Mystery Strawberry hoarder

Oldskoolrools · « **on:** May 31, 2012, 10:08 »

Hi,
I have a strawberry plot, approximately 5m x 5m. I have had 2 rows under cloches and they are now bearing fruit and ripening. I noticed some berries in what appeared like small piles on the ground beneath the plants. Yesterday I found about 30 strawberries underneath Rhubarb plants about 3m away from the nearest strawberry plants. There is no sign of bird damage to the fruits.

I am baffled as to which pests could be picking and moving the strawberries? I now have them all netted to protect against birds, but the sides are open.

Has anybody ever had this problem and know if it is birds or another pest such as mice or squirrels?

There aren’t any large trees nearby and the nearest I have seen a squirrel in my garden in about 40m away.

Thanks

Russel

angelavdavis · « **Reply #1 on:** May 31, 2012, 11:43 »

My bet is on rats or squirrels looking to take their quarry back to their nest or drey.

savbo · « **Reply #2 on:** May 31, 2012, 12:46 »

squirrels

last year they were running the 50m from the nearest hedgeline and going UNDER my bird netting, taking every ripe strawberry

not this year they won't

sav

shokkyy · « **Reply #3 on:** May 31, 2012, 13:19 »

I've even seen the squirrels in my garden pulling up the pegs holding down the netting so they can get underneath, far too bright for their own good.

savbo · « **Reply #4 on:** May 31, 2012, 16:24 »

if they get in this year I'm resorting to traps. Then I'll eat their strawberry-flavoured carcasses...

digalotty · « **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2012, 18:24 »

yep squirrels i caught them running along the top of a fence with one of my strawberrys in their mouths last year

Yorkie · « **Reply #6 on:** May 31, 2012, 20:23 »

That's my garden strawbs to be protected then!

Oldskoolrools · « **Reply #7 on:** June 01, 2012, 07:56 »

Well that's that mystery solved then....Thank you

I just wonder when they are planning on returning to collect their stash.....

shokkyy · « **Reply #8 on:** June 01, 2012, 15:09 »

But I have to say the squirrels pale into insignificance beside the mice in my garden. Last year the little brats nicked every single strawberry long before they turned red, and it was a big crop. None of the normal nettings will keep out mice, and I doubt if many of them would keep out squirrels either. And traps are really not a solution when you've got a big local population, you need to find an effective barricade.

This year I experimented with 4mm wire mesh over my garden peas, because the mice had suddenly become obsessed with them and ate their way through several hundred seeds. It worked like a charm. So now I'm going to use that mesh on a frame to cover the strawberry bed too. Fingers crossed.

rebeccaul · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2012, 19:01 »

Russel,

On checking our strawberry patch a few days ago I noticed that most of our strawberries that were ripening nicely had vanished! Not just eaten but picked clean off at the stem and there was no sign of any half eaten ones or discarded stalks. Today I uncovered a very large and rotten pile of strawberries under a flap of tarpaulin about 2 feet away! My initial thoughts were 'Someone on the allotment's being a bit cruel'. But if this is the behavior of rats or squirrels I'm suprised as I've seen no squirrels in the area. We do have a lot of tree and weed cover for things to hide in though.

I'm just really annoyed as we're trying to save money on food, it's a total waste of good fruit and they're clearly not coming back for it because it's totally rotten now!

I've netted half of the strawb plants and put an open ended poly tunnel on the others, but none are growing now.

Paul

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Mystery Strawberry hoarder

Oldskoolrools

Mystery Strawberry hoarder

angelavdavis

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

savbo

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

shokkyy

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

savbo

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

digalotty

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

Yorkie

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

Oldskoolrools

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

shokkyy

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

rebeccaul

Re: Mystery Strawberry hoarder

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