I'm gradually clearing an area of my allotment which I've had covered with black plastic since last autumn. Once I've dug it over and cleared the weeds I'm recovering it with the plastic until I'm ready to plant there.
Three times now I've come back, pulled back the plastic from the newly dug area and have found dandelion tops with the cotton wool type stuff in little piles. I know there are frogs around, but do they eat dandelions? Something's obviously dragging them in there. Or mice? ??? ???
Voles? Some sort of rodent anyway.
Me too ! and yes these little piles of shredded dandelion clocks I found under sheets of cardboard ...I thought to myself .... as if dragged there , for a little feather bed for a fairy or mouse . They appeared to be quite freshly and finely chopped . Glad I,m not the only one to see this . I made sure to scoop the whole pile of seeds up and burn in the incinerator , wouldn,t want more dandelions ,the reason I put the cardboard down over winter in the first place !
So what's your best suggestion for getting rid of these mice/voles/other rodents (I do hope it's not rats)? Only I know there are frogs there so I wouldn't think that either traps or poison would be a good idea. I can't remember whether it was last year or the year before that mice ate most of my sweetcorn, so I need to get on top of this problem.
I think getting rid of the mice or whatever will be a big problem. My new allotment (last autumn) has a few plots using carpet to kill weeds and mice love those conditions. Thus I am starting my peas in gutters at home in the polytunnel, also dwarf, climbing, and runner beans, and sweetcorn all in pots of one type or another, whatever I can get from Squires recycling area.