I have some climbing beans in my polytunnel. Something, during the night, is
systematically biting through the stems near to the ground. Nothing else is
being touched.

My main suspects are a couple of hedgehogs that have recently appeared but I
thought that they mainly eat slugs, snails and insects.

Does anyone know if hedgehogs are likely to do this? If not, has anyone any
other ideas, please?

Regards

Howard Neil

In article ,
Howard Neil hneil@REMOVE TO REPLY.co.uk wrote:
I have some climbing beans in my polytunnel. Something, during the night, is
systematically biting through the stems near to the ground. Nothing else is
being touched.

My main suspects are a couple of hedgehogs that have recently appeared but I
thought that they mainly eat slugs, snails and insects.

Does anyone know if hedgehogs are likely to do this? If not, has anyone any
other ideas, please?

Only if rabid :-)

You are correct in what they eat, and they are almost certainly
hunting the culprits - which are probably slugs or snails. If
the stems are semi-woody, then the culprits are more likely to
be voles, or perhaps mice, and hedgehogs can't deal with them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Does anyone know if hedgehogs are likely to do this? If not, has anyone
any
other ideas, please?

Only if rabid :-)

You are correct in what they eat, and they are almost certainly
hunting the culprits - which are probably slugs or snails. If
the stems are semi-woody, then the culprits are more likely to
be voles, or perhaps mice, and hedgehogs can't deal with them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks, Nick. I have ruled out slugs and snails (my first suspects) as
adjacent plants that are usually attacked by them have been left untouched,
probably due to the good work of the hedgehogs.

I have not noticed any increase in small rodents (although, as I am in the
country, there are lots of them normally). It would also surprise me if they
preferred my beans to the feast to be had in nearby hedgerows.

Just a thought, could the hedgehogs have accidentally broken the beans while
hunting the slugs and snails? It is too late for this year but, if this is a
possibility, I will try to devise some sort of very low fence to protect the
beans next year.

Regards

Howard Neil

In article ,
"Howard Neil" hneil@REMOVE TO REPLY.co.uk writes:
|
| Thanks, Nick. I have ruled out slugs and snails (my first suspects) as
| adjacent plants that are usually attacked by them have been left untouched,
| probably due to the good work of the hedgehogs.
|
| I have not noticed any increase in small rodents (although, as I am in the
| country, there are lots of them normally). It would also surprise me if they
| preferred my beans to the feast to be had in nearby hedgerows.
|
| Just a thought, could the hedgehogs have accidentally broken the beans while
| hunting the slugs and snails? It is too late for this year but, if this is a
| possibility, I will try to devise some sort of very low fence to protect the
| beans next year.

Yes. But it seems unlikely if a lot of them were damaged. Were the
stems broken off, or gnawed through?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Yes. But it seems unlikely if a lot of them were damaged. Were the
stems broken off, or gnawed through?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I have just had another look. They seem to have been cut about 4 or 5 inches
above the soil. The stems are between 3mm and 7mm in diameter and the cut is
slanted in every case (rather like the traditional way of pruning roses).
The stems do not seem to have been eaten (the two parts still meet). It is
as if it has been done deliberately.

This did not happen all at once but about half a dozen a night. I am pretty
sure I can rule out human damage due to our very remote location.

The good news (I hope) is that the root end of the stems are starting to
grow again so I need to consider protecting them sooner than expected.

Regards

Howard Neil