My primary plan for the beginning of the weekend was to finish putting the skin around the cistern pump frame. However as there was a front moving through with some fairly gusty winds this presented a problem as the sheet of plywood I have to finish up the pump project is still in it's 8'x4' stage. At that size I have to cut it outside of the shop and the wind was making that rather difficult so I moved on to some other little projects. The pump can wait.
First off I had to get the syrup feeders refilled in the hives and since they are forecasting rain this weekend it needed to be done quickly.
Whenever I get into the hives around the garden I first must find my manager and assistant manager and usher them inside of either the house or the work shop. The work shop is easier because if they see me open the door they immediately run in there and climb up to the top shelves and go to sleep but today they didn't, so I had to round them up and carry them inside. They were a bit miffed about being carried.
We had a small incident of the assistant manager attempting to micromanage my bee hive inspection a short while back and she jumped up and into the hive while I had the top off. Luckily it was a hive I was feeding so she landed inside the feed box and not on the frames so she only got stung once or twice but she still hasn't learned her lesson and both of my managers will come over when I am working the hives.
The dog that acts like the stupid one is the only one smart enough to stay away now when he sees me put on my suit. The cats just won't learn.
So after getting the managerial felines inside I got all the hives fed and decided to tackle the strawberry bed that had been ruined and killed off by the moles. I checked to see if they wanted back out but only the assistant manager was so inclined.
I ask myself why my slave driving managers cannot take care of this mole problem themselves but when I looked around to pose the question this was all I saw.
She told me to get back to work.
I tilled up the raised bed with my little mini-tiller and then since I didn't want to throw the dirt out unto the covered path I ended up using my wheelbarrow and digging the bed up in three sections. I dug down to below the six inch sides and laid down some chicken wire attaching it securely to the underside of the boards. This won't protect the entire root system of course but I hope it protects enough to keep the moles from tunneling through and killing off all the strawberries like they have now two years in a row.
I managed to save a couple of the plants that survived this latest attack but I wasn't all that gentle so they may not make it through Winter. No matter as I have a new bed that is totally filled in and producing already.
This particular bed is about five years old now anyway and I have noticed that even with constant new shoots and fertilizing a bed starts to decline after a few years for some reason. So no great loss as I will replant it next Spring. I also added a load of compost and some barn manure as well so it should build back up nicely next year.
Now I have one (out of five) of the old beds fixed to stop mole damage.
I wish I had known about or thought about the chicken wire barrier before I put them in initially. I figured that eventually I would need to dig out each bed anyway so I am retrofitting them as I do.
The assistant manager then told me I needed to take a break and pet her since they were already nice and comfortable.
I swear I travel all around this place with a constant entourage of wayward animals every where I go.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!
That chicken wire is a great idea, I never thought of that when I had raised beds. Your managers are more brave than my managers, I think mine, being barn cats are a little more scared of everything.
ReplyDeleteSF - The cats are funny. We have a bunch of cats to be honest. They just keep showing up and moving in but the outside cats are all females and for the most part they have their little zones of control and do not get along with each other. Then I have my managers. These two are the only two that tolerate each other and are almost always close together but they feel that they can go anywhere as long as I am there.
DeleteWe had a new family move into the barn and disrupt the entire territory breakdown. We had seven cats spayed or neutered this Summer. The two boys say inside because they cannot be trusted to stay out of trouble.
Isn't the chicken wire openings still the right size for a mole?? Are they same size as a mouse or smaller?? I have 3 supervisors here at home. All spoiled. The oldest is now 3. We had the same wind you had. It was hard to drive. I picked up my new glasses yesterday, but drove with my old ones on. New one a little stronger and it will take time to get used too. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteRob - I assume that the younger moles are small enough to get between the wire but the big ones I have seen the animals kill occasionally are pretty good sized. Honestly though I cannot be sure they may be small enough that my chicken wire won't work.
DeleteOur 11 yr. old feline QC director met his demise a few months ago. A sweet little girl sure would like a kitten or two in the spring ~preferably males.
ReplyDelete-eastern Callaway Co.
Anon - We had 10 kittens born here this year from two stray mothers that moved in. We only managed to get rid of six of them so we spayed and/or neutered them and their moms and turned them into barn cats.
DeleteThe way things are going it wouldn't surprise me if we get another pregnant cat dropped off on us before too long.
Do you have moles or voles? My trouble is voles. They eat the roots of my Hostas, they must taste like candy they like them so well.
ReplyDeleteSD - I am assuming it is all moles. I see their tunnels and hills they create and I think they are too big for voles. Honestly though I could easily have both as I have read voles will use mole tunnels. I have seen the cats and dog occasionally kill a mole but if they got a vole I would more than likely just think it was a mouse.
DeleteMoles are insectivores, but can do a lot of damage. Voles eat out the roots and are absolute terrors. I have had both, but have never had long term problems with either.
DeleteThe chicken wire will at least make the moles work harder and be less successful at wiping you out. They are surprisingly tiny as I've killed a few above ground with the tip of my shovel. NOT a job I want to do since they are actually darn cute.
ReplyDeleteAnd the managers want to know what is in that box that is so fascinating to you. Maybe if you started acting interested in the moles, they'd get jealous. lol
LJ - The tunnel I dug up when I got into the bed was at least 3 to 4 inches wide. Now the only moles I have seen from the dog or cats killing one occasionally have been too big to get between the chicken wire but I assume those are the fully grown ones. There maybe little ones and the wire won't work on them. :(
DeleteThose darn cats are useless lol. I can walk into the storage part of the barn right now and pull some of my extra bee boxes down and guarantee you I will find at least one mouse hiding there. The baler is sitting in the barn and I can also guarantee the twine in it has been chewed on by a mouse already prolly why the damned cats were laying on it asleep.
I think we feed them too well.
Beagles! Not a mole on the place - holes yes, moles? Nope!
ReplyDelete