[Debbie D]

Just been up to the allotment to harvest some sweetcorn for tea and some son of a gun critter has eaten the lot, every cob has been completely stripped.  I have only grown sweetcorn in the garden before and had no problem with pests so don't really know what eats corn - will it be mice or rabbits do you think and how can I protect them next year?   

[JayG]

Although it's not happened to me, from what others have said on this and possibly other forums I think you can add squirrels and badgers to the list of possible culprits.

Sweetcorn is my favourite veg so I can only sympathize with your discovery; others might suggest other possible causes but I think you need to find out which it is (ask around?) before you go to a lot of trouble and expense trying to protect them.

[8doubles]

Dunno where that green giant gets it from , any footprints ? 

[greenhead]

Hi, it is most likely to be earwigs, we have the same problem - if you peel back the sheaf they will drop out - sorry, do not know of a way to prevent this.

[Trebor]

Where I am it is magpies – caught them red handed on several occasions.

Netting is the way to go but a bit tricky to avoid it being loose and the birds getting tangled.

(Maybe coincidence but when growing squash underneath I have had little damage earlier in the year, while the neighbours was wrecked. I am guessing it is that they don’t like the ground cover/ prickly vines when there are easier pickings elsewhere. That said they did move on to mine eventually).

[NASH]

Our Foxes like Sweetcorn on our allotments.

[jazzbyrd]

Rats squirrels and mice will eat sweetcorn especially when left too long on the plant. The rats and mice can smell the sugar once the sweetcorn gets old.

Jazz

[upert]

rats eat ours. last year i netted against them, this year i didn't bother yet neither did they. i think the poisoning regime must be working.

[MoreWhisky]

try an earlier variety i find less hungary pests around a month ago

[Salmo]

Badgers will usually pull the cob off so it is more likely something else. If it is rats you should do something about them. Nasty disease carrying things at the best of times.

[Debbie D]

Thanks for all the replies, the allotments are in a farmers field so it could be any number of beasties really.  I think I will try an earlier variety next year as suggested and maybe install cctv!   

[8doubles]

Thanks for all the replies, the allotments are in a farmers field so it could be any number of beasties really.  I think I will try an earlier variety next year as suggested and maybe install cctv!   

A parliament of rooks could do it in no time, they can be as greedy as MP`s.

[WirralWally]

Until today I was happy that there were no critters eating my corn.

However, this morning that changed and now my sweetcorn has joined the long list of veg that I'm growing to provide sustenance and nutrition for all manner of wildlife.

This is the damage I found:


and in another savaged cob, one rapidly expanding slug:


I half expect to find a herd of wildebeest grazing on my patch one of these days.

[Parsnip]

I lost all mine and so did everyone on the plot. I was chatting to a few on Saturday and they reckon it was the wascally wats 

It certainly has to be a critter with sharp nashers thats for sure - and now a very fat one at that. I wonder if there are yellow rats running around the allotments at the mo

[flowerpower]

I lost the remainder of my poor crop of sweetcorn to the local pheasants. I'm sure it was them. They looked as guilty as h*ll!