Badgers digging up my garden!

[pippabray]

I have recently moved, and find there is a badger set across the road in an old underground air raid shelter, neighbours say they have been there for some time. Every night our gardens are being dug up, the lawns in particular,at the back, but they have started on the well lit front gardnes this week. I have tried fluttering metal foil, anti badger/fox spray, and have just ordered a set of 3 'Nite Eyes'. Has anyone tried these, had any success? Or any other ideas before I go mad or hard landscape the lot!

[ediblehedge]

Hi pippabray,
I've just submitted a thread about foxes digging in the garden (d'oh!) and so I guess suggestions will be the same to both of us.
So far, I've tried putting up cloches with netting around them, bricks and pots in areas of bare soil and also bamboo canes in strategic areas that stick out at awkward angles that may deter them. I've also grown all plants very closely together. So far it's worked in some areas but not in others. My leeks are undergoing deep excavations and every night more and more are taken away from underneath and then a nice welcoming present left near the hole that they've dug.
My neighbours who have a mad dog have put up wire, like chicken enclosures around their beds, but this seems a bit drastic when it might be temporary.
I've not heard of nite eyes and would love to hear your results!
Good luck!

[stevecurtis]

I have half my garden for wildlife and half for veg,I spent £65-00 on wire for the veg garden ,job done ,and I love to see as much wildlife as possible In the other half, as for badgers digging my lawn I’d sooner watch the Badgers than watch grass grow.

All the best Steve

[pippabray]

Thanks Steve for that, but mine is a cottage flower garden, so wiring off is not really the plan. I too love wildlife, including badgers, but they have a large river with banks just up the road and numerous other non garden green spaces, so if I can deter them without worrying that they will starve, I will.
The 'Nite Eyes' didn't work the first night, but the last 2 nights they have been flashing away in the dark, and for the first time I have had no lawn excavations.

[stevecurtis]

Hi pipa bray ,sorry I think I read the post then answered a bit of each, one bit of advice I can offer after studying the badger set in my garden is to keep ringing the changes, the first night I watched them this summer the Gas bird scarer went off across the valley and they were gone ,the second night they never even twitched, tractors go up past they take no notice ,nosy car there gone, try putting out cloths that have been recently worn ,but replace regularly, well worth a go,im told it works for Deer.

All the best Steve