Yes, 50glee. These creatures find new ways to confound us daily. I've never tried liquid fence as most of my critters are the tiny earth hugging type.
Ravenous Rabbits and Other Garden PestsPart #3.
Grocery store has a small canister of moth crystals. I am going to sprinkle some in when I plant tempting items.
Found this very fresh black snake skin by our hose bib when we got home today. It measures 5'1", a fella this big can eat his weight in rodents and voles in one season. They are relatively safe to have around as long as you don't surprise them. Ric
Sally, Camphor and Napthalene will keep the bunnies and Squirrels at bay at least for a few days.
EEEEEEks, Ric. I could sure use a few snakes, but I'd like to have my first encounter be from a distance in the broad daylight!!
Gee, I forgot the pic, another senior moment!
Ric--
I found my first discarded snake skin when i worked for the "Grower"....14 greenhouses! Heaven for snakes! No wonder......I still have it in a huge Brandy Sniffer with all kinds of other dead bugs and moths and butterflies.....See! i am just a kid at heart.....
I had ONE black snake ONE year in my garden! It surprised me--I thought it was a branch from my tree laying in the grass....First I went--"EEEEK!".....Then i ran inside, grabbed my camera and followed it along for an hour.....
Took a lot of pictures.....then it climbed into my old Juniper bush and disappeared....I looked and looked--and then saw TWO heads.....They had a "rendezvous" up in that bush.....
When they both crawled down--they headed right for a hole in the concrete under my front steps! More "EEEEKKK!!!".....Like--what if they find some kind of opening and get into my house?????
Never saw either of them again! I had visions of a pile of snake babies the following year...freaking out about that too....
Now--especially last year, with all the rabbits we had--and all the Chipmunks running around--I wish I had the snake back!
Here's a confrontation picture----I guess I got a bit too close with my camera.....
Pretty long one--NO?
Here they both are--heading down under my front steps! The "Hussies"......
Gita, That 1st one is about as big as they come. 6' and the size of your wrist is about as big as they get. They usually avoid confrontation, once in a while you can startle them almost as much as they can startle us. If they don't feel trapped they usually just slide off to there lair. When they are shedding, just finished feeding, or egg laden, they can be very testy and need more space and quietude. Once in a while you may find one taking up residence in a shed or garage. Believe me, to turn around and find a large one staring you in the face and draped over a rafter can really make your heart go pitter-pat and make you consider relocating the bold invader to a more comfortable place. Your comfort not the snake's! LOL:-) Ric
Well--this one was quite skinny--as it easily slithered through my rabbit fencing which has a 1" grid.....I am guessing it was easily 4' long....
This was in 2006....haven't seen any since--but one day my neighbor freaked out. They came out to sit on their patio and there--draped around one of the legs of one of the chairs was a huge black snake....never seen that one any more either.....
We are in a development--even though there are woods near the High School and past were all the houses end....This development is now going on 40 years--so I am sure there are plenty of places a snake could reside...
Luckily--I haven't seen too many rabbits....I knew there was a nest in my bed--but when i watered my bed--all these tiny babies ran scampering out and took off towards my neighbor's house....
I see a few plant tops chewed off--so they are around--hopefully not as bad as last year.
Groundhog came up on the deck last week, put his paws on the patio door so he could look inside... what, there aren't enough things out there for him to nibble? Nervy! Yes, I chased him across the yard.
We've always had a snakes here and there but I think it has been worst since they cleared out part of the hedgerow. Plus we feed the birds and the seed spread around entice mice and chipmunks so we have a pretty good food source for them. I've come across several of them one in the laundry room?????? They like it out there under my evergreens and all that vinca. I am always careful when weeding out there. Last year I found a huge black snake while I was weeding probably the one that left the skin that Ric found. Here it is mostly black snakes and garter snakes they seem to like my juniper hedge,too.
Critter, I just love GH they are the cutest things. Until they eat my prized new poppy, take the flower off my sunflowers or chump up all my OSP. Well their still cute as long as they stay out of the yard. I have one that comes down that wooded path scurries around and into that development. If he stops too long and looks in my direction I stomp my foot and he goes running. LOL
Lol critter about the air guns. Both guys are pretty good shots, and smart enough to keep the line of fire in mind. They only hit squirrels and tree branches.
