On Fri, 16 May 2003 11:25:52 +0100, "Drakanthus"
wrote:

I saw what looked like a large mouse or small rat run across the back
border of the garden this morning, a pale brown/beige colour. It must
have come from behind the garden shed. I've never seen one before - is
this a problem? My concern is that I've blocked off the access to
either side and underneath the shed with trellis to discourage cats from
lurking there and I've been putting cut off branches and other prunings
into the spaces for wildlife or birds nesting etc. I just hope that I'm
not encouraging a rat colony - what do people think?
--
Lynda Thornton

It was probably a mouse. Though not a great lover of cats, they do have
their useful side in the garden. If cats were lurking near your shed they
were probably waiting for the chance to pounce on a mouse. While you want to
encourage wildlife into your garden sometimes we wildlife lovers want to be
a bit selective about that wildlife. I put up bird feeders to encourage
birds, this worked well - but the sparrows have a habit of scattering seed
on the ground under the feeders, this encouraged mice and we soon started
seeing mice running at the back of flower borders with impunity. I don't
mind the occasional mouse in the garden - it is part of the balance of
nature, but when one brazen mouse wandered onto the patio one evening and
stood looking at us through the patio doors I decided enough was enough so
put some traps down in key places in the flower borders where birds could
not readily get to them, and some mouse bait under my potting shed. I killed
around 10 mice in a few days - mostly under the shed. I've not seen any
since then. It may be worth your while doing similar.

The nazi's would have been proud of you. I find it quite disturbing
that some people slaughter wildlife just because it's there, not for
what it has done.


--








So, you dont like reasoned,
well thought out, civil debate?

I understand.

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