I have for the fourth time this autumn replanted crocus bulbs in my garden.

I had thought that perhaps badgers or foxes were digging up and eating the
bulbs, and therefore placed large metal sheets covering them over + heavy
weights on top, having sprinkled the adjacent ground with methyl nonyl
ketone 'crystals' .

Upon examination today it appeared that a small mouse-sized creature has
burrowed under the metal sheeting , dug out and eaten the bulbs.

I have replanted the bulbs adding mustard powder and scent-off pellets in
with each bulb . . . . . . . . . . . but what is recommended as the most
effective way of rendering the bulbs unappetising to predators ?

Anthony

"Anthony Stokes" wrote in message
...
I have for the fourth time this autumn replanted crocus bulbs in my garden.

I had thought that perhaps badgers or foxes were digging up and eating the
bulbs, and therefore placed large metal sheets covering them over + heavy
weights on top, having sprinkled the adjacent ground with methyl nonyl
ketone 'crystals' .

Upon examination today it appeared that a small mouse-sized creature has
burrowed under the metal sheeting , dug out and eaten the bulbs.

I have replanted the bulbs adding mustard powder and scent-off pellets in
with each bulb . . . . . . . . . . . but what is recommended as the most
effective way of rendering the bulbs unappetising to predators ?

Anthony



LOL. Just out of interest, how did you think the crocus were going to get
through metal sheeting!?

Why not put some mouse traps down. Probably only a few doing the damage.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

"Tumbleweed" wrote in message
LOL. Just out of interest, how did you think the crocus were going to get
through metal sheeting!?

Why not put some mouse traps down. Probably only a few doing the damage.

Have looked in the garden at first light this morning to find that more
crocus bulbs have been stolen :-((

Think I will try soaking briefly in paraffin (?) before planting again and
re-covering with bricks.

It takes weeks (months) for the bulbs to reach the surface, so no problem
with covering with solid heavy objects until shoots reach the surface.
The small predator(s) do not seem at all interested in digging out well
established and previous years' bulbs, it's only freshly planted bulbs that
get promptly removed.

Anthony

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 08:14:41 -0000, "Anthony Stokes"
wrote:

~
~"Tumbleweed" wrote in message
~ LOL. Just out of interest, how did you think the crocus were going to get
~ through metal sheeting!?
~
~ Why not put some mouse traps down. Probably only a few doing the damage.
~
~Have looked in the garden at first light this morning to find that more
~crocus bulbs have been stolen :-((

It's probably squirrels. They destroyed all my croci the first year I
was in the current house, and since then I've grown them in pots under
an inch-wide aluminium mesh. They don't get through that. Ditto for
tulips.

The pots of exhaused corms which I've buried in the garden to recover
in the past don't get noticed. I think they see freshly moved soil and
wonder what's buried there.

jane

~
~Think I will try soaking briefly in paraffin (?) before planting again and
~re-covering with bricks.
~
~It takes weeks (months) for the bulbs to reach the surface, so no problem
~with covering with solid heavy objects until shoots reach the surface.
~The small predator(s) do not seem at all interested in digging out well
~established and previous years' bulbs, it's only freshly planted bulbs that
~get promptly removed.
~
~Anthony
~
~

--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

"jane" wrote in message
It's probably squirrels. They destroyed all my croci the first year I
was in the current house, and since then I've grown them in pots under
an inch-wide aluminium mesh. They don't get through that. Ditto for
tulips.
The pots of exhaused corms which I've buried in the garden to recover
in the past don't get noticed. I think they see freshly moved soil and
wonder what's buried there.

I do suffer predation by grey squirrels. They strip over 99% of my walnuts
while still green and growing in late summer and - more amusingly - after
the crows (jays) plant acorns in my lawns in early autumn - often grey
squirrels will come within minutes to a few hours afterwards and remove many
of the acorns recently planted by the jays ( thankfully reducing the number
I have to root out myself ).
However , the squirrels round here do not seem to appear at night-time and
certainly wouldn't get bulbs that have been buried under a 3ft x 4ft steel
sheet with 50+ lbs weight on top !

Although I have heard and seen badgers raiding my patio pots for tasty
extras, the current problem with crocus theft is evidently attributable to
small mice.

Last night I put a mouse trap in the most theft-prone area and was surprised
to find one dead mouse this morning. I would much rather train the mice
not to take my bulbs, but they seem undeterred by 'scent off pellets'
mustard powder or other deterrants so far tried.