There is a groundhog lumbering around the back yard. There are several black walnut trees along the fence in back, so I don't grow much there but hostas. (Luckily it is the north side of the yard.) This year I put some lettuce seeds there to see if they would grow, and they did! I think he has been nibbling on the lettuce, but that will hopefully keep him away from my veggies elsewhere. Tiffany has been on rodent patrol. She watches out the back door and gives a loud bark every time the groundhog peeks through the fence. I didn't know they could run so fast! I gave Tiff a haircut and put some hair by the back fence, hoping it would deter groundhogs.
I tried some soybean seeds this year. Yesterday, as I was working in the garden, Tiffany was snacking on the seedlings! Bad Dog! She only had a couple, so I still have some to plant. She has never been interested in the veggie plants before. Guess she likes soybeans. I am putting the veggies in containers, so I will have to locate the soybeans out of reach. I will remember to share the harvest with her.
OK Guys, Check this out!
http://www.hoghaven.com/
This one really cracks me up!
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/02/new-york-city-mayor-bitten-groundhog
OMG, That is so funny, and they are cute especially since they don't live near me. Next time I scare mine off I'll tell them they should move.
Couldn't get the second link to work.
Stormy, The link worked fine, IF you have the patience to let it load. Ric
Strange, I just checked it and have no trouble with it loading. Fios is great. I have another good GH link, but can't find it right now. Might be on my other computer.
I would have loved to seen Mike Bloomberg and the GH facing off!!
GardenQuilts, maybe Tiffany learned that bad behavior on her Groundhog patrol!
Those darn groundhogs will knaw anything. A while back Sally posted some photos of young tree saplings that she thought were lost to the voles. I've seen Groundhogs ripping and munching on my young shrubs. Now I put them all in cages until they are a little older. I know they have to daily sharpen their teeth, but please, not on my shrubs!
Holly, they better leave that Ornamental Plum alone. Why can't they eat all of those Rose of Sharon???
There are groundhogs here but they don't don't eat much in my yard for some reason. They've been eating Erigeron plants this year, though.
This critter is another story. He has a taste for blueberries and other woodies.
Even rabbits know better than to trust a squirrel, though. They will vandalize plants for no apparent reason!
Great photos Claypa. Yes, those tree rats are devilish. I think they rip out daff bulbs and throw them around just for the fun of watching those silly humans replanting them!! We are their free "HBO".
I have in the past, placed a humane trap on the pathway the groundhogs use to the garden, and baited it with cantaloupe rinds. They must find them irresistible because they were so enthralled with their meal, they could care less about being trapped. I then hauled them to a more bucolic (read, no houses) setting and released them. Works for us, although pastoral settings are getting harder to find. Ric
Ric, I used to trap and relocate them too. Then DSO got annoyed because they kept peeing in his van during the journey! So far they are all living at my three neighbor's this fall as they are either feeding them or leaving large debris piles around for them to hide in.
Hi Guys!
I'm new here, and this thread is a great one! I'm gardening on Swan Creek in Ft Washington, and my problem is a beaver. He's a big sucker with expensive tastes. He's cut down 3 little hinoki cypresses, clean as a whistle. Late last year he cut down the climbing roses I had along that fence, and a tea rose, and half of a Summer Snow viburnum. When I first found the damage I didn't know what caused it. It seemed very unlikely that someone would be coming up into the yard for a little sport pruning.
So far , the only thing he's left alone are a Korean pine and the butterfly bush I've put over there. I want to put in another tree at the bottom of the yard where he removed the Crippsi. I have a weeping pine for that space, and I'm wondering if I wrap the trunk and the soft parts of the lower tier of brances in chicken wire (I have soft, light weight florist's chicken wire) will that deter him?
Thanks for any advice!
Spooky2
Wow, beaver that's a new one....
sorry I can't help but the chicken wire sounds like a good idea
Welcome anyway, Spooky.
Welcome Spooky, You must be heart broken. We don't have beaver either, the creek is down over the hill too far for them to bother us. My son Josh has a summer place on the Susquehanna River and he has one. It took out a couple of trees not that they were special planted or expensive but no one likes losing trees. I wouldn't think a soft light weight chicken wire will deter him and Ric says no not at all. Ric says that acute lead poison will stop him. If your not up to that call the Game Commission and see if they would trap it or have any alternative suggestions. Maybe as they are causing serious damage they might do that, especially if you have neighbors that are having the same problem. I was thinking more like very heavy duty wire cage that you could sit around the trees. Probably wouldn't have to be much taller than 2 / 3 ft tall but you would have to stake it down very well.
