| Ordinary house mice, field mice, garden mice and | | | | humid due to the weather. |
| voles can be major sources of grief in a hosta | | | | You can also try to locate their nests and destroy |
| garden. They are most interested in your hostas | | | | them. Mouse nests are usually full of seeds. |
| during colder seasons when the hostas are | | | | Sometimes the mice are also coming from your |
| dormant. The crown of the hosta in this case | | | | house. Blocking up any holes in your house to the |
| serves as a juicy meal for wintering mice. | | | | great outdoors might also help your vermin |
| Damage to the crown can cause your hostas to | | | | problem. |
| die. Therefore we want to prevent any pests | | | | Yet another option is to buy small traps that are |
| such as mice from damaging our plants. | | | | small enough to trap the mice but not let other |
| There are several ways that you can address | | | | animals in. This style of mousetrap is widely |
| this situation. One of the most effective ways is | | | | available in hardware stores and gardening stores. |
| to simply get a cat or two. Cats are the field or | | | | The poison bait is inside and the door of the metal |
| garden mice worst enemy. Most people who own | | | | box slams closed when the bait is taken. |
| hosta gardens have had incredible success simply | | | | One prevention tactic that you can adopt is to |
| by letting a cat police their hosta garden. Even a | | | | put the crowns of your hostas in very fine mesh |
| stuffed cat or a cat scarecrow of some kind | | | | wire that has holes of three eighths of an inch or |
| might work to a limited extent. | | | | less to keep the mice away from hostas during |
| Another solution is to place a high frequency | | | | the winter. Yet another solution is to remove the |
| sound emitter in the garden. However one | | | | hostas completely and replant them in protective |
| drawback to this is that even though it might | | | | ceramic pots that have a hole in the bottom for |
| keep mice away it may also keep all other | | | | extra drainage. |
| animals away as well such as earthworms that | | | | It is an ugly option but of course it works. If mice |
| aerate the soil and singing birds. These are also | | | | are still chewing on your hostas after all this then |
| not comfortable devices for most pets to be | | | | you may have no choice but to have your garden |
| around as cats and dogs are supersensitive to | | | | sprayed for rodents. However this is neither an |
| high frequency sound emitters. Yet another | | | | ecologically friendly or human friendly practice. |
| problem with these is that they do not seem to | | | | A small dose of prevention goes a long ways with |
| work on all mice. It is as if the entire species of | | | | helping thwart mice damage to your hostas. Any |
| vermin is developing a resistance to sound. | | | | time I discover rodent damage I take immediate |
| A common natural poison to field mice is castor oil | | | | action by applying the small packets of mice bait I |
| pellets. These can also be purchased at garden | | | | find at one of the local hardware stores such as |
| supply or hardware stores in the pest control | | | | Home Depot or Menards. Personally I like using |
| sections. You can also find the outdoor type small | | | | the red color pellets but the green pellets seem to |
| packets of mice/rat poison. These are effective | | | | be effective as well. |
| in outdoor conditions which may be wet and/or | | | | |