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Unusual holes

Hi, I'm hoping someone has some advice.

A creature(s) is making tunnels under my plants and has eaten all my big allium bulbs including my lovely Mount Everest ones. The holes are approx 3-4cm and it's not moles as there are no hills and I've experienced what they can do. I would like to get rid of whatever it is. I don't really want to use poisons as my cat is a hunter although she's not showing much interest in helping.

Thanks

Posts

  • granmagranma Posts: 1,929

    Rats?

    A couple of years ago I had the same thing happening to my beetroot and later on my daff bulbs  I lost some Autumn crocus the following year.

    I too asked on the forum and it was suggested that it sounded like rats , but as I live near water ways I thought it could  be  voles.  

    I live in a area surrounded by fields so I did wonder if it was mice and that the sandy peaty soil made easy work for them. But whatever it was , I didn't have the bulbs , beetroot  eaten since.

    I found the only thing I could do was to put rat poison down the holes 

  • could be rats or vole (not water ones) or mice, basically any burrowing rodent, poison bait or traps is the only way to go,

    though if its voles or mice I have discovered used cat litter keeps them away, eau de cat pee is obviously not attractive to them! image

  • Lily PillyLily Pilly Posts: 3,845

    Why not try clearing the area and then laying some find sand.  Footprints or /and droppings should give you a clue.  We had the same turned out to be rabbits!

    good luck!

    Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
    A A Milne
  • Thanks all for the help, the cat litter sounds good will try that first and the sand one too. I have put traps down but they just dig round them (too clever for me). Will try poison as a last resort as I don't want any bodies being eaten by birds or cats. Will plant my new large bulbs in baseless pots and hope this is enough to put them off otherwise they'll just think it's dinner time. Thanks again.

  • raemiraemi Posts: 1

    Hi,

    I seem to be having a similar problem.  I see little holes and soil near many of my former bulbs (they seem to like anemones, tulips and crocus but think others too). I think I saw field mice the other night - hopping and skipping around the garden.  I'd prefer not to kill them but have tried chilli (does not deter); setting large pots on top - and as earlier posts have said - they are intelligent and just dig underneath.  

    Any help would be much appreciated as I am fairly new to gardening.

  • The little holes near your bulbs are likely to be mice.  They love crocus bulbs in particular.

    IF you want to go to the bother of protecting them then you could plant the bulbs in a chicken wire cage into the earth or else put some gravel or grit above them before you cover them with top soil.

    I don't bother though as that seems a lot of messing about to me.  

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