Anthony

Anthony Stokes wrote:
:: "jane" wrote in message
::: It's probably squirrels. They destroyed all my croci the first
::: year I was in the current house, and since then I've grown them
::: in pots under an inch-wide aluminium mesh. They don't get through
::: that. Ditto for tulips.
::: The pots of exhaused corms which I've buried in the garden to
::: recover in the past don't get noticed. I think they see freshly
::: moved soil and wonder what's buried there.
::
:: I do suffer predation by grey squirrels. They strip over 99% of my
:: walnuts while still green and growing in late summer and - more
:: amusingly - after the crows (jays) plant acorns in my lawns in
:: early autumn - often grey squirrels will come within minutes to a
:: few hours afterwards and remove many of the acorns recently
:: planted by the jays ( thankfully reducing the number I have to
:: root out myself ).
:: However , the squirrels round here do not seem to appear at
:: night-time and certainly wouldn't get bulbs that have been buried
:: under a 3ft x 4ft steel sheet with 50+ lbs weight on top !
::
:: Although I have heard and seen badgers raiding my patio pots for
:: tasty extras, the current problem with crocus theft is evidently
:: attributable to small mice.
::
:: Last night I put a mouse trap in the most theft-prone area and was
:: surprised to find one dead mouse this morning. I would much
:: rather train the mice not to take my bulbs, but they seem
:: undeterred by 'scent off pellets' mustard powder or other
:: deterrants so far tried.
::
:: Anthony

If you know someone who has a pet rat, get the droppings off them and
scatter these around the bulbs and in the area of planting, rats prey on
mice, failing that, get a plastic owl and mount it on a post nearby, both of
these should be enough to deter even the hungriest of mice.

If you know someone who has a pet rat, get the droppings off them and
scatter these around the bulbs and in the area of planting, rats prey on
mice, failing that, get a plastic owl and mount it on a post nearby, both
of
these should be enough to deter even the hungriest of mice.

No rats around here as far as I know, but maybe a plastic owl might be found
!

Catching the mice in traps is also proving difficult.
Apparently the local foxes are stealing the mouse traps which are vanishing
nightly from my crocus area and being removed to place unknown. Whether
the foxes take the mousetraps before or after a mouse is caught is unknown.

Now loosing both bulbs and mousetraps :-(

Ant.

Anthony Stokes wrote:
::: If you know someone who has a pet rat, get the droppings off them
::: and scatter these around the bulbs and in the area of planting,
::: rats prey on mice, failing that, get a plastic owl and mount it
::: on a post nearby, both of these should be enough to deter even
::: the hungriest of mice.
::
:: No rats around here as far as I know, but maybe a plastic owl
:: might be found !
::
:: Catching the mice in traps is also proving difficult.
:: Apparently the local foxes are stealing the mouse traps which are
:: vanishing nightly from my crocus area and being removed to place
:: unknown. Whether the foxes take the mousetraps before or after a
:: mouse is caught is unknown.
::
:: Now loosing both bulbs and mousetraps :-(
::
:: Ant.

I can tell you how to make a humane trap, but then you are faced with the
problem of getting rid of the mice.

You need two buckets or plantpots, one must fit inside the other *upside
down* - that is, you put the two buckets together open end first, so that
you have a sealed container with a 'bottom' at both ends - this is the trap.

to set it, you need to cut a hole in the side of the largest one, near to
the base to allow entry for the mouse, [1]the smaller bucket is held in
place by a folded piece of card, folded into a 'V', inside this 'V' you put
your bait,[2] I suggest brown bread, to get at it, the mouse has to move the
V and the upper bucket drops leaving his exit hole closed.[3]

fig 1

| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
hole |
__________ |


fig two


| |
| |
| |
| | I havent drawn the 2nd bucket here but it
|_card__ | rests upon the card and has bait inside it, he
| can't get it unless he moves the card
__________ | which springs the trap


fig three



________
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | | the upper bucket has dropped leaving
| | | | him trapped, his exit hole sealed by
|__M ____| | the upper bucket.


It look a bit complicated but should take no longer than ten minutes to
make, once it's made you can use the same trap over and over again...you
will need new card from time to time, the V should be pointing towards the
centre of the trap with the two arms holding the upper bucket up, this way
he has to move the V to get his dinner.
Another advantage of this, apart from it being free of course is that you
can immediatelt tell if you've caught a mouse as the upper bucket ha fell,
you don't need a close inspection every day.


HTH