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  • From: lbsaltzman@aol.com
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] mice, voles, rodents, oh my!
  • Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:39:05 -0400

You have a definite shortage of barn owls. Consider putting barn owl houses
at strategic locations around the property. Once attracted to the home,?a
barn own pair and chicks easily consume a thousand rodents a year, often
more.? There are plans on the internet for building the homes or you can find
them for sale on the internet as well. There are also instructions on how to
locate them and how high they should be (approx. 15 feet off the ground).?
You will have to use other short term strategies until they come but this is
a great long term strategy.?


-----Original Message-----
From: kevin s <k.skvorak@verizon.net>
To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 5:21 am
Subject: [permaculture] mice, voles, rodents, oh my!



hi folks,

here in NYS we are approaching the end of our second season growing
for our CSA primarily using mulchbeds. we have grown so far in three
different locations, each with very different soil conditions, and
very different wider ecological conditions, and the systems have
proven themselves to be very productive means of growing.

pests, unfortunately, are another issue. particularly the fact that
mulch beds provide wonderful habitat for rodents. (and we won't even
get into slugs, and other overwintering pests here)

though we have seen consistently good yield, our losses to pests are
often unacceptable under the circumstances, and as a CSA and market
farming operation we have an obligation to provide produce of a
certain quality, or we will simply not make it financially. while
we can eat food damaged by rodents chewmarks, we can't pass it off on
our members if we want them to stick around.

we want to continue moving no-till fwd, and continue promoting it
both in our own communities, and in the wider farming community, but
we can't do that if it just doesn't work to provide an economically
viable yield.

so, i am earnestly seeking advice and help out there. though i hate
to do it, i am thinking about some rounds of poisons over the coming
months, and again in the spring to knock down the population, and
then some limited change in cultural practices to try to minimize
breeding sites, but just by observing the scale of our problem, i
don't have high confidence in the success of any of this.

of course each area that we grow in has vastly different existing
ecologies and concurrent opportunities for IPM strategies, and that
is where we get the real benefits ie- more snakes=less mice. this
isn't always something that can be created quickly, or even at all in
some circumstances depending on the growing area and what is around
it etc

eager for help (and feeling anxiety in advance of flippant advice
from armchair permies like "get yourself some ducks mate! duck love
mice...." etc)


thanks
kevin
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