I think mice have eaten all my seeds from my coldframe…sweetcorn,haricots verts, nasturtiums, peas all have a small hole next to where I planted them. I searched the soil and cant find any seeds left in there… Does anyone have any ideas for planting seeds direct and avoiding mice damadge?
I already have a cat and a humane trap but am considering a few killer traps as they seem to die of fright in the ‘humane version’ anyway!
At least we now know who to blame Jo!
thanks jacqueline. I’ll look for some.
I didn’t mention that the Borax has to be mixed with castor sugar.sucre poudre fine. half and half, and placed under a stone or into crevaces where the ants might pick it up and take it back to the nest.
Re the drought…we moved here from Norfolk…where apparently there’s now the same problem…I think it might be our fault!
I have asked a friend on Facebook called Mark the Garlic! He said moles don’t usually eat the garlic so he wondered if he could see a pic of the nibbled garlic and holes? You can find his group ‘elephant-garlic’ here http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_141853615871232
Something has been eating my garlic. There are holes about 2" next to the affected ones, so I am guessing it is mice or bigger. Any ideas? I thought that garlic was fairly immune to most things. We do have moles in that area, but would they eat garlic?
Hi Jo, we buy a great product from the pharmacie for conjunctivitis called Dacryoserum. The last time she offered me a generic version and it is labelled as Borax/Acide Borique. I had no idea it was good for ants, so thanks for the tip. I buy it in individual doses, but it does come in a bottle to.
The drought is a nightmare isn’t it. I know some of you have had rather a lot of rain recently, please can you share some with us in Poitou-Charentes, we really are struggling!
Good luck.
Does anyone know what BORAX is called in France? or where to buy any? I use it for discouraging ANTS, mixed with castor sugar, under a brick etc… It’s much cheaper than branded ant killer powder and less toxic, ? I think? I’m finding ants a bigger problem this year, perhaps they thrive better in drought conditions.
While I’m about it, can I just say; this DROUGHT is totally doing my head in !
but if you do succeed in killing your wild boar it will be much tastier to eat than my 6 mice! How about an electric fence?
Thank you so much for the reply, Liz. I will see if I can’t find some burlap or something to gently hold it together. For the moment, no wilt which gives me hope. Thanks again for the advice.
Our main problems are wild boar - they ate an entire crop of potatoes last year - I live near Bezier (34) - unfortunately our cats are no match for the boars or badgers, any suggestions?
Hi Victoria,
You could try tying it together with something that won`t cut into the branch. Perhaps put a support of some kind underneath the crack for extra support and to stop any more damage. As the sap comes in and if the layer that carries the sap is not damaged it might heal back together. But it depends on a lot of factors. If the leaves have not wilted above the crack you might be lucky.
Good luck
Liz
One of the best features of my garden - a lovely little bush that produces fragrant white flowers in early spring - cracked under the weight of the snow this winter. It’s still alive. It looks like it will bloom on schedule. Should I leave it as is and hope for the best or is there something I can do to help heal it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Victoria
Great ideas ladies, thank you very much, I will try them all and come to think of it my peas under plastic bottles arn’t being nibbled yet. I have the paraffin ready as we speak…(6 mice were caught and fed to the herons this week so far)
You could try cutting a plastic water bottle in half and pushing one half into the soil so the seed is under the bottle , like a mini cloche. Not sure if it will stop mice but it`s worth a go. I use it to stop slugs and snails. Good luck.
Sorry to hear this Jo - all that hard work, very frustrating. Also sorry to say I don’t have many ideas, unless you have room on an indoor windowsill until they have germinated, or if you sow in small round pots you could put a freezer bag over the top, held in place with an elastic band to create its own little propagator, but may also keep mice out. I’d go for the killer traps - not a nice idea, but it’s not nice when Mickey and Minnie are munching on your seeds either!