Badgers and lawns

[Miss Ellie]

How do I stop badgers getting into the garden and digging up the lawn? To be honest my biggest worry is that my son plays in the garden and if they foul the lawn don't want him catching anything. Does anybody have any ideas how to stop them getting in? thanks

[thunder]

I am afraid the only answer is a good strong fence - but it will have to be a strong one.

henrya

[Miss Ellie]

Are there any chemicals/smells that wrok? Someone told me there a paint? that you can use? Anybody know anything about this?

[thunder]

Some people say that smelly substances work well, others say they don't work at all. Also you usually have to reapply them every time it rains and also reapply when the smell wears off without rain. The smell might keep you and your son out of the garden, as well.

henrya

[Moonmoth]

How Wonderful to have badgers !I am jealous ,I would have loved the oppurtunity to introduce my child to Badger watching and we could feed them and imagine the amazing art work and projects you could do for school and photography ! Some people dont know how lucky they are ! I wouldnt give a stuff about a few holes in the lawn ,I know where my priorities lie !

[PMG]

Originally Posted by Moonmoth

How Wonderful to have badgers !I am jealous ,I would have loved the oppurtunity to introduce my child to Badger watching and we could feed them and imagine the amazing art work and projects you could do for school and photography ! Some people dont know how lucky they are ! I wouldnt give a stuff about a few holes in the lawn ,I know where my priorities lie !

I'm with you there Moonmoth! We would give our right arms to have badgers in the garden - maybe we should swap houses Miss Ellie?! What a fabulous opportunity you have to watch wildlife at first hand and teach your son - we travel miles to sit out at 'our' adopted sett and its costs hundreds in peanuts and raisens giving them an eneergy-packed jump start evening feed before they go off out wandering to get their own grub. If they were in our garden my husband would be laying a trail of peanuts into the kitchen and living room never mind the garden - just for the pleasure of close contact with a shy and fascinating wild creature - these times and experiences with wildlife are very hard come by and I would treasure the contact esp for children who are often stuck indoors getting obese in front of computers - you have been handed a gift Miss Ellie - I would take it with both hands

[GavinWheeler]

I gather that if they are digging up the lawn they are often looking for leatherjackets. So anything that reduces the number of leatherjackets would help - again I have been told that a well fertilized vigorous lawn is the best defense.

[Miss Ellie]

Hi, as I said in my original post it's not the fact that the badgers dig up the lawn that bothers me it's the fact that if they foul the lawn with my son playing out there - i don't want him to catch anything. As adults we know to wash our hands and it doesn't matter how often you tell a child to do the same it quite often falls on deaf ears. I agree it's great to have to have wildlife in the garden and try to encourage birds into it, also we quite often have squirrels rushing around which my son loves to see!

[vole-woman]

You are soooooo lucky to have badgers! My kids would be beside themselves if that was us.

However, if you don't want them, I can tell you my husband used to put down a line of Jeyes Fluid round the perimeter of the golf course he was looking after, and that deterred the badgers without causing them any harm.

[Bumblebeebob]

Originally Posted by Miss Ellie

Hi, as I said in my original post it's not the fact that the badgers dig up the lawn that bothers me it's the fact that if they foul the lawn with my son playing out there - i don't want him to catch anything. As adults we know to wash our hands and it doesn't matter how often you tell a child to do the same it quite often falls on deaf ears. I agree it's great to have to have wildlife in the garden and try to encourage birds into it, also we quite often have squirrels rushing around which my son loves to see!

Are you sure it's Badgers fouling the lawn? Badgers usually use well defined latrines on the edge of their territory & don't foul anywhere else. 5 or 6 Badgers visit my garden & they do dig the lawn now & then but so do the Foxes & they definitely do foul the lawn! They're both after Earthworms as well as grubs.
I give my visitors food so they are less inclined to dig the lawn!