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SWomething is digging up and eating bulbs planted in containers in the garden

tonys

By Tonys

United Kingdom

We have not experienced this before. What pest is the likey cause?




Answers

 

Hi Tonys and welcome to GoY.

Your question does not give any details on how the bulbs are being eaten or what area you live in, rural, suburban, city centre etc. Any chance of your posting a picture of the damage? If not I would hazard a guess at mice or rats or one of their cousins.

John.

19 Dec, 2008

 

i recon it could be squirrels, they dug up loads of mine last year there was some really good blogs last year, a few members had this problem, look up on Novermber/December 2007 blog history, i am sure you will find all the info you need on there, and a few funny storys as i remember.

19 Dec, 2008

 

Welcome to GOY

Very likely to be squirrels. They love the roots as the bulbs start growing. They dig down, making a small deep hole and cause havoc, damaging lots of bulbs. I've put chicken wire on top of my pots and let the bulbs grow through.

19 Dec, 2008

 

I'm not disagreeing, I would guess squirrels too.
John - my grandfather used to call squirrels 'rats with tails' so you are sort of right, too - in a quirky way!

19 Dec, 2008

 

It's a smell that the bulbs give off as they start to grow which attracts rodents to them.
I find empty hanging baskets inverted over the pots,
keep them out. Also a few moth balls.
Yes Spritz my parents always called squirrels "rats with tails."

19 Dec, 2008

 

Lol. My father called them 'tree rats'.

19 Dec, 2008

 

I find that the blackbirds are going round the garden digging in all the pots presumably looking for worms and other insects. There's no way of stopping them. I just tell them off when I see them!

19 Dec, 2008

 

Yeah, blame the squirrels. We still do call them rats with tails, no flattery cutesy stuff. Shoot them!

19 Dec, 2008

 

Do normal rats not have tails then? And do be careful. if they are RED squirrels, they are protected and rare. So please don't shoot them. But we don't know where you are do we?

19 Dec, 2008

amy
Amy
 

Yes I would say squirrels , we have the problem as well !
Mice to .......

19 Dec, 2008

 

Definately Squirrels Not nice at all. They are just vandals

19 Dec, 2008

 

What are bandicoots?

20 Dec, 2008

How do I say thanks?

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