thanks for the great response! I have an update.. as we were digging out and turning over a large bed we came across a vole (sadly deceased, and not by our spade!). We have found other similar holes across the allotment - the end we dug was nowhere near the area I took a photo of. I must apologise as my terrible estimation skills led some of you down the garden path (!), my other half pointed out that the holes are no more than 5cm wide.
We would really like to avoid disturbing the voles, someone mentioned that they vacate once you start clearing? Any tips to help them along? Voles aside, a couple of hours work and we have a nice size bed coming along, I'm loving it!
Ah, good. Voles then. I'm no good at estimating either, that's why I took the ruler out.
There are plenty of uncleared areas in this garden but we find voles and their holes in cultivated areas as well. If you can leave a patch unmolested it would be good for all sorts of wild creatures
If you find some corrugated tin sheets and lay them on the ground in a quiet corner, they will move in under there in no time as you clear the ground. They won't even mind you lifting it and taking a look at the whole family now and then. You never know you might see slow worms and all sorts of other things like toads under them too.
Reckon its rats - too big for voles or mice. A 2cm wide hole would be plenty big enough for mice etc. Anything bigger especially on an allotment probably rats.
Looks like my lawn lol.. I had loads of moles last year, and managed to keep them out this year with lots of mole bulbs, but instead i've been infested with voles instead this year.. hey ho comes with living in the country.. At least i've seen a weasel knocking around so hopefully it'll eat some of the voles, as the kestral clearly isn't doing it's job!
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The spade in the picture looks fairly standard. My one like that is 17 cm across.
That means to be rat holes (10cm), the diameter of the holes would be more than half the width of the spade.
Yet they are not even close to that diameter.
But I hope Jen has enough info now to decide.
Hello all,
thanks for the great response! I have an update.. as we were digging out and turning over a large bed we came across a vole (sadly deceased, and not by our spade!). We have found other similar holes across the allotment - the end we dug was nowhere near the area I took a photo of. I must apologise as my terrible estimation skills led some of you down the garden path (!), my other half pointed out that the holes are no more than 5cm wide.
We would really like to avoid disturbing the voles, someone mentioned that they vacate once you start clearing? Any tips to help them along? Voles aside, a couple of hours work and we have a nice size bed coming along, I'm loving it!
Ah, good. Voles then. I'm no good at estimating either, that's why I took the ruler out.
There are plenty of uncleared areas in this garden but we find voles and their holes in cultivated areas as well. If you can leave a patch unmolested it would be good for all sorts of wild creatures
In the sticks near Peterborough
come join us on the allotment thread where you can chat and ask questions and much more
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/talkback/new-allotment-omg/220407-68.html
Jen you can help them out really easily.
If you find some corrugated tin sheets and lay them on the ground in a quiet corner, they will move in under there in no time as you clear the ground. They won't even mind you lifting it and taking a look at the whole family now and then.
You never know you might see slow worms and all sorts of other things like toads under them too.
Thanks for the advice, we definitely will make sure they have an undisturbed area, after all they were there way before us!
Reckon its rats - too big for voles or mice. A 2cm wide hole would be plenty big enough for mice etc. Anything bigger especially on an allotment probably rats.
Have you read the whole thread Topsoiled? the hole size was over-estimated originally
In the sticks near Peterborough
No! 5cm about right for voles - bit big in my experience but...a bit small for rats though.
Looks like my lawn lol.. I had loads of moles last year, and managed to keep them out this year with lots of mole bulbs, but instead i've been infested with voles instead this year.. hey ho comes with living in the country.. At least i've seen a weasel knocking around so hopefully it'll eat some of the voles, as the kestral clearly isn't doing it's job!