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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] mice, voles, rodents, oh my!

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  • From: "paul wheaton" <paul@richsoil.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] mice, voles, rodents, oh my!
  • Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:44:49 -0700

You have a shortage of critters.

Garter snakes would probably be the best. You can get those at almost
any pet shop.

Cats - just common house cats, would help a lot.

Some dogs are really good at catching and eating a half dozen voles a day.

Chickens and ducks for the slugs.

But NEVER poison. Never, never, never, never.

One insect I've been having some trouble with and am thinking about
tossing some DE under the mulch: rove beetles have been eating my
earthworms.

On 9/11/07, kevin s <k.skvorak@verizon.net> wrote:
> 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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