Allotments 4 All
Produce => Pests & Diseases => Topic started by: kippers garden on October 01, 2011, 11:49:06
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My step dad is having a big problem with a fox digging up his lawn. I have read that the fox is digging for earthworms and grubs and different sites say to buy a pesticide to kill the earth worms and grubs to reduce the problem.
Can anyone suggest a name of a pesticide to us?..or anything more environmental friendly to use?
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I certainly would never contemplate killing earthworms - he'll end up with a totally rubbish lawn! Earthworms aerate the soil - you should never kill them!
There are things that deter foxes, human hair tied in tights at boundaries is said to put them off - ditto male urine around the borders of the garden (i'll leave you to work that one out) and you can also buy Lion Poo in garden centres to deter them!
But please - don't nuke the worms and bugs!
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There are electronic fox deterrents like the cat ones-but aimed at a frequency to deter foxes.
agree about the earthworms though- pretty innocent victims either way :(
Is it definitely foxes- not badgers :-\
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The electronic deterants work well. My in-laws have no problems at all now where once there was mayhem. All you need is safe access to a power supply...and the small contraption.
On my allotment the foxes are a blessed nuisance - they love digging in the soil of one plot in particular as it is so friable. They are constantly uprooting things, disturbing seed beds and jumping onto cloches, through nets.... don't get me started!! >:(
Poor little worms... killing them off is unlikely to make a jot of difference... foxes like digging and are nosey and tend to set up habits / routes and stick to them until something better comes along or puts them off.... >:(
In my experience the electronic/sonic devices do work.
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Make sure the fox is not being encouraged by the feeding of birds and it may be after bits they did not eat.
One deterent you may not think of as used by keepers is a flashing road lamp at night.
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So, Kipper have you managed to reduce or solve the problem?
On my allotment site things became so difficult (trampled/ broken and damaged crops, unearthed seeds/sets/plants, ripped & chewed cloches and netting) that we set box traps to reduce the numbers.
I'm sure it wasn't just worms that were the attraction although they enjoyed digging over my compost heaps on a regular basis... leaving it on the paths for me to clear. >:(
How the potatoes coped with being unearthed and earthed up again so often amazes me.
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ADEN
I had asimilarr problem with the foxes on our site, I criss crossed my allotment with nets making box shapes the foxes had no direct escape route if they went on the plot so they stopped visiting
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Thanks PaulW. I've not heard of that idea before. Well worth remembering for the future.
Our allotment committee have helped - I was told there are at least 7 less than there were but there are still loads!
Nice to see the little critters at a distance as you belt by them on the train or on a bike but not such a treat when they cause so much damage. Just too many of them. :(
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ADEN
We had five on our allotment and thecommitteee did bugger all about it luckily they all went down with the mange not the best way to die but we had somerelievee for a couple of years but we have one visiting now that may become a problem.
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In our town foxes are pretty common all over the place. A few turned up regularly each evening to clear dropped sweets & crisps from around the school playing field. I often saw one standing at the end of the main drive a couple of meters from me as I cycled home from work waiting for the all clear before smooching about.
Last winter, in the dark, I dropped a glove as I cycled along. Stopped, turned round to pick it up to see a fox nab it and belt into the bushes. Discovered in a garden chewed the following morning.
On the plot a chewed shoe (wonder who lost it?) and another time a gardening glove.
One even gnawed through the rubber tie around my new plum tree.
But... they may eat worms..once in a while. ;D
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Paraffin soaked rags, tied to short sticks pegged into the lawn, worked for me.
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My step dad is having a big problem with a fox digging up his lawn. I have read that the fox is digging for earthworms and grubs and different sites say to buy a pesticide to kill the earth worms and grubs to reduce the problem.
Can anyone suggest a name of a pesticide to us?..or anything more environmental friendly to use?
What does work is human urine. Get a small handheld sprayer, you can buy them for 99pence locally, and fill it with urine and spray it around the area the fox is using. You will need to do it every day, twice a day for a day or so.
It does work, and it also works for cats.
Peter