To add my grumble to the sweetcorn thread, some little bugger has been into the
greenhouse and munched right along the row of stupidly expensive purple mangetout
and nipped them all off at the base of the shoot. :'(
(Why do these things never eat the cheap ones!)
I'm guessing a mouse, although I did find a snail on an upper shelf, but no
snailtrail around the pea area. (Whatever it is has also had a bit of a go at
some of the others, I think. Or else was just careless with the remains and
they are scattered on the other half-pipes. But nearly all my Shiraz mangetout
are goners)

--

On 11/05/2012 11:00, wrote:
To add my grumble to the sweetcorn thread, some little bugger has been into the
greenhouse and munched right along the row of stupidly expensive purple mangetout
and nipped them all off at the base of the shoot. :'(
(Why do these things never eat the cheap ones!)
I'm guessing a mouse, although I did find a snail on an upper shelf, but no
snailtrail around the pea area. (Whatever it is has also had a bit of a go at
some of the others, I think. Or else was just careless with the remains and
they are scattered on the other half-pipes. But nearly all my Shiraz mangetout
are goners)


Something has eaten through the stem of several of my tomato seedlings,
and it's almost certainly a snail. The the smooth crescent shape of the
"cut" always suggest to me something which does not have teeth, but
rasps the material away. With your damage, was there anything left on
the root side of the shoots? (in other words, was the offending beastie
after the seed/pea the seedling grew from?)

--

Jeff

Jeff Layman wrote:
Something has eaten through the stem of several of my tomato seedlings,
and it's almost certainly a snail. The the smooth crescent shape of the
"cut" always suggest to me something which does not have teeth, but
rasps the material away. With your damage, was there anything left on
the root side of the shoots? (in other words, was the offending beastie
after the seed/pea the seedling grew from?)

I was in a bit of a hurry, and definitely in a huff, so I didn't stop to
examine fair - I did try shoving a few of the stems back in in the vain
hope they may re-root, but ... Yes, I think there were kind of 'dug up'
bits, so I'm assuming it was a mouse after the pea. Probably came through
the vent, which is low and open to keep the place ventilated, but not as
windy as leaving the window open makes it. Ho hum.

On May 11, 12:33*pm, wrote:
Jeff Layman wrote:
Something has eaten through the stem of several of my tomato seedlings,
and it's almost certainly a snail. *The the smooth crescent shape of the
"cut" always suggest to me something which does not have teeth, but
rasps the material away. *With your damage, was there anything left on
the root side of the shoots? (in other words, was the offending beastie
after the seed/pea the seedling grew from?)

I was in a bit of a hurry, and definitely in a huff, so I didn't stop to
examine fair - I did try shoving a few of the stems back in in the vain
hope they may re-root, but ... *Yes, I think there were kind of 'dug up'
bits, so I'm assuming it was a mouse after the pea. *Probably came through
the vent, which is low and open to keep the place ventilated, but not as
windy as leaving the window open makes it. *Ho hum.

I find that with field mice they cut of loads and drag it to somewhere
safe to store it.

Eating through the base of the stem is typical of snail/slug damage on beans/peas. (They gnaw through where the stem emerges from the soil until the shoot topples, then they lose interest and move to the next one) It tends to be the small ones, and you won't find slime trails. Try lifting pots - they don't go far away during the day and you may find a slug tucked underneath one of the pots.

wrote in message
...
To add my grumble to the sweetcorn thread, some little bugger has been
into the
greenhouse and munched right along the row of stupidly expensive purple
mangetout
and nipped them all off at the base of the shoot. :'(
(Why do these things never eat the cheap ones!)
I'm guessing a mouse, although I did find a snail on an upper shelf, but
no
snailtrail around the pea area. (Whatever it is has also had a bit of a
go at
some of the others, I think. Or else was just careless with the remains
and
they are scattered on the other half-pipes. But nearly all my Shiraz
mangetout
are goners)

--
I have similar pea woes. I was growing them in paper pots on top of my high
dustbin. They were fine until a few days ago. One pea had been bitten
off. I moved them into my conservatory, but I leave it open so my cat can
come in, another three were also bitten off, one overnight and two in the
day.
I've moved them into my front porch. I have examined all the pots for
slugs/snails - nothing.
There was a green insect that hopped out then. It was similar to a
springtail but much much bigger, and it jumped like it was in the Olympics
when I tried to get it.
Is this my pea chewer?

