Preventing Garden Pests

The sight of a Rat can really spoil our enjoyment of gardens and bird feeding areas, and often its the excess bird food which first attracts them...

Keeping the ground around bird feeders and bird feeding stations clean and free of excess bird food is key; food left on the ground at the end of the day will be the first thing to attract them.

Some bird feeders come with integral Seed Catcher Trays, or you can buy one separate such as the Jacobi Jayne Ring Pull Super Tray  If not, you could always try making your own to attach to the bottom of feeders and prevent any discarded or spilled seeds from falling to the ground.

If you ground-feed, don’t put out more food than will be eaten in a day, or bring in Ground-Feeding Trays at night, as rats are mostly nocturnal.

If you are wanting to minimise the mess left by bird food why not try a no grow no waste mix such as the Premium No Grow / No Waste / No Husk Wild Bird Seed Mix.

2. Protect the Ground Feeding Birds Pigeons and Crows

Pigeons and Crows often like to plunder bird seed left on the ground for the smaller ground-feeding birds. To help prevent this make use of the specially designed cages or guards, such as the Gardman Ground Feeding Haven which helps to protect the food laid out and makes sure it ends up in the right mouths. Fun fact: Robins are often ground feeders!

3. Squirrel-Proof Your Garden

Grey Squirrels are well known for being greedy and persistent pests in our gardens and sadly as carriers of Squirrel Pox they are a serious threat to our native Red Squirrels. Attaching a Squirrel Baffle to bird feeding and dining station poles will prevent these furry critters from climbing up the pole and accessing the bird food.

Ensure first that the pole is positioned at least 3m (10ft) away from trees and fences so that the squirrels can’t jump onto it.

A wide range of Squirrel Proof Feeders are available to suit all budgets and types of gardens. Caged Bird Feeders come in a variety of attractive designs and are effective at keeping out adult squirrels as well as larger birds including peanut plundering Parakeets.

The Squirrel Stop! From Tom Chambers and the Brome Squirrel Buster range are designed to thwart even the most determined Squirrel – these robust feeders are spring-loaded; the weight of a squirrel or heavy bird closes the feeding ports and cuts off the food supply.

4. Let us know how it goes!

After implementing these pest prevention methods in your garden, you're sure to see a lot less of these unwanted guests helping themselves to your bird food. Let us know how you get on and any more tips in the comments!