It is not easy creating a perfect garden, an oasis of nature in which you will be able to resort after a day of hard work. Sometimes even apart from your best intentions and care, your garden will experience a close encounter with its archenemy, the rodent vermin.
What difference does even the best-maintained, neatest garden mean if all the hard work that you invested in it is ruined by a horde of marauding rodents? As always in life, there comes a time when you have to fight for what is yours and when that hour strikes, you want to be prepared. Observe your garden as a battlefield and the rodent menace as the enemy, so in order to stop them you will have to arm yourself with knowledge about all of their weaknesses and possible courses of action that you may take.
The danger to your garden
Now it is a bit too general to speak of rodents as a danger when it is known that there are over 4000 rodent species in existence. Still, several groups are the most common problem for the general safety of your garden. What they all have in common is the fact that they are usually drawn by chaotic and poorly maintained garden, since it gives them many places to hide and reside, as well as some of the garden elements that you may have.
If you have a bin in your garden, it will serve as a beacon to all sorts of rodents and other pests. Having a pond in your garden can also attract various vermin during long summer droughts since after all rodents also have to drink water to survive. Still, the greatest danger lies in the fact that once they have infiltrated your garden their only logical next step for them is to try to move into your home, which is something you must prevent at all costs. The best way to go is to either create an environment that is uninviting to them or with the use of professional pest products against rodents.
Rats
When speaking of rodents it is only natural that the first thing that pop into anyone’s mind are rats. Although they are extremely persistent and almost impossible to completely get rid of, there are many ways that may help you keep rats away. Still, this is not something that is ever easily done which means that it will require your undivided attention.
First thing that is absolutely imperative to note is that you can never, ever completely get rid of rats outside. All that you can do is try to keep your garden as tidy as possible, so that they have nowhere to hide and no matter what, never leave any pet food out since once they start feasting on it, you will never get rid of them. Still, it is important that even if the situation occurs where you must use it, use rat poison only as your last resort.
Squirrels
Squirrels are, apart from rats probably the second most annoying rodents there are. However, since most of their species are protected by law, the best way to fight them is to discourage them from even trying to ruin your garden. Modify the surroundings of your garden and trim any branch that they might use to get in. After this is done, put up a 3ft fence around it and that should solve most of you squirrel related problems.
As said before, sometimes a situation occurs when you simply need to fight for what is yours. In this case, it means that you need to do all that is in your power so that the hours and hours that you have invested in your garden do not go to waste. However, where there is a will, there is a way; you only need to know how.