Is this mice?

[pjh75]

I sowed some french beans in modules in the greenhouse yesterday and when I went out this morning found the attached. In one of the pics you can just make out teeth marks on one of the seeds.

A couple of days ago my pretty well established sweetcorn had similar treatment... some of the plants had been completely uprooted and were lying on the top of the soil; it looked as if the target was the seed rather than the plant. Also some of the other plants in the greenhouse look as if something has been rooting around in the pots.

I'm guessing it's not slugs at they tend to munch the greenery and leave the tell-tale slimy trails.

Is it a mouse?

[oldie]

Looks very like it. I always chit my beans and peas before sowing as allegedly mice don't then like them. So far seems to work.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Looks like mice they had all my peas the other year so like oldie I chit all mine now before planting out.

I knew it was mice, I trapped 5 of the little b-gg--s.


Colin

[sauzee]

I planted mine when they were about 8-10in high and the mice still burrowed underneath and ate the pea at the root lost about 20 plants

[Germinater]

I would say with out dought it's mice the only other possible suspect would be a rat and a rat would have taken them of to some were safe to eat and you would have found most of them gone a mouse is not so jumpy that will quite jalopy eat them were they are and nibble on them until they have had there fill

[Lotsaveg]

Definitely!! Mine looked exactly the same a few years ago.

Now that we have a cat who frequents the greenhouse I no longer have mice problems. A friend stops mice from eating his seeds by dipping them in mustard before sowing.

[pjh75]

I resowed all of the beans and then noticed that it (or they) had also had a go at my peas which are more established but still in their modules. I've not had a mouse problem before, so now it's slugs, cabbage whites (saw the first one yesterday) and mice that I have to contend with

Those of you who chit first or cover in mustard, don't they still dig them up before deciding that they don't like them?

[VirginVegGrower]

Isn't dipping your seed in paraffin a deterrent? Never done it though. Tend to sow mine in lengths of guttering that I keep in my greenhouse (up on benches). I then plant out when 4" high

[Potstubsdustbins]

Like VVG I chit mine and then grow them on in thumb pots before planting out. Don't know whether I murdered the local mouse population or the system works but I don't have the problem now.

Colin