Tracking Rodents and Wildlife in our Gardens
As most of Dorset is now covered in snow and temperatures remain at or below freezing, now is the perfect time to do a visual check to see what wildlife is actually visiting your property and where it is going to or coming from. Obviously the smaller animals like rodents, including mice and rats, will not leave clear footprints in soft snow, but they well may leave a trail that can be easily seen. Chances are they will remain under cover, especially if they have access to a nice warm home, but eventually they will have to venture out for food. Places to look around the property include...
Read MoreMoles in Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Ringwood and Verwood
MOLES- Talpa Europaea We have all seen the abundant molehills in fields and on grass verges as we travel, especially around Christchurch and Hurn but what exactly is going on underneath that can cause so much damage to lawns, golf courses, agriculture, playing fields, parks, cemeteries, etc? The culprit is of course the Mole. A furry creature, up to 16cm long and normally black in colour, although white albino ones are seen occasionally. (The white albino mole picture below was taken at The Hall at Abbey-Cwm-Hir. www.abbeycwmhir.com) They have large spade-like front feet for...
Read MorePigeons and other Pests
The feral pigeon (Columba livia var) originated from the wild rock dove which inhabits both the Mediterranean area and along the West Coast of Europe. This species was domesticated by the ancient Egyptians and has spread all over the world in many different domestic strains. The feral pigeon is derived from many different breeds of escaped ornamental, racing and domestic birds but tend to revert to a random type of colouring. They have become well adapted to survive in a modern city environment where buildings of all types provide habitats. Their diet consists of seeds and grains but they...
Read MoreSpiders
Found in most buildings, spiders are not actually a pest and provide a service by reducing the number of flies and other unwelcome insects in the home. Despite this, spiders are often viewed as an unwelcome intruder. There are about 650 different species of spider in the UK ranging from the tiny money spider Minute maro (Maro minutes) to the huge Cardinal spider (Teganaria parietina) with a leg span of more than 10 centimetres. The heaviest spider in Britain is the Four – spot orbweaver (Araneus quadratus) which can weigh up to 2.5 grams. The following are five species of...
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