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  • From: kevin s <k.skvorak@verizon.net>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] mice, voles, rodents, oh my!
  • Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:59:42 -0400

thanks for all the replies on this. i know that it is not a new issue for folks

i am not sure yet what all of our own strategies are going to be, but definitely it would fall within a characterization of "integrated pest management" which will probably mean limited poisoning by some means and i definitely want to choose those that do not pass thru the food chain. i am going to start with some traps though, and see how successful that is

we will also try to create some owl nesting sites. probably not daytime raptors though as they already hunt the chickens, and don't seem to bother the rodents much.

i am not a fan of cats, as i like the songbirds too much (as do they)

we will also do more trials of various plantings that are rumored to deter the burrowers like voles, which are our biggest problem, and i would love to hear more suggestions about this. we'll try them all, so please pass them along!

mostly we will do our best to limit the rodent habitat through cultural practices, though that will be tough with close to an acre of mulch.

part of our issue of course is scale. even though we are tiny compared to most commercial growers, we have some of the largest mulch bed systems i have seen, (maybe i don't get around enough) and that comes with real challenges in trying to achieve the kind of ecological balance and predator habitat needed to keep the rodents down. we are working on this, but it takes time

a big piece of this seems to me to be in what kind of ecology you have to start with. the areas that we grow in that were already wild, with a lot of existing diversity have much less problems than the plot we have that is attached to what is essentially several acres of lawn. this is the situation with by far the worst problems, ....and the least predator habitat.

thanks again!

kevin
Regeneration CSA
High Falls NY












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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