strange mystery needs solving

[stigoftheplot]

A friend who has a plot on a different site from mine mentioned some strange goings on which need solving. We're hoping that someone on here can solve the mystery: Another plot holder has this year started a 2nd strawberry patch close but not next to their 1st. Its a bit tucked out of the way and not subject to vandalism so thats ruled out. Every day they go up, the new strawb patch has been raided. Instead of strawbs, left are the knawed or chewed stump of stem. Not too far away but hidden they've been finding the missing strawbs, green (not even part ripe) and devoid of all stem etc, leaving JUST the strawbs in neat little piles (like hords). Each time they remove these only to find the same thing again. To date the old patch hasn't been touched but there's going to be a shortage on the 2nd patch if they cant solve the puzzle. Our guess is mice as they tend to hord litttle piles and maybe they'll eat when ripe, but this is a guess. Anyone ever heard of this before?

[vicpivo]

Sounds like mice. Where is your plot based? Is it rural or surburaban?

The little s*ds have a habit of doing this, my only thought to stop this re-occuring is the beer pots you put out for slugs...... Its worked for me in the past!

[stigoftheplot]

its in the middle of a town but we do get plenty of mice/ rats/ foxes etc
I dont think they want to kill the culprits, though if they lose enough crops they may change their minds. I think they'd like to know what they're dealing with to try & prevent it. We thought mice but it seemed so strange that they ate the stalky bits & saved the unripe fruit. she didn't mention any ripe fruit being taken, and the other nearby patch is untouched. Weird eh

[yoanbob]

mice are cleverer than you think! set humane traps with peanut butter, take them else where.

[denise]

Leave the hords for them, and see if that stops them coming back for more. Just a thought as the first time i have heard they do this.
Are the straws in new bed a different variety? if so maybe they like these better than the ones in old bed.
Keep us posted Please

[stigoftheplot]

I dont know what the variety is or if there's another difference. General concensus seems to be mice then. I know they do like strange things, when I was a kid my parents had a mouse in a bedroom cupboard. Didn't know it was there till they emptied it out, then they found a stash of extra strong mints! Dad always had a couple loose in his pocket & he emptied his pockets out onto the bedside table every night. He never noticed them missing, but the hoard of mints all had nibbled edges. Perhaps it's a mouse thing to hoard stuff but not eat it while there's more to be had.