28 replies to this topic

[Fran]

Recently, holes keep appearing in our lawn. They're typically 2-5 inches diameter, up to 6 inches deep, more cylindrical than conical and they're empty. There is no neat pile of excavated earth as you get with mole hills, though you can see the grass that's been ripped up.

Does anyone have any idea what's makeing them or, more importantly, how they can be discouraged from doing so?

We get cats, muntjac, badgers, foxes, squirrels and birds in the garden.

[Fran]

This is a picture of the smallest hole:

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[Eaton]

I'd guess it's either foxes or badgers.

[Mich]

This is a picture of the smallest hole:

It looks like squirrels to me - they are very neat and tidy when they bury their treasure but not so tidy when they come to dig it up to eat later!

[welshdragon]

My money would be on squirrels, or possibly badgers (looking at the shape)

[Fran]

Whilst we do get the odd squirrel in the garden, there's nothing obvious for them to bury and the holes look too big. Also, much of my life has been spend in homes with far more squirrels in the garden and where there were plenty of things to bury or dig up (acorns, bulbs, conkers), but we never had lots of large holes.

If it's the badger, I've still no idea why now, or why at all, let alone how to discourage them. The holes are scattered all over the garden, not just the pathway at the edge, which is the only place I've seen badgers.

Mysterious. And annoying.

[David P]

Green Woodpecker? They leave quite a few holes in our lawn looking for ants.

[hyposmurf]

Maybe this of some use.


wild about britain

[Fran]

Green Woodpecker? They leave quite a few holes in our lawn looking for ants.

Hmm. I've never noticed any woodpeckers, but maybe. We've also just started getting Chiltern red kites, but I don't think they dig.

Maybe this of some use.
wild about britain

Thanks. Certainly the photos look similar, but if ours were made by shrews or voles, surely they would be deeper - a tunnel, rather and a mere hole?

And we're no nearer to knowing why it's only started recently or how to stop them happening.

[David P]

Hmm. I've never noticed any woodpeckers, but maybe. We've also just started getting Chiltern red kites, but I don't think they dig.

Strange. We regularly get woodpeckers but I've not seen a badger for many years, yet we're less than a quarter mile apart.
Kites feed almost exclusively on carrion, so don't dig holes. I'd love to tempt them down into our garden but I think we have too many trees.

[Fran]

Kites... I'd love to tempt them down into our garden but I think we have too many trees.

We've only noticed them this close to home very recently, and also, equally recently, at my mother's in Oxon; maybe they'll have extended in your direction by next year. What I hadn't realised till now is that they have a very noisy call, so whilst they're lovely to watch, they not entirely conducive to relaxation if you're in the garden.

[David P]

We've only noticed them this close to home very recently, and also, equally recently, at my mother's in Oxon; maybe they'll have extended in your direction by next year. What I hadn't realised till now is that they have a very noisy call, so whilst they're lovely to watch, they not entirely conducive to relaxation if you're in the garden.

I've seen them over us for about a year now, though they are becoming more frequent. I'm tempted to throw out a few chicken legs to see if I can coax them down but:
a) that's what the residents of Stokenchurch were doing several years ago and is one reason they have not spread as fast as hoped
b ) recent kill, complete with fur or feathers, is better for them.

[Fran]

It's getting worse: more holes, more often, and they're getting bigger.

On Saturday we turfed over a veg patch, and during Sunday night (between 7pm and 7am), something made a largish hole, peeling back the turf, as well as damaging the edge in many places. As before, it doesn't look as if anything is buried, so what's going on and how can we stop it happening?

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[Eaton]

That looks like badger damage to me. I spent every morning for three weeks relaying turf for a customer last year that the visiting badgers had lifted and unrolled.

[David P]

I can't remember whether this has been posted here before but it does show that it could be worse!
Badgers in Chesham

Without watching it again I think the solution was to put plenty of peanuts out. The badgers can then feed on them rather than digging for worms.

