I have a new pest, need advice

bkay2000

last year

Something is eating my green stems. I have a plant that my late sister gave me. She called it a "dirt plant". It seems to be some kind of succulent. It has thick leaves and blooms in the fall.

First the pest ate all the leaves off it and ate the green outside tissue off the buds. I assumed it was the squirrels, as it was during a dry spell. The plant rebounded and started to put on new growth from the roots. Then, said pest ate that new growth. I covered the pot with screen wire to give it a chance to rebound again. It did, but not as aggressively as the first time.

I had a hosta that was blooming. It's Fantabulous, that one I thought I had lost, but came back (I assume) from dormant buds. I looked out this morning, and the bud was gone. I went to look and it looks as if something chewed off the bud, but left it there.

Whatever can this pest be? The squirrels usually don't bother my hosta except to dig in the pots.

bkay

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bkay2000
Original Author

last year

last modified: last year

Thankfully, we don't have black squirrels. The first time I saw them, I was in Toronto. Ours are the run-of-the-mill brownish/gray variety

Well, I have dogs, so I don't want to use an open snap trap. That's why I asked Old Dirt about the PVC pipe.

I put out one of those traps that they supposedly go into, but they didn't. My guess is that they are under my deck.

I guess it's just another one of those joys of owning a home. One more problem to solve.

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Comments (7)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
last year
Have you ruled out rabbits or mice?

tj
old_dirt 6a
last year
If not rabbits, I would think mice or voles. I have set a mouse trap inside a short piece of PVC baited with PB and caught a few.
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bkay2000
Original Author
last year
We don't have voles or rabbits (voles couldn't burrow through our soil, locally known as "black gumbo"), so that leaves mice or rats.

Old Dirt, what size PVC pipe did you use?

bkay
Design Fan (NE z7a)
last year
last modified: last year
If you think its mice or rats, consider setting a baited snap trap.
bkay2000 thanked Design Fan (NE z7a)
lindalana 5b Chicago
last year
I had black squirrels move in the hood. They are nasty and do more damage. I had left tons of stems with seeds on all hosta but guess what... They only went for most premium ones. Like they smell those were more important. And yeah, ate buds and all. Am not sure if the dry weather we had had more influence on pests being more damaging. So I vote for squirrels.
old_dirt 6a
last year
last modified: last year
bkay - I think it is like 3". I've also made a little cardboard 3 sided enclosure, the trap sets flat better but doesnt hold up in the rain. This year I'm going to make one out of wood.

I also made these gizmos to put VoleX in. It is supposed to be non toxic (I think it helped). I don't like harsh poisons that can be passed on to other wildlife.

VoleX - VoleX Pellets are effective for outdoor vole control, even safe for use around crops, dogs, and children. Formulated using naturally derived ingredients, VoleX is suitable for year-round use. VoleX works from the inside out to exterminate voles, then dries them out after death to reduce odor by as much as 90%. Once ingested, active ingredients in the pellets coat the vole's stomach lining, blocking all messages from the stomach to the brain. This causes voles to stop wanting water, leading to eventual dehydration and death.VoleX Pellets are effective for outdoor vole control, even safe for use around crops, dogs, and children. Formulated using naturally derived ingredients, VoleX is suitable for year-round use. VoleX works from the inside out to exterminate voles, then dries them out after death to reduce odor by as much as 90%. Once ingested, active ingredients in the pellets coat the vole's stomach lining, blocking all messages from the stomach to the brain. This causes voles to stop wanting water, leading to eventual dehydration and death.