Topic: Badgers are moving in - under my shed - ideas please

[daxzen]

its great! cos i love the wild life

but its not really cos there are now causing damage

there is now a tunnel under my shed -

any ideas!

dax

[tonybloke]

can you let the local wildlife folk install a webcam? (possible fund you another shed somewhere else on your plot?) ;)

[Obelixx]

Scatter peanuts to stop them excavating your plot in the search for worms and grubs.

[Old bird]

I read somewhere they don't like mothballs!!!

Worth a try if you can put up with the smell yourself!!

Old Bird

 ;D

[daxzen]

lol

[Robert_Brenchley]

If it was me I'd try to make space for them. I don't know whether it would work, and I've probably got more space than you have, but I'd love to have badgers or foxes if it could be managed!

[plainleaf2]

surround the base of shed with fencing.

[qahtan]

  A few years ago we had a family of skunks under our front door step.
  At night they would take their children walkies up the road...
 Have you ever smelt a skunk. there is nothing in this world that smells as bad.
 To put it as my brother said, it's like ten thousand farts gone bad. sorry about that..
 We tried moth balls, water hose down there, loud music, we put the portable radio right at their doorway, then one nigyt they went walkies and Gerry shut the doorway with a piece of metal sheeting. that fixed 'em. but they moved down the road a couple of houses. B*****s.

                          Boy, do they whistle....          qahtan

[Baccy Man]

There is not that much you can do as they are a protected species. Natural England may issue a licence to interfere with the sett as there is a potential risk of damage to crops if not then they would at least offer advice about what you should do.

DEFRA's site lists some of the do's & don'ts.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/management/badgers/index.htm

The FAQ on Natural Englands site gives more detailed information & links to downloadable license applications.
http://www.naturalengland.gov.uk/ourwork/regulation/wildlife/advice/default.aspx

[lewic]

Personally wouldnt contact Defra or any of the official agencies in case they decided your plot was now an offical badger protection zone and threw you off it (have heard of this happening).

Its crazy they are a protected species, as there are loads of them around. Dont advocate killing them, but people should be able to get the sets filled in if they are causing damage to sheds etc!

[daxzen]

its not a sett

its a hidey hole and i don't want it to be any more than that

some of the old boys down here have given me some ideas

all designed to move them away from my plot without any direct interference or implied harm

use some jeyes fluid in the proximity - not difficult cos i paint my shed with it anyway
place a row of slabs down the side of the shed -
amend the gate on the plot and look at the fencing gaps etc
put series of gates down the walkways to restrict their free movement

[Baccy Man]

A "hidey hole" comes under exactly the same legislation.

Protection of badgers act 1992

“badger sett” means any structure or place which displays signs indicating current use by a badger

[Jokerman]

Ever fancied a badger hide jacket?    ::)

[Geoff H]

If its just a hidey hole then the badger will probably move on. i have seen them made by young badgers for temporary shelter but then it gets abandoned. even the proper setts are not used all the time. they usually have several in the family's territory, and will take to suddenly moving from one to another when they feel like it. If it was a proper sett then expect your shed to disappear into the ground as they undermine it.
I would not try and keep them out with barriers. badgers are natural earth moving machines. Give them a barrier and they will simply dig under it and they can dig deeper and faster than you can. I know of a farmer who tried to keep them out of maize using a wire fence. They just dug under and appeared about 4-5 metres inside the maize and that part of the field was just devastated with the earth mounds. To add insult to injury later on he drove his tractor over the tunnels that then collapsed. He had to get in heavy machinery to pull out his tractor.
I would just leave them be and hope your shed does not disappear. Give them peanuts but not salted and you will have your own badger watch.
I don't know why DEFRA would be interested. I think the idea that they would throw you off your plot is scaremongering. I have never heard of such a thing as an "official badger protection zone"If anyone was interested it would be the local badger group - your shed would be a great badger hide but not if there was only one. You have not said what damage it has done. There is a tunnel but what else?