By Pringo
Norfolk,
United Kingdom 
I have a nylon net over my strawberries that is being eaten away. First there was one large hole then another smaller appeared just below. Now a third just to the left of the first two. Initially I thought an animal was trying to get to the strawberries but although formed and green have not been touched - just the net. The edges of the net seem to have been cauterised somehow like being burned or with saliva.
Any ideas if a bug of some kind can do this ? Have attached photos.
Tony.
On plant
It's a squirrel I've been told by my local garden centre. Just seen the culprit in question running along the lawn !
12 May, 2017
Answers
An animal with sharp teeth. Looks just big enough for a rat to pass through or such like. It was after the straw, not the berries - nesting material.
12 May, 2017
You are clever Bathgate. I thought it must be a rodent, but hadnt thought of the straw being its nesting material! Clever animal!
12 May, 2017
Odd, we have rats all around us (farm land) and never had any of them pinch the straw for bedding like that, nor chew through any netting either. Lucky I guess.
12 May, 2017
A rat surely wouldn't chew that high up - more likely to chew through towards the bottom, at ground level. Unless its a giant rat I suppose... even then it'd have to be the height of a cat or a small dog...
The odd thing is, some of the mesh is actually missing.
12 May, 2017
Rats can and do climb quite high esp if they find a breach. Whatever else you have running around.
12 May, 2017
Those holes seem to be 6 to 7 inches from the ground. Could be a bird picking threads for nesting material. Which reminds me that I came upon a Baltimore Oreole's nest made almost made totally out of cut fishing line in a tree which was near a boat rental dock at a lake.
13 May, 2017
wow, sounds like they make good use of whatever's around, but I imagine the nice soft straw would be a real find.
13 May, 2017
Previous question
More human than animal I reckon. Cigarette smoker?
12 May, 2017