yesterday morning went outside after breakfast and noticed little heads
sticking up in the pond. So I went over to look and found we had about
1000 toads in the pond having an orgy. Well some were mating others were
just hanging out singing. this continued all day. than at dusk I went
out to get my husband in for dinner and had to side step the toads
migrating towards the garden area and the woods. Nate our yearling pup
decided to try and eat a toad but quickly dropped the one he picked up.
It is about an hour before dawn and I still hear them singing for mates.
I assume the fish in the pond are gorging on the toad eggs and that we
will have a mass exodus of baby toads in about 4 weeks.
I am also hoping these guys take care of any slugs in the garden. I wish
they ate mice and voles as those have been hitting the seedlings very
hard this spring. the mice have been eating all the melon seeds I have
planted (replanted them yesterday and took the flats out of the
germination room and put them on top of the fridge in the mouseless
kitchen), decapitated about 500 pepper seedlings, ate 3 flats of various
brassicas, dug holes in the flats trying to get at the odd melon seed
that did not break down in the compost. In the hoophouses the voles have
been grazing the arugula fields (fields to them anyway) beheading the
cukes and zukes and other mischief.
I have to keep telling myself that the mice and voles eat weed seed so
are not all evil.
Lucy
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Lucy, you're more tolerant than I about these losses of seedlings to =
mice and voles. If your yearling pup is not a terrier, you should get =
one from the humane society, pound, whatever you have there. I just =
read this morning that herons catch and devour mice too. I didn't know =
that before. The great blue herons here are gorgeous birds, about 4 =
feet tall, and water gardeners hate them because they feed on pet koi =
and other fish in water gardens. Congratulations on your toad bonanza. =
Margaret L
yesterday morning went outside after breakfast and noticed little heads
sticking up in the pond. So I went over to look and found we had about
1000 toads in the pond having an orgy. Well some were mating others were =
just hanging out singing. this continued all day. than at dusk I went
out to get my husband in for dinner and had to side step the toads
migrating towards the garden area and the woods. Nate our yearling pup
decided to try and eat a toad but quickly dropped the one he picked up.
I am also hoping these guys take care of any slugs in the garden. I wish =
they ate mice and voles as those have been hitting the seedlings very
hard this spring. the mice have been eating all the melon seeds I have
planted (replanted them yesterday and took the flats out of the
germination room and put them on top of the fridge in the mouseless
kitchen), decapitated about 500 pepper seedlings, ate 3 flats of various =
brassicas, dug holes in the flats trying to get at the odd melon seed
that did not break down in the compost.
Lucy
------=_NextPart_000_001A_01C65EC0.20D52850
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_0065_01C65ECD.4C9CAA00
The problem with losing pepper seedlings is you've lost time out of your =
growing season. I had a mouse problem in my greenhouse last spring, my =
terrier couldn't get to the mice, so friends rigged a hardware cloth =
shield over the cooling vents that are near ground level, and that =
stopped the mice. All terriers are mousers, not just rat terriers. =
When we had our cairn terrier (from the pound, amazingly), he really =
swept the yard of voles until he lost his eyesight the last year of his =
life (about 17). His successor was part schnauzer, and he was very good =
about killing voles and mice, but too polite to wade into the sweet =
potato vines where they were having a high old time. When we started =
dismantling the garden for fall, he really waded in. Now we have a wire =
fox terrier/jack russell cross, and he's doing his mouse-killing thing. =
Margaret L
I am loosing my paitence with the mice/chipmunk as last nite someone =
came in and ate about 80% of the seedlings I had pricked yesterday. =
Nothing like seeing 5 hours of work go down the tubes. At least I have a =
lot of extra pepper seed so I can replace things.
I did not know herons ate nice. Unfortunately the pup (a lab pointer =
cross, not a rat terrier) thinks the pond is his alone and chases all =
birds off of the pond. there are herons that fly over looking like they =
would land but Nate makes sure they do not. Also have a king fisher =
interested in the pond (but I don't think they do eat small rodents). I =
am hoping this bird hatred he has works when the berries are coming in. =
He can go and chase all the birds out of them.
A new farm is quite the learning experience.
Lucy
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> Lucy, you're more tolerant than I about these losses of seedlings to mice and voles. If your yearling pup is not a terrier, you should get one from the humane society, pound, whatever you have there. I just read this morning that herons catch and devour mice too. I didn't know that before. The great blue herons here are gorgeous birds, about 4 feet tall, and water gardeners hate them because they feed on pet koi and other fish in water gardens. Congratulations on your toad bonanza.
My rough collie and [German shepherd/golden retriever mix]
also catch and eat mice and voles when they get the
opportunity - usually in winter, when the mice and voles run
around underneath the snow (which we barely had any of this
year).
Our cat has started hanging out in the hoophouse! Yay, Ms.
Katycat! She has discovered that it's warm inside and she
loves that. I just hope she doesn't decide to claw at the
door when it's closed.
Pat
--
Gardening in northern Pennsylvania.
Eat local food, change the world for the better!
MARGARET LAUTERBACH wrote:
Lucy, you're more tolerant than I about these losses of seedlings to mice and voles. If your yearling pup is not a terrier, you should get one from the humane society, pound, whatever you have there. I just read this morning that herons catch and devour mice too. I didn't know that before. The great blue herons here are gorgeous birds, about 4 feet tall, and water gardeners hate them because they feed on pet koi and other fish in water gardens. Congratulations on your toad bonanza. Margaret L
I am loosing my paitence with the mice/chipmunk as last nite someone came in and ate about 80% of the seedlings I had pricked yesterday. Nothing like seeing 5 hours of work go down the tubes. At least I have a lot of extra pepper seed so I can replace things. the plan now is to dismantle the germination room and move it to a mouse free building. thouygh have been told os several traps that might work. The eliot Coleman trick for voles is to take a small box, cut a mouse hole in one end and place 2 to 3 un baited traps in the box and pout the lid on. the mice/voles like small closed in spaces so will enter the box and get trapped. Another person said to get a bucket, fill it with water, ties a taught string across the top of the bucket and hang some cheese or other bait. the mouse will climb the string to get at the bait and fall in the water and drown. My husband has had some success with stomping on voles-he got 2 that way yesterday and nate the pup enjoys digging them up but we do not want him digging up seedbeds and that confuses him.
I did not know herons ate nice. Unfortunately the pup (a lab pointer cross, not a rat terrier) thinks the pond is his alone and chases all birds off of the pond. there are herons that fly over looking like they would land but Nate makes sure they do not. Also have a king fisher interested in the pond (but I don't think they do eat small rodents). I am hoping this bird hatred he has works when the berries are coming in. He can go and chase all the birds out of them.
A new farm is quite the learning experience.
Lucy
In a message dated 4/13/06 6:02:19 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
goodows@INFINET.COM writes:
<< I am also hoping these guys take care of any slugs in the garden. I wish
they ate mice and voles as those have been hitting the seedlings very
hard this spring. the mice have been eating all the melon seeds I have
planted (replanted them yesterday and took the flats out of the
germination room and put them on top of the fridge in the mouseless
kitchen), decapitated about 500 pepper seedlings, ate 3 flats of various
brassicas, dug holes in the flats trying to get at the odd melon seed
that did not break down in the compost. In the hoophouses the voles have
been grazing the arugula fields (fields to them anyway) beheading the
cukes and zukes and other mischief.
I have to keep telling myself that the mice and voles eat weed seed so
are not all evil. >>
What about diverting them from the plants by setting up a feeder with
birdseed away on the other side of the yard?
Mary Ann
