critters in the garden

[ogrefcf]

Clang Clang Jim's silver hammer Made sure that Chipmunk was dead.

[morgansrgr8]

If I had a hammer instead of the camera I would have had this one. Such a cheeky bugger.

[morgansrgr8]

Well I just had one more in my trap. Right beside my Golden Tiara that he had started munching on. Thats the 3rd hosta in 3 days it has decided hosta was on the menu. Hope I got the right one this time. Earlier this morning I had a mouse instead of a chipmunk.

[Phil]

I can live with the little critters. The deer don't just nibble, they gnaw off the whole plant.

[morgansrgr8]

This critter doesnt stop at nibbling. It likes to mow down the whole plant. Will soon know if I got the right one. It will be going to finish the job on my Golden Tiara.

[thy]

Aren't it cute

Then, we do not have them, so easy to say

Pia

[morgansrgr8]

Got a surprise when I went back out. I got a vole in the rat trap. Baited it with peanutbutter and cracked corn. I dont know which is more of a problem the voles or the chipmunks? Could it have been the voles chomping leaves off. I thought they ate the roots and crown. Either way one less problem for my hosta. I was just out in the rain splitting a sport off of one of the hosta. Thought it was better to do it in the rain. (While I had some) Came across some spring bulbs I had to move to put the new plant in. Those I know a chipmunk will eat especially since there is fresh dug ground. They cant resist soft dirt. GRRRRR I've lost so many bulbs to chipmunks I should have a meadow of them by now.

[thy]

Voles love tulips and do not touch daffodils, fritlaria will keep them on a distance... have no idea about chipmunks

[morgansrgr8]

I must be over run by these critters. One more mouse and one more chipmunk today. I know we also have about a dozen groundhogs on the other side of the creek. They had better stay over there on their own side.

[ogrefcf]

Just found a cut worm in my liberty today munching on an unfurling leave. I promptly go rid of him. Is this a case if there's one there's more? I have kept up on the slugs pretty good and I don't want these guys taking over.

[John Polka]

great thread lol... very entertaining

[Patrushka]

I commiserate with you. The voles have started up again here. I guess we (meaning DH) should put out the mouse traps again. They did not work very well last year.

Chris, if you read this, what is the name of that poison block you told me about? I think it's time to step up my game. I hate seeing my hostas and daylilies being eliminated.

[morgansrgr8]

I caught a vole with Peanutbutter and cracked corn in my rat trap. Every day has been another mouse. And Chipmunks in the live traps. Didnt realize how many there were here. A few years ago we were overrun by rats. They must have been trying to get away from the flooding but they started killing my chickens. Those were big rats. So far this year they havent come back.

[isadora]

Two dead voles on the lawn yesterday. My hunter cat is earning his treats!

Still having cutworm problems but I remembered an old trick about putting a tarpaper ring around tomatoes to keep them away from the stems, the theory being an uncurled cutworm can't eat. No tarpaper, but I guess the media doesn't matter, just the barrier. I used a 4" plastic pot that annuals came in, cut off the bottom and a slit up the side so I could slip it around the plant. Sunk the cut rim about an inch deep around the plant, closing the split, and put diatomaceous earth both inside and outside of the ring. Now to see if it works! A bigger hosta would need a bigger ring, but most of the hostas being damaged by cutworms are young plants.

Funny how some hostas haven't been touched and are as pristine as the day they came up and some are ragged and ravaged on a daily basis by every critter out there, seems like.

Sandy

[plantbug]

Jim, had a good laugh over the new use for your hammer. plantbug

[kaylyred]

I used to have an indoor/outdoor cat here and she would hunt critters. Unfortunately, every time my neighbor (who's an older lady and a little...memory challenged) saw her outside she would pick her up, put her in a cat carrier, and haul her off to the humane society. She was well meaning--she thought the poor kitty was lost when really she'd only just wandered out of our yard a bit. She always failed to recognize her as our (very recognizable!) cat.

We decided it was best not to have outdoor cats here--the neighbors are too close and so is the highway. My shiba inu (dog) catches critters, but alas...he's confined to the fenced yard and the critters know that. So...it's live traps for me.

[morgansrgr8]

I'm having very good luck catching voles in the rat trap. 2 more today. I heard the trap go off a few minutes ago and I was only 20 ft away from the trap when I got the vole. All that was on the trap was Tomcat gel mouse attractant. I picked that up on clearance for 50 cents last year. Its been well worth that 50 cents. Now I'm baiting using a triple threat. Peanutbutter cracked corn and the mouse attractant. The plan now is to get rid of the voles before they populate my garden. First time I've seen them here and they are not welcome VOLES BEWARE. We cant keep a cat here. Tom is allergic so a house cat is out of the question and outside cats wont stay in the yard. They get hit on the road every time. Saw a black cat in the yard yesterday and dont know where it came from or where it went. Last week the neighbors calico got hit on the road. Poor kitty. A couple days ago I was at my moms and her little yorky pup came back to us with a mouse. Good puppy. She's got a great little mouser. Wonder if I could borrow her for a few days.

[nanny_56]

Chipmunks are EVIL EVIL creatures!!

I have done the bucket method....but the ones I did like that took all afternoon to drown and I ended up having to help them. I trapped a couple and gassed them with WD40...that was faster and the dog has killed one. But they just keep coming!

[Patrushka]

Linda, Are rat traps the same as mouse traps only bigger? Mouse traps have always worked for us in the past. I don't know why they weren't successful last year. I have always used peanut butter as bait. I first discovered voles in 2002 (after living here for eleven years). They ate the roots off of a hosta. I picked the whole clump up off the ground and wondered what in the world had happened to it. After researching online I discovered voles and knew that they were the problem. I suspect that they were here all along. I never could keep Asiatic or Oriental Lilies growing for more than a year or two. I thought they were just dying. Ha, now I know what was happening to them. I think we'll try some peanut butter with cracked corn and see if that works better.

[morgansrgr8]

Yes rat traps are just bigger. I put those out because I didnt think a mouse trap would be big enough to kill the chipmunks. I just thought some of my hosta got smaller because of soil condition and weather, guess I was wrong. The last vole I caught was just starting to undermine one of my mini's when it was distracted by the rat trap. That poor mini was just put in the ground 2 weeks ago and only one eye. Luckily there was no damage to the hosta. (This time)