Slugs & Hedgehog Pest Control
When it comes to organic pest control methods, then Hedgehog pest control must be one of my favourite methods. The humble Hedgehog just loves to snack on slugs and snails, in fact a multitude of creepy-crawly things and garden pests
that may otherwise be feasting on your lovely vegetables.
There are however a few things that you ought to be aware of, if you intend to encourage the hedgehog into your garden. Here are a list of the do’s and don’ts of hedgehog pest control.
Beware Slug pellets:
Under no circumstances can you consider using slug pellets, if you have hedgehogs in your garden. Slug pellets can kill just about anything, the active ingredients normally include metaldehyde and methiocarb, both of them highly poisonous.
The problem is not that the hedgehog will eat the pellets, but rather that they will eat the poisoned slugs. This will most certainly kill the hedgehog. Great care must also be taken if you are keeping chickens for instance as they will pick up the raw pellets, which in turn will lead to their early demise!
Likewise keep slug pellets well clear of children, especially toddlers for obvious reasons!
Do you have a garden toad or frog – another great friend of the gardener – slug pellets will kill toads and frogs that eat infected slugs.
I’m sure you can guess by now that the use of slug pellets can in fact have a very destructive effect on the rest of your garden eco system, and that personally I am not keen on using them. There are other ways of slug pest control that are not so destructive to the rest of nature in the process.
Hedgehog Pest Control & care
Hedgehogs do not need much looking after in general. They are creatures of habit and will follow the same routine every night, unless they are disturbed. This was the case when my wife went out to photograph the hedgehog, as he was out on his nightly rounds in our garden. Unfortunately the flash from the camera frightened the life out of him, and we never seen him again!
During long dry periods slugs, which are the natural food of the hedgehog, get to be on the scarce side as they go deep to get moisture from the ground. At this time only, you may consider leaving some scraps of meat from the kitchen out for the hogs.
I usually open a can of dog or cat food for them. This will make sure the hedgehog gets enough protein to survive, and also encourage them to stay around in the garden.
Hedgehogs are not good climbers, and so it is easy for them to get stuck down a hole in the garden. I remember speaking to my brother one evening, and he told me he had just dug out a hole for a garden pond.
I asked him if he had put in an escape ramp for hedgehogs – he hadn’t. Going out to inspect the hole with a torch, what was all covered in muck and stuck at the bottom ? Why it was a Hedgehog of course – he thought I’d planted it there!
Leave access for effective Hedgehog pest control
Hedgehogs are only good for pest control. if you allow them to control the pests. In other words make sure they can get around your vegetable patch unhindered. Beware of close nylon bird netting, and check regularly that there are no hogs caught up in it.
If you have a raised bed vegetable patch, then consider putting in a ramp for the hogs to get up into your veggies and eat the slugs. Although there are other ways to keep slugs out of your raised bed garden than this, to be sure.
Hedgehog Alert – Be careful when burning in the fall.
Hedgehogs sleep during the daytime, and will usually find a good pile of dry grass or other vegetation to snuggle into. Always be aware of this before burning piles of dry material like this, the site of a poor hedgehog running blazing from your garden fire is likely to keep you – or the kids! -awake for a long time.
Hedgehogs Love Birds Eggs
If you keep free range chickens, then you have to be aware that hedgehogs love birds eggs! In fact so much so that the Isles of Benbecula and North Uist in Scotland, have had to cull them for fear that they are responsible for the decline in the ground nesting bird population of the isles.
Likewise in New Zealand Hedgehogs are regarded as a major problem, particularly with the Kiwi protection groups. So bear in mind that the Hedgehog, though generally thought of as the gardeners friend, has another side to it.
Summary:
Particularly if you are into Organic growing, then Hedgehogs are definitely your friend – unless you keep chickens or have other ground-nesting birds to worry about! Personally I love watching Hedgehogs, and welcome them to my veggie garden anytime.
Regarding controlling slugs, then Hedgehog pest control is the method I would prefer anytime, over slug control pellets.
