We had rather fat rats when we moved here and they tucked into my stores of precious seeds so I used up my supplies of Belgian rat poison which kills them quickly and doesn't leave a smell. No problems since and live and let live tho we haven't seen any.
Recipe poste don the recipe sharing thread @Dovefromabove.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
The poison bait I used before didn't seem strong enough to work, despite following the instructions and then using peanut butter on it - fussy little blighter! I can't get at the nest, it's underneath an inaccessible water butt next to the terrace. Far too near the house for my liking.
Thanks for the Lakeland suggestion, @raisingirl. I found some swing top bottles from an Irish site but they were really expensive... might try an appeal in the online town forum, I think.
We had baby rats hoovering up spilt sunflower hearts for a little while, coming out of the dry stone wall. They were really cute... but it's clear that at some time in the past, there have been rats in the attic, so we're looking to block off any possible access. Yesterday I found some animal poo I didn't recognise, on a tray of seedlings. I think, having looked on line, it's probably from a pine marten, which are known to be around in the area. Apparently they find rats rather tasty...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
We find the only bait that works now is Neosorexa Gold, you can buy it in farmers stores or on eBay. I had some green jelly like cubes from the council, they took them for a pastime, didn’t work, then I met my farmer OH and from then on that was the one we’ve used.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
The rat traps I was referring to would definitely be swift. No chance of being caught by one leg for instance. They looked like medieval torture instruments.
@Liriodendron - we have some of those bottles that @raisingirl is describing, but daughter bought them. I'll ask her where she got them. When she eventually appears... Same daughter also had pet rats. They were quite sweet, but not like the those big bandits. I'll never forget opening up feed bins at work and seeing two huge ones in there. No lights, so couldn't see them until I'd put my hand in with the scoop.
Just had a look at the bottles - and they're from Ikea. It's on the bottom
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Looks like we might actually get some rain tonight. Nothing to be grumpy about there but I need to shift some water about to create some capacity in the big tank which is hard work when it's hot like this I need to get a sump pump set up for next year.
Most of the streams around here are dry already though and I bet the house martins are struggling for mud to build their nests. It's hard to believe after the winter we just had.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Having hoed, weeded and raked the new roses beds and made stepping stones to get across for hedge trimming I took myself off into the shade to make a wee hole to plant out some pulmonaria in the bed along the ruin.
50 minutes later half a wheelbarrow of stones in all hapes and sizes and pulmonaria still not planted. Have had to dragoon OH into helping with the quarrying but not till after lunch.
@wild edges - OH did the water butt emptying yesterday on that fig tree he hacked but our rain forecast has now gone dry. The swifts and swallows and house martins have, fortunately, already built ther nests.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
Recipe poste don the recipe sharing thread @Dovefromabove.
We had baby rats hoovering up spilt sunflower hearts for a little while, coming out of the dry stone wall. They were really cute... but it's clear that at some time in the past, there have been rats in the attic, so we're looking to block off any possible access. Yesterday I found some animal poo I didn't recognise, on a tray of seedlings. I think, having looked on line, it's probably from a pine marten, which are known to be around in the area. Apparently they find rats rather tasty...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I had some green jelly like cubes from the council, they took them for a pastime, didn’t work, then I met my farmer OH and from then on that was the one we’ve used.
Same daughter also had pet rats. They were quite sweet, but not like the those big bandits. I'll never forget opening up feed bins at work and seeing two huge ones in there. No lights, so couldn't see them until I'd put my hand in with the scoop.
Just had a look at the bottles - and they're from Ikea. It's on the bottom
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
50 minutes later half a wheelbarrow of stones in all hapes and sizes and pulmonaria still not planted. Have had to dragoon OH into helping with the quarrying but not till after lunch.
@wild edges - OH did the water butt emptying yesterday on that fig tree he hacked but our rain forecast has now gone dry. The swifts and swallows and house martins have, fortunately, already built ther nests.
Now my curmudge is that the nearest IKEA is in Dublin.