Garden Wars and Wasps

[d000hg]

I thought we'd escaped wasps this year until I finished trimming a section of tall hedge and looked up to see I was about 6" from cutting into a football sized nest. Gave me quite the start. And delayed me finishing the job until I could kill the nest.

Loads of bumblebees here, we even have a colony in a bird nesting box this year. You can hear them buzzing to keep the nest cool.

[SueEllen]

I thought we'd escaped wasps this year until I finished trimming a section of tall hedge and looked up to see I was about 6" from cutting into a football sized nest. Gave me quite the start. And delayed me finishing the job until I could kill the nest.
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[Sue B]

Lots of lovely big bees in the garden this year and a lot more butterflies than last year too which is good, agree there seems to be far fewer wasps. My daughter runs around with the sugar syrup during dry spell/heatwaves, administering to tired bumbles .... sort of a bee paramedic.

[OwlHoot]

Lots of lovely big bees in the garden this year and a lot more butterflies than last year too which is good, agree there seems to be far fewer wasps. My daughters runs around with the sugar syrup during dry spell/heatwaves, administering to tired bumbles .... sort of a bee paramedic.

I rinse and keep empty plastic shampoo cartons, with the aim of burying them in nearby banks, with just the open top peeping out, to provide handy homes for bumblebees. But currently I have about thirty cartons and haven't yet got round to burying any!

[ladymuck]

I rinse and keep empty plastic shampoo cartons, with the aim of burying them in nearby banks, with just the open top peeping out, to provide handy homes for bumblebees. But currently I have about thirty cartons and haven't yet got round to burying any!

Burying plastic isn't very environmentally friendly due to the toxins they release when they do eventually break down, assuming someone doesn't spot them and think some oik has been dumping rubbish.

[Sue B]

I do have bee hotels, and a wild section of the garden with logpiles, nettles, compost heap etc. Only problem is as we live next to water, and keep chickens, I have made a perfect environment for rats ..... but still, as long as they keep to the wild side, we just have to accept them as part of the eco-system!

[SueEllen]

I do have bee hotels, and a wild section of the garden with logpiles, nettles, compost heap etc. Only problem is as we live next to water, and keep chickens, I have made a perfect environment for rats ..... but still, as long as they keep to the wild side, we just have to accept them as part of the eco-system!

Emmm - No.

You don't want your neighbours to report you to the council who will take a dim view of you feeding rats.

[d000hg]

Emmm - No.

You don't want your neighbours to report you to the council who will take a dim view of you feeding rats.

The council will come out to help you if you report rats. The big question is if where they live has a covenant against keeping animals. Many do, but it does like other Sue might be rural.

It is not possible to keep chickens outdoors without attracting rats, it comes with the territory. Although until this spring it was banned to let your chickens outdoors due to a bird-flu outbreak. Most irritating.

[Sue B]

Well the rats were here before us and the chickens, and will be here long after I suspect! We did get the local council out when we first moved in because we saw evidence of rats. Our boundary is directly with farm land. They did supply traps but they caught nothing at all, and they basically said good luck getting rid of them, because of the farm land and the water course, but basically i think i just made it cosier! Yes, I did have to keep the hens indoors from late last year to March this year, they were not happy!

[northernladuk]

Not that type of hedge trimming....