[IanM2]

Hi all
We have had some form if visitors all winter in our raised beds and there is still activity today as per the attached photos. The hole size is about 1.5 - 2 inches. The beds are two sleepers deep. We are not sure if it is safe to plant again this year
A similar thing happened last winter and the council pest man seemed to indicate it was not rats as he left bait etc to no avail. He wondered about mice but the problem stopped then, however it appears to be back again.
Does anyone know what it is and how to get rid???

[Stree]

Mice?

[Kleftiwallah]

You tested the ground for moisture with a dibber and forgot ! ! !

Cheers,   Tony.

[shokkyy]

The three things that can make a hole like that are mice, rats and voles. The difference really is in the size of the hole and the type and amount of damage they do to any nearby plants. Rats are supposed to need a 3 inch hole but mice and voles make a smaller hole. Mice will tend to snip off leaves and stems, often leaving them lying on the ground, and will make a beeline for any pea seeds, which seems to be their very favourite food. Rats being bigger and stronger, they'll obviously do more damage and eat more. Voles can eat quite a lot as well, despite their size.

I often get mice in my beds, both in the tunnel and outside. In the tunnel, I just leave a humane box trap nearby and normally catch them pretty quickly. I don't even use bait, they just seem to go in out of curiosity. Outside, the numbers are really too high to make that very useful, so I tend to go for barricading any pea seeds or whatever they might be going for. Voles are much the same, and bear in mind they are a protected species. Rats, however, are a little more tricky to deter or get rid of, but they do seem to avoid human contact more than mice do.