) meaning one of my varieties is gone, another is seriously damaged.

Rabbits


They dug up the newly planted compostable pots I have found to get at young beans/peas (see pic), they also nibble at various crops. Nothing I hadn't allowed for in sowing so I let them be - I am right next to open fields. Very few of my neighbours have felt it troublesome enough to put up chicken wire so I suspect that'll be no real issue.

Non rodent pests

Slugs - Previous tenant attempted raised beds with wooden posts laid around each bed, they promptly collapsed and were bachelor pads for slugs. Mahoosive slugs. With orange go-faster stripes. The only thing I have treated for with organic pellets. I would do more to encourage hedgehogs and frogs (there is a stream the other side of the hedgerow on the edge of my plot) except I know that some of the allotment holders further down use nasty pellets and I don't want the hedgehogs/frogs to eat those slugs.

Ants - I am hesitant to treat the ants in one of my compost bins as we have at least one green woodpecker that visits the plot. I leave the bottom door thingy open for him. I've some spare pallets, I'm thinking of building a compost bin out of them, a more open heap should be healthier no?

Pheasant - at a minimal level and netting of brassicas etc. helps.

Pigeon - they are very fat in our area and like brassicas, especially chard, pea shoots and onions. Netting and suffering some losses is my plan here.

Peacock - more of an issue in the home garden early on misty mornings (possibly because I'm never at the allotment early enough to see him there!). I think there's just one but perhaps more. He liked the peas and the swiss chard, not sure what he thinks to potatoes but he was in there on more than one occasion. I found shooing him away and clapping until he hefted himself over the fence worked to start, now I have to aim a bit of mud nearby to his general direction. He is a cocky sod and eyeballs me from the neighbours shed/greenhouse/fence. I've not seen him since most the crops were taken out the flower beds, I may just keep veggies at the allotment where I can net.

[bravo2zero]

Kill em, lots of traps and keeping on top of baiting the traps is the only practical solution. Ive done loads in this year, at one point prior to Christmas I was trapping six mice in six traps per day for a fortnight. As for the rats try the same and maybe ask the farmer for help by granting permission to shoot em.