Rats

[Millet]

The key to it is to find where the little buggers are getting in ... I discovered that they had chewed through a plastic air brick that was hidden behind a water butt ... once they are in the cavity they are up in the loft in no time.

Not all holes are low level - they are excellent climbers - they went up a Virginia creeper into the loft after I blocked the low level hole and through a hole in the soffit ! All sorted now ... at last.

Block the entrance they are using with something they can't chew through then trap them. The beggars will chew anything they fancy - including wiring, plastic water pipes, anything stored there .... bloody nuisance.

I'm not a rat expert ... Millets your man ... but I've learned fast and the thing to look for in the loft is the trails ... above or below insulation - a well placed trap will get them if you put it in the 'trail' and hide it with a bit of insulation if they are on top or make a tunnel of it if they are below it. No need for baiting the traps if my experience is anything to go by.

Rats in a loft space can be a nightmare to trap, even worse if the walls have a cavity as they can pop in and out randomly where ever they want, in my experience with lofts a baited trap is needed, (well not needed but better than messing on with failed efforts).
Make a 2ft long tunnel out of ply with a 3inch hole either end to suit the trap you choose.. ? place 2 x fenn Mk4 traps, one each end around 3in in at each end and put some nice food in the middle of the two traps, a removable lid helps.

 

[pargyle]

Rats in a loft space can be a nightmare to trap, even worse if the walls have a cavity as they can pop in and out randomly where ever they want, in my experience with lofts a baited trap is needed, (well not needed but better than messing on with failed efforts).
Make a 2ft long tunnel out of ply with a 3inch hole either end to suit the trap you choose.. ? place 2 x fenn Mk4 traps, one each end around 3in in at each end and put some nice food in the middle of the two traps, a removable lid helps.

I'll bow to your greater experience - I got lucky - put the traps on the line they were treading across the loft insulation (clearly visible) and got two on consecutive nights ... I found a run where the insulation had a gap under it and got the other one with a trap in there a couple of nights later. Rats ... bloody hate them !!

I've got one trying to dig into the hens run today ... it won't get in as there is fox proof mesh below ground but it's having a go ... the chase begins.

 

[Stiffy]

Your arrogance tells by your assumption that my post was aimed at you.
and your statement makes it obvious that it was a feeble attempt at trolling in the first place in the hope of getting a reaction.

Yet another attempt at bullying. If you quote someone's post and attempt to mock them, this is bullying.
How dare I mention that I do not agree with the vocal few, I should bow my head in shame and take their attacks..... Very poor show
S

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Yet another attempt at bullying. If you quote someone's post and attempt to mock them, this is bullying.
How dare I mention that I do not agree with the vocal few, I should bow my head in shame and take their attacks..... Very poor show
S

Did you consider that many of readers aren't bothered what you think? The present level of moderation works quite well and provides an interesting spread of opinions (even yours) and as someone already said vermin control is one part of the winter beekeepers life.
If YOU don't like a popular thread or a particular contributor ignore it/him.

 

[mbc]

Yet another attempt at bullying. If you quote someone's post and attempt to mock them, this is bullying.
How dare I mention that I do not agree with the vocal few, I should bow my head in shame and take their attacks..... Very poor show
S

Stiffy I suggest you reread the thread, the only slight suggestion of bullying comes from yourself when you suggest the discourse is degraded and only discussing weapon sizes.
If you don't like it, don't read it, but it is pertinent to beekeeping and obviously others on here are happy to while away some minutes on the conversation, please don't drag it into another slanging match and spoil it for all.

 

[Brian Bush]

Did you consider that many of readers aren't bothered what you think? The present level of moderation works quite well and provides an interesting spread of opinions (even yours) and as someone already said vermin control is one part of the winter beekeepers life.

I agree the level of moderation does work well on this site most of the time. I feel, however, that \stiffy does have a point regarding one or two regular contributors who are unable, or unwilling, to see that the tone of what they post is often harsh and dogmatic. I notice that their replies can be blunt and rude to certain contributors and feel they sometimes deliberately 'bait' others.

 

[Stiffy]

Stiffy I suggest you reread the thread, the only slight suggestion of bullying comes from yourself when you suggest the discourse is degraded and only discussing weapon sizes.
If you don't like it, don't read it, but it is pertinent to beekeeping and obviously others on here are happy to while away some minutes on the conversation, please don't drag it into another slanging match and spoil it for all.

I shall take your advise and from this point ignore the thread and certain members. I think a break from this forum until spring might be a better idea as it seems each winter it degrades into an ego fest!

I am also sorry if my request has upset you or any other member but a simple request to remove to an appropriate section on the forum as the thread had degraded to talking about shooting and had nothing to do with bees was treated with contempt and derision.
Maybe, I should have just been as arrogant as accused and treated the reply with contempt and ignored but stupidly I retaliated.....my mistake it seems.

I think if you re-read , you will find I did contribute to the thread and I was only following to see if there were any 'sensible' solutions . Killing animals for fun and discussing the means of doing so is certainly not something that I find attractive and discussing how big their or small their guns are and how much 'fun' people have from doing so, is IMHO very distasteful.

I am not the first to complain about certain members who think their views are sacrosanct and cannot be challenged and if they do , then suffer being bullied. However, I do think I have broad enough shoulders to take this but it does put others off joining in which I find very sad.

 

[Millet]

Chill out it will soon be spring.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

....and pigeon shooting can begin in earnest.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

....and pigeon shooting can begin in earnest.

Three years running we had some farmer with a bird scarer to protect his emerging crops but repeatedly got the timer 12hours adrift so it went off every quarter of an hour or so all night and was quiet during the day.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Three years running we had some farmer with a bird scarer to protect his emerging crops but repeatedly got the timer 12hours adrift so it went off every quarter of an hour or so all night and was quiet during the day.

There is a reason for that...it keeps the pigeons awake all night.... so they need to sleep all day, thus having no time for feeding, and in the end they all die of starvation.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

There is a reason for that...it keeps the pigeons awake all night.... so they need to sleep all day, thus having no time for feeding, and in the end they all die of starvation.

 

[Millet]

Lets not forget the rats..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My grandfather remembered the delights or rat stew back in the lean days of the early 1920's after his father died - I believe they just despatched them by swinging them by the tails against the nearest gatepost.

 

[Millet]

My grandfather remembered the delights or rat stew back in the lean days of the early 1920's after his father died - I believe they just despatched them by swinging them by the tails against the nearest gatepost.

i suppose that would work.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My grandfather remembered the delights or rat stew back in the lean days of the early 1920's after his father died - I believe they just despatched them by swinging them by the tails against the nearest gatepost.

He could have taken a job as a chef in one of the dwarf restaurants in Ankh-Morpork

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They eat dwarves!! now that's a line not to be crossed IMHO

 

[Gilberdyke John]

They eat dwarves!! now that's a line not to be crossed IMHO

The dwarves aren't at much risk of being eaten - the chain mail clothing is hard to digest

 

[alldigging]

The dwarves aren't at much risk of being eaten - the chain mail clothing is hard to digest

But still easier to digest than dwarf bread!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

But still easier to digest than dwarf bread!

How much kneading does it take to get a dwarf to rise?