pest & disease control


The garden is the frontline in pest control


It’s the perfect time to get planting in the garden, but customers coming into your store might be worried and confused about all the different garden pests that could ruin their plants. We spoke to industry figures to prepare the best advice for them.


entokil says the company had a surge of enquiries in rodent related problems, and it believes this can probably be attributed to last summer’s heatwave, as the warmer temperatures elongated the breeding season and provided ample food sources enabling rats and mice to thrive. And with the weather warming up now, this enlarged rodent population has then been attracted to our homes and gardens with their accessible water supplies as well as food, shelter and warmth.


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David Cross, head of the technical training academy at Rentokil Pest Control says: “The first signs of rodents near your home are likely to appear in your garden. Food and water sources are regularly available in garden composts, wood piles and wormeries. Urban environments have become as much of a habitat for rats and mice as the countryside


from which they originate. While it’s almost impossible for a garden to be completely rodent-proofed, gardeners can take steps to ensure pests don’t migrate from the garden to the home. Rats and mice are usually nocturnal feeders, so if you do see them in the garden, it could mean they are short of food and searching for new sources of nutrition.”


Some other tell-tale signs include: Holes or burrows: Around 6-9 cm in diameter for rats and located anywhere that is relatively undisturbed and near to food sources. House mice don’t tend to burrow outdoors unless the ground is particularly light – so if you do see small burrows then they are likely to belong to bank or meadow voles. These two species are very unlikely to enter homes Droppings: They are approximately 15-20 mm long for rats and 3-6mm for mice, cylindrical, flat at one end and often pointed at the other Damage: Look out for gnawed wood and/or plastic around your outdoor food containers, wormeries and bins which can indicate rat activity. A mouse can fit through a hole the size of a biro, making damage slightly more difficult to spot. Look for dust piles resulting from burrowing and bite marks on hard plastics David says: “Rodents need food and shelter to breed, so if you can take steps to deny them of these then you will drastically reduce their presence in the garden and the chances of them entering your home. This may seem a difficult balance for the gardener who also


GCU June 2019


wants to attract wildlife, but there are ways to be smart with pest control measures.” Feeding birds: Try and ensure you don’t spill or leave feed on the ground, as this is where rats and mice typically feed. Birds do spill seeds from hanging feeders, so sweeping regularly will help. If you want to feed blackbirds and thrushes, then try to invest in a bird table


Compost heaps and wormeries: Aim to put these at the back of the garden so that rodents aren’t taking shelter in them immediately near your home Open spaces: Rodents are naturally averse to wide-open spaces due to their vulnerability to predators. Try to keep the lawn short and your flowerbeds well maintained Holes in fences: These present a bit of a conundrum to gardeners, especially if you are near to hedgehog habitats as closing them would mean denying access to these endangered animals. Try and limit gaps to one, and put this right at the back of your garden if you have to Waste: Make sure all waste is stored in containers made of metal or hard plastic (typically provided by the local authority or council) and that they are properly sealed Drains: Perhaps the most important, ensure your pipes and drainage system is in good order and consider installing rodent proof drain barriers. Rats are proficient swimmers, and have been known to enter properties by swimming up pipes and into the toilet.


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