Tina




W

Vicky wrote

To add my grumble to the sweetcorn thread, some little bugger has been into
the
greenhouse and munched right along the row of stupidly expensive purple
mangetout
and nipped them all off at the base of the shoot. :'(
(Why do these things never eat the cheap ones!)
I'm guessing a mouse, although I did find a snail on an upper shelf, but no
snailtrail around the pea area. (Whatever it is has also had a bit of a go
at
some of the others, I think. Or else was just careless with the remains
and
they are scattered on the other half-pipes. But nearly all my Shiraz
mangetout
are goners)


Mice usually wait until they see a shoot and then dig down and eat the pea
leaving the shoot to die. So, like all our peas this year, you will see
little holes in the soil where germinated peas should be but no actual peas.
Funny, but last year we had no trouble with mice at all on our ground sown
peas so I didn't use the grow in guttering system this year but we have lost
the lot now. Our experience here is only early peas work well, maincrop ones
get too hot/dry and never produce a decent crop.

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

That sounds like a thrip. No, it's not your pea chewer. It's another sap sucker, nowhere near as prolific as aphids, but won't keep still for you to squash them.

In your situation, I might talk to your cat. Quite a few cats like young peas, and pea shoots taste very similar.

"kay" wrote in message
...

Christina Websell;958495 Wrote:

There was a green insect that hopped out then. It was similar to a
springtail but much much bigger, and it jumped like it was in the
Olympics
when I tried to get it.
Is this my pea chewer?


That sounds like a thrip. No, it's not your pea chewer. It's another sap
sucker, nowhere near as prolific as aphids, but won't keep still for you
to squash them.

In your situation, I might talk to your cat. Quite a few cats like young
peas, and pea shoots taste very similar.

kay

No, it's wasn't him - he was tucked up on his duvet indoors on every
occasion it happened! They haven't been touched overnight in the porch.
It was too big for a thrip, maybe 1/2 inch, bright lime green with
spectacular long outcurved antennae.

kay wrote:
There was a green insect that hopped out then. It was similar to a
springtail but much much bigger, and it jumped like it was in the
Olympics
when I tried to get it.
Is this my pea chewer?
That sounds like a thrip.

Does it? I thought thrips were tiny and black, not big and green!

Christina Websell wrote:
No, it's wasn't him - he was tucked up on his duvet indoors on every
occasion it happened! They haven't been touched overnight in the porch.
It was too big for a thrip, maybe 1/2 inch, bright lime green with
spectacular long outcurved antennae.

A very early shield beetle?

Bob Hobden wrote:
Mice usually wait until they see a shoot and then dig down and eat the pea
leaving the shoot to die. So, like all our peas this year, you will see
little holes in the soil where germinated peas should be but no actual peas.

Yep, that sounds like the one. I've closed the greenhouse vent, but I doubt it
will stop them.

Funny, but last year we had no trouble with mice at all on our ground sown
peas so I didn't use the grow in guttering system this year but we have lost
the lot now. Our experience here is only early peas work well, maincrop ones
get too hot/dry and never produce a decent crop.

Well we /are/ using guttering, and it's not stopped them. :-(

On May 12, 11:50*am, wrote:
Christina Websell wrote:
No, it's wasn't him - he was tucked up on his duvet indoors on every
occasion it happened! *They haven't been touched overnight in the porch.
It was too big for a thrip, maybe 1/2 inch, bright lime green with
spectacular long outcurved antennae.

A very early shield beetle?

Shield bugs dont hop or jump.

Vicky wrote ..

Bob Hobden wrote:
Mice usually wait until they see a shoot and then dig down and eat the
pea
leaving the shoot to die. So, like all our peas this year, you will see
little holes in the soil where germinated peas should be but no actual
peas.

Yep, that sounds like the one. I've closed the greenhouse vent, but I
doubt it
will stop them.

Funny, but last year we had no trouble with mice at all on our ground
sown
peas so I didn't use the grow in guttering system this year but we have
lost
the lot now. Our experience here is only early peas work well, maincrop
ones
get too hot/dry and never produce a decent crop.

Well we /are/ using guttering, and it's not stopped them. :-(

We usually grow them in guttering at home and transport them down to the
plot to plant out, at home there is a large black moggy that likes mice a
lot!
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Bob Hobden wrote:
Well we /are/ using guttering, and it's not stopped them. :-(
We usually grow them in guttering at home and transport them down to the
plot to plant out, at home there is a large black moggy that likes mice a
lot!

The chickens are quite good at seeing off mice, but I think if I put them
in the greenhouse with the peas I'd have a whole host of /other/ problems.