It sure is nice living close to nature but sometimes the benefits are questionable. LOL
HI again
Well, I've considered the 'acute lead poisoning' idea and if I were living some place a little less suburban I'd consider it harder. However. discharging a firearm would likely win me a visit from the local authorities, and then I'd have to explain .... ( the kinds of jokes inspired would be too much)
I do have some old tomato cages, maybe cutting them down and then lining the inside with the wire would work. I think that's what I'll try.
Thanks for the idea!
LOL, Yes, I can just imagine that conservation. Where we live nobody thinks twice about a gun shot.
Well it is official we have the ground hog back in the barn. Same as last year, We trapped a family of 3 last year and relocated them. But I guess that open hole was just too inviting. I knew we had one this winter but haven't seen or heard it for several weeks. I was hoping that it had moved on. You know met a nice girl ground hog and moved in with her family. Oh well I guess we will see if we can borrow the humane trap again. Ric put wire around the broccoli and cauliflower hopefully that will be enough to keep him out of it.
Spooky, There are benefits to living in tame suburbia!
Critter, I was about to agree with you that I had not found any vole holes this year until a couple of days ago. All of a sudden, on top of the old groundhog den, I found a series of large ones.
Look at the size of some of these. Last year I filled them again and again with dirt. This is the small hill in the back of my garden that was man made. I have managed to keep the groundhogs from moving back in all of last summer as well as this year.
My overriding concern with this hill is that they would eat away at it from the inside and when I am standing on it, I may fall through. DSO sugested that we fill the holes with cement. Finally, I'm coming to agreement that that may be just the thing to do.
Last year, off to the side of this area, there is another spot under the edge of a creeping Eumonymus that they often dig a very large hole. Last year my foot did fall into it.
Anybody have any thoughts either way about using cement?
Stormy, I think cement will only make it hard to dig, and they'll burrow right next to it. Those holes look more like chipmunks than voles. Anyway, I recently saw a new vole bait, I think it was at Lowe's, but HD or Ace should have it. One thing we have tried with unsure results is piping the exhaust from a mower down the holes, it has seemed to work. Chipmunks on the other hand are suckers for humane traps as are groundhogs. You just need a larger trap for GH. Some corn and sunflower should work for the chippies and the GHs love cantaloupe. I only use the rinds, they love them so much, when you throw a cover over them and haul them away they continue to eat. LOL Ric
Ric, Chipmunks aren't nocturnal. Don't you think I would have seen some running around during the day? I've never seen one, so I'm not familiar with their antics.
Have you tried garlic, mothballs and irish spring soap down the holes
Jen, I haven't tried the Irish Spring. Maybe I will. Thanks
A DGer in the Hosta Forum told me that they don't build wire cages for vole proofing their plants. They buy plastic sieve types of pots used in pond gardening. Do any of you water gardeners know of a good source for cheap pond pots?
If plastic mesh works, I've seen stuff at the dollar store that I'd be tempted to try--heck the price is right.
Sally, For that matter, plastic baskets and colandars, if deep enough would do too.
Another dger on the lily forum posted a photo of a "Lily box", which is a metal wire box shaped cage for planting the bulbs in. It is reclosable, so you can dig it up and divide the bulbs. It had 6 sides. I bet there is something like this available cheaper than a garden supply item.
Stormyla: I agree with the suggestions that your holes are chipmunk holes. We are overrun with chipmunks and have lots of holes that look just like yours. I am going to try Milorganite (I hate to use it because it smells for a week or so) and Plantskydd (which is expensive, but if it works....).
But you are right that voles are supposed to leave holes too: I read that "voles often leave open, 1 inch holes in areas of heavy activity (moles always seal up their holes)." I wonder how to tell the difference? I also have wondered if we might have the dreaded rats. We've never never seen one, but I don't know how to tell from the holes.
Here's a website on point -- can't say that it's much help, though. I know we have a million chipmunks, and I've never seen any of the holes that we have, at least some of which must be chipmunk holes, to be mounded as the article insists. http://www.extension.org/faq/3501