Who's been chewing my house?

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The apiary is quite sheltered from snowfall so footprints do not abound! I am shortlisting to muntjack or grey squirrel at the moment, if it happens again a camera set up will be interesting.
 
We've had rats trying to eat into our rabbit hutch - which is in a locked shed at night. We have swopped sheds, but the damage looks similar
 
Ok we have gone another twenty four hours and no return visit, this likely rules out rats and mice and Leaves me with badger or muntjack. I reckon a badger would do more damage they are very powerful creatures so money still on muntjack.
 
Ok we have gone another twenty four hours and no return visit, this likely rules out rats and mice and Leaves me with badger or muntjack. I reckon a badger would do more damage they are very powerful creatures so money still on muntjack.

Hi Drinkstone,
Muntjack and smell of honey does not ring true to me. Around here they eat Laurels this time of year. Mind they like roses. Hey what do I know. Keep us posted. Please let it not be rats!
 
Spread some diesel around, if it is badgers or deer they will not go near it.
 
Seems to last a few weeks, depends on how soon it gets washed away by rain, good for keeping deer out, have been out this afternoon and tied some short bits of foam to a wire fence around one of my apairys, these are then soaked with diesel....lots of red deer been going into the apairy, last time i needed to do this was well before xmas. This is what many of the local gamekeepers around here do....in places where they cannot shoot the problem.
 
Ever seen Muntjack teeth? Fangs as well.
 
They look nice and cuddly standing beside the A11 nibbling at the bushes but you'd never believe how quick they can accelerate from a standstill.

I have seen them on the estate where I live on the outskirts of Norwich. Only used to see them in Theford forest years ago.
 
Simple, don't do it near a water course, shoot the deer instead.

Maybe being a bit stupid here but how do you know if you are close to a watercourse? Is it simply if a stream is nearby?
 
Maybe being a bit stupid here but how do you know if you are close to a watercourse? Is it simply if a stream is nearby?

That would be a good guess, but i would not get too worried about it, you only need a small quantity of diesel,half a litre say,and it is soaked into strips of foam,not dug into the ground. There are many worse things that do get into our water courses every day from many other sources, gender bending birth control stuff is one.

Now if you are a nutter, and intend to spread 45 gallon barrels, or even lorry tanker loads of the stuff around every field, i am sure it would be different.
 
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There are many worse things that do get into our water courses every day from many other sources, gender bending birth control stuff is one.
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Well, that's an easy one to remedy and very admirable too Hivemaker. On the up-side there will be less nappy waste. I would hazard a guess that farm slurry and fertilisers are much worse offenders.
 
Well! It’s been back! We have built Colditz around the apiary this afternoon with 1” mesh three feet high staked all round – this should eliminate some and with this snow leave some tracks for identification.
 

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