Topic: Peas being munched

[sawfish]

I've found a lot of peas have been eaten in my plot. Mainly in a darker area beside the cabbages at the base of the peas. I found a pile of about 100 chewed up peapod skins under the cabbages.

Do you reckon this is mice or the dreaded rats!!

[Suzanne]

Had this happen to my broad beans last year and was due to rats. We have always had a small mice popn with no problems but after last years floods we had a rat problem and this was the only time I had seen this sort of damage. They took a whole crop overnight. Thankfully the rats have been moved to a better place - well only if there is a rat heaven I suppose.

[sawfish]

and what method did you use to ahem!.... move them on?

 ;)

[realfood]

Mice are definitely possible culprits. Voles may be also, though with me, they tend to attack and chew through french bean stems.

[Suzanne]

Luckily I didn't have to do a thing to transport them to a higher realm, as there are only two lotties in the village the rats were spending most of their time in peoples back gardens eating bird scraps etc - so they were poisoned by said disconcerted residents. In fact I think the amount of poison laid probably could have killed the UKs entire rat population so the local ones didn't stand a chance.

Got the biggest shock in the spring though. I uncovered my compost heap to find the hind quarters of a rat sticking out - was huge :o . Fearing the worst (an active nest with little blighters making a beeline for my trouser legs - my OH has warned me about this - he had a nasty experience  ::) ), I prodded said rat. It turned out to be long dead - slightly mummified and no evidence of rats at all in the compost - no nests nothing. It obviously came in to die. Not seen anything of rodent friends since.

I have seen lots of hedgehogs and no mysterious cat or dog deaths in the village etc so looks like all used the poison sensibly and targeted the pests.