I had my sweetcorn germinating under the water hearter, checked it just now, and found every seed had vanished! It's been carefully dug out of the pots and spirited away. There's never been any evidence of rodents in the flat, and if they're not in the kitchen downstairs it would be surprising if they were in the bathroom upstairs. But I can't think what else it could be. I'll have to grow whatever F1's I can get locally, and go back to open-pollinated seed next year.
Hate to say it Robert, but sounds like a mousey problem
Clifford - who has trays of blue corn mouse poison in the greenhouse, after they made a mess of my broadbeans
That's what I'm thinking. I've never seen any sign of the buggers, but I'm going to put down poison and see what happens.
when my parents were away last week, my sister went to get the peanuts out the swingbin in the adjoining garage for the birds, there were 3 mice in there! all snuggled up together with food on tap. they'd crawled up a pair of overalls hung up next to bin and dropped into it!!!! my sis caught 5 altogether, cheeky little monkeys!! ;D
Cats. That's the answer.
Big clawed, big eared, fang bearing, fearless cats with a preference for live kill with interesting textures, noises and flee-ing methods and a dislike of named cat food brands or anything that doesn't move when ignored or prodded.
Known to fellow cats as "marauding-psycho-dog-killer", known to his/her human as "fluffy", "snuggles" or "snook-ums".
Sadly, my lad's a wimp.
I don't think cats would go down too well with the family; they certainly wouldn't with me! I've never been able to get on with them. Poison's my answer. I got Miracle F1 in Wilkinson's today, plus some chilis as the forst lot didn't do anything. Unfortunately they only put 20 seeds in a packet of Miracle, so I needed 4. They'll be going in later, and will go out of reach of anything but wood mice.
I detest F1's too, but it was a case of whatever I could get quickly.
Hi Rob`/ all,
We had mice eating the seed potatoes at the lottie,so thinking i`d be clever i sprayed the spuds with a neat garlic solution :-X.
The little sods just carried on! >:(
I next laid original spring traps baited with melted chocolate gone hard,- "devastating!"Spuds are now left alone,and two very dead mice are shown the door.
Regards,
Mark.
I've put poison down under a lose bit of floorboard, and if they're there they'll find it. I lost all my traps; they were getting the mice all right, but one by one they vanished attached to various rats. I found out what was happening when I found one jammed up against a small hole in the shed wall with a tuft of rat fur in it.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 06, 2006, 20:36:42I found out what was happening when I found one jammed up against a small hole in the shed wall with a tuft of rat fur in it.
Ouch ;D and how big where those rats?? I have visions of cat sized rats scurrying around the midlands with mousetraps clamped to their snouts :o
Normal rat size, fortunately. I've seen several round the allotment over the years. All the corn is now planted, and perched on top of the bookcase out of reach of vermin. The study's my territory, and I just ignore what these women say about what goes on in there!
I find lead to be the best poison for rats.
Only thing is, you have to be sure it's travelling at around 500 feet per second... ;)
It is if you can spot the buggers. I'm perennially tempted to get an air rifle, but I can imagine how the family would react. We've all been too badly affected by war for guns to start appearing round the house, even air weapons. A few years ago, even the sight of a soldier was giving my daughter panic attacks.
A lot of the poison I put down has disappeared overnight, so mice in the house are now confirmed. Not for long!
I bought 2 humane mouse traps at the beginning of the week after finding my potato sacks had been used as bedding and the bird seed as winter fuel..... the mouse traps were loaded with something smelling like peanut butter. I set them out in the evening and went back the following morning ready to release the critters in a field at the other side of a stream, away from our house... The mice had been into the traps, eaten the bait and flipped the traps over until the doors opened and they could escape ...grrrrrrr.
oooooh
That is the problem with humane traps it causes people to break the law. It is illegal to release virmine back into the wild.
What are you supposed t do with the beasty after catching it. I had the same problem with a grey squirrel that got into my loft.
Clifford
When I see rats, or for that matter mice when they're in the house, it's all I can do not to start screaming EX-TER-MIN-ATE in dalek fashion. Nothing would stop me acting accordingly!
Quote from: cliff_the_gardener on April 07, 2006, 15:12:56
It is illegal to release virmine back into the wild.
What are you supposed t do with the beasty after catching it.
Interesting to know re: law. To squeamish to pop it off myself, would have to shut it in an empty room with the cat but that's far more cruel.
Cruelty to cats should be banned.
Quote from: kenkew on April 10, 2006, 11:56:52
Cruelty to cats should be banned.
Unless they claw the new carpet or sit purring loudly into one's ear at some ungodly hour if the morning
tis what they do best tho!
we have nary a rodent showing a whisker at kitty towers...but we do have 7 cats at home(one at the shop)....never understood people who dont like cats..... :-\
Are field mice classed as vermin? I caught one in the house with homemade humane trap and took it to the vet to ask what to do with it. He told me to release it into the wild. :-\
QuoteAre field mice classed as vermin?
depends if you are another field mouse.......
We've got two common species of mouse; the house mouse and the wood mouse. The house mouse is definitely considered vermin, but I'm not sure about the wood mouse. It doesn't come into houses, but it can be a right pest in a garden shed.