[Fran]

Thanks Mel and David. Having watched the video and Googled [badger damage lawn], it is amost certainly badgers. And as every link points out how hard it is to get rid of them (most things are either illegal (badgers are a protected species) or ineffective), we'll have to try the peanuts.

So, next question: where's the best place to buy peanuts in bulk?

[Eaton]

Amersham Pet Supplies opposite Abbey National will get you a large sack of peanuts and they are far cheaper than Maurices, or you could get a bag of badger food, which are dry triangular biscuits, we feed the badgers with them in our front garden and suffer no adverse damamge.

[David P]

So, next question: where's the best place to buy peanuts in bulk?

My wife gets them from a farm shop down in Kent, but I guess that's a bit impractical.

Most of the garden centres are selling them now (as wild bird food) in anything up to 25kg bags.

[Fran]

Last night we put out almonds and pine nuts (I drew the line at cashews!). Most are still there, though I didn't spot any major new damage (although it doesn't happen every night).

Today I bought and sprinkled peanuts, so we're hoping they work. I'm not sure what sort of quantity to use though: I want to make it not worth their while to peel up the lawn for worms, but I don't want to encourage additional badgers into the garden either.

We're also leaving the light on, in the hope that discourages them, since they're nocturnal, but I'm less sure that will put them off, as it's only a smallish area that's lit and it isn't especially bright.

[Zoom]

How about sprinkling the peanuts over the fence into the neighbours garden ???

<gdr>

[Eaton]

How about sprinkling the peanuts over the fence into the neighbours garden ???

<gdr>

It's well worth a try!

I'm not aware that badgers like pine nuts and almonds but I'm not a huge expert.

[David P]

We're also leaving the light on, in the hope that discourages them, since they're nocturnal, but I'm less sure that will put them off, as it's only a smallish area that's lit and it isn't especially bright.

Maybe it worked. My wife saw a badger in our road yesterday evening - the first time for many years.

[Fran]

Nope. Worst ever damage last night - and they ate all the peanuts as well! I think the new turf has more worms in.

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[hyposmurf]

Oh. not great.Maybe the new turf is esier for them to lift and also that it may have been wet from laying attracting more worms.Could you maybe try and work out where they are getting in and improve your garden boundary?Failing that sit up one evening and try and scare them off.
Other options include the use of things to "spook" the badgers away. Being very cautious animals, badgers can be deterred by unusual things or changes to their surroundings. http://www.badgerlan.../gardeners.html

[Fran]

Maybe the new turf is esier for them to lift and also that it may have been wet from laying attracting more worms.

Yes, the new turf is certainly easy to lift. It is also richer soil, with more worms in - even after the badger(s) have eaten some. It's fairly easy to relay, but it'll never "take" if it keeps being peeled back.

At this rate I'm almost tempted to pave the whole garden, but one can't even do that without planning permission any more (drainage issues).

As for reinforcing boundaries etc, that's hard to do quickly and effectively (they're very strong and can burrow, climb and just bash).

[hyposmurf]

I think I'd sit out in the evening hidden away to see where they are coming in and try to scare them off.But thats not everyones cup of tea.Might get a few weird looks from the neighbours.

[Fran]

I think I'd sit out in the evening hidden away to see where they are coming in and try to scare them off.But thats not everyones cup of tea.Might get a few weird looks from the neighbours.

Funnily enough you're not the first to have offered. Maybe we need to have a nocturnal party? (I'm less keen on taking up the offers to "mark" territory, as suggested in the video link David P posted!)

[Fran]

After ascertaining that we weren't blocking the route to or from the sett, we blocked up the hole in the fence more than a week ago. Much to our surprise, they haven't yet bashed through elsewhere (it's not a very strong fence). So, fingers crossed that with regular check-ups we can stop it becoming a big problem again. In fact the next issue might be pulling up peanut saplings!

[Bengley]

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