Gardening Advice on Pests
that lurk in the great outside that may give you more than a fair share of trouble. Moles These are lovely looking little creatures but they can turn a garden into something closely resembling a building site in a matter of days. There are several ways of dealing with this garden problem and one is to trap and kill them. This needs a certain amount of skill, is not humane and is not a lasting solution because the dead mole will quickly be followed by a new member of the family. In addition if you do not have the skill you will need to seek professional help in setting the traps. This can be a costly operation. The going rate is as much as £20 per mole caught. Mole and females live apart for most of the year, but in the breeding season the males dig over large areas in search of a mate. The breeding season is from February to June each year. The young leave the nest when 5 weeks old. This illustrates how employing a mole-catcher could prove to be an expensive business. Some gardening advice on ways of dealing with moles - or not as the case may be: 1. Placing a child’s large size windmill at the mole's place of entry. This method has been tried but was not successful. 2. Jeyes fluid applied in a concentrated solution was poured down the hole and surrounding area. A lovely smell, but not successful. 3. The last remaining method (at the moment) is installing a Solar-powered Sonic Spike in the ground. These can be purchased from around £10 upwards and after 24 hours spent taking a ‘charge’ from the sun can be left in situ to send out a ‘bleep’ every 15 seconds. This creates a noise way down in the ground that, apparently the moles dislike. This device has an operating life of around 1 year before a new battery has to be purchased, it is humane, works day and night, even in bad weather conditions and would seem worth a try. If there is mole damage to a large area, the purchase of two Sonic Spikes might be worth a try. Some old countrymen believe that urine is an excellent deterrent. No comment. 
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Rabbits The Victorians rather rashly introduced the rabbit to Australia in the 1800's and this has been rued by the Australians ever since. In this country most farmers take the same view. These little animals decimate pasture and crops. In a garden, wherever possible, it is best to rabbit proof the perimeter of the garden with wire mesh otherwise any vegetables are likely to disappear over-night. To a lesser and cheaper degree, just protect the vegetable plot itself, but make sure the wire is sunk well beneath the soil as rabbits have great burrowing techniques. Failing that, if you live in the countryside and can obtain permission from your adjoining land owner, then shooting remains an option.
Grey Squirrels (AKA Tree Rats). Since a man was prosecuted for drowning a squirrel after it had been caught in a trap, it has become necessary to seek out more gardening advice on other methods of deterring these creatures from the garden. Bird food is a magnet for squirrels. Attaching nut feeds and fat balls to a washing line is one solution. Make sure these are not near a shed, or something similar that would prove a good ’jumping base’ for the squirrel. To make life more difficult, cut two short pieces of rubber garden hose and thread these on to the line – either side of the feeders. These should prevent the squirrel gaining a firm foothold. If the food is on a bird table, grease the support pole with Vaseline or other grease. The actual feed can be dusted with Tabasco sauce or chilli powder, both of which will not affect the birds but deter other ‘visitors’. Probably placing the table somewhere central where it is not accessible to the squirrels is the best and easiest method. Bees. Not strictly pests because of the amount of good they do in the garden and to agriculture. It is only when they sting that they become bothersome. A bee will die after it has stung, and if possible the barb should be removed (a pair of tweezers helps here)and then the area treated with vinegar. If the sting is on the foot (often sustained when walking through clover) it will help if the foot is kept raised and rested where possible. In the case of a sting by a bee, wasp or hornet be aware of anaphylaxis reactions. This can be dangerous and lead to death. If a person has been stung, and has trouble in breathing or shows signs of collapse, medical help should be sought immediately. This is seriously good gardening advice. Don't delay - time is of the essence. Wasps. These are unwanted little creatures that pack a nasty sting. The sting is best treated with ammonia or alcohol. Unfortunately a wasp sting contains a pheromone which will attract other wasps to come and sting you. If you are stung when in the garden, it is a wise move to get inside as soon as possible otherwise you are likely to be a sitting target. If you are indoors a fly spray or fly swatter is recommended. Failing these hair lacquer spray has been known to help. A wasp’s nest is a remarkable thing and can vary from a few inches in length to over 1 foot. If you should have wasps build a nest in your loft this would need to be professionally removed. If you find an old nest there is the consolation that it will not be re-occupied the following season and is harmless. Hornets. A hornet packs a bigger punch than the wasp and the bite can be very painful indeed as the amount of venom sent into the skin is enormous. The hornet will continue to sting (between three and five times) until all the venom is distributed. It may be necessary to seek help here. Ants These little insects out-number the humans on Earth. In the UK there are black and red ants. The red ants bite and are nasty little creatures. To get rid of both the black and red ants go to our page Tip. 13 for more good advice on dealing with these creatures both outside and inside the house. The only advantage that black ants have is they eat aphids. Midges and mosquitos The best way of protecting yourself is to use an insect repellent spray before venturing outside. Not strictly gardening advice, but better safe than sorry.
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