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Rats, cats and bids
The old guy with the tree
Posts: 11
An old question for you, but I cannot find a post for it on here.
I have raised flowerbeds encased in railway sleepers (lined with plastic), and I did have a pond, which is now filled in. The flowerbeds and the paths are covered with granite chips over membrane, but I have had a few rats nesting in the raised flowerbeds, although it is not as bad now the pond has been filled in.
Is there a way of stopping the rats, without getting a cat, which will kill the songbirds, which I do want nesting in the garden. I intend moving shortly, so I do not want to go to all the trouble of building raised flowerbeds again, just to have rats invade me again.
any ideas?
0
Posts
If you've got rats established there, rather than just the odd visitor, I'd get professional pest controllers in and sort them out properly.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The exterminators have been in and done the business a few times, but I was thinking of a deterrent, maybe mixing large amounts of 20mm granite chips with the top soil to make it less desirable for them.
Every time you walk past the raised beds, bang loudly on the sides with a stout pole - it gives them a headache and they hate it - they won't want to set up home there if you make it uncomfortable for them.
Also keep the soil damp - the reason they're in raised beds is because they've found a dryish spot.
Good luck!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
You say the pest control people have been a few times. Is it possible you get a constant problem because you feed the birds you want to encourage? If there's food still lying around at dusk it encourages vermin - easy pickings. It's quite a common issue that several forum members here have experienced.
If so, removing food before it gets dark, or making sure you put a limited amount out that can be finished during daylight, will often solve it. They'll look elsewhere for their grub
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...