Popular Post steve b Posted May 16, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 16, 2022 A nice surprise this afternoon while having 5mins drinking tea and listening to the radio (and not loving fitting a towbar to my daily driver Skoda) An adult Slow Worm working it's way across my less than spotless floor heading for the back field . They have been here for decades but unless you search are so rarely seen . Made my day more complete Steve 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 Haven't seen a slow worm for years, think the last one was in a stone wall at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted May 16, 2022 Author Share Posted May 16, 2022 Probably 10 years since the last time I came across one here . There are Grass Snakes too , but just as elusive , often just a shed skin to show they are around . Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 I was moving some horse **** on the muck pile to try and keep it tidy (why cant these horsey women put it in a tidy neat pile?!) and something moved by my foot. It was a large grass snake. Made me jump until I realised what it was as it was so well camouflaged in the straw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted May 16, 2022 Author Share Posted May 16, 2022 They do love a warm resting place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveturnbull Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 A friend of mine had a dormouse living behind his toolbox for ages. We wondered what it was surviving on, until we opened the secret biscuit supply up on the racking only to be sorely disappointed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy996 Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 My garage keeps having young rats come in, chew the silver foil in the recycling bin and then die horribly in my SVO funnel. They avoid the traps and just get trapped in the tractor funnel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Happyoldgit Posted May 17, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted May 17, 2022 I had mice take a fancy to the wiring and sundry essential bits of fuel pipe in my ride on mower which was then only a year or two old. This caused an impressive conflagration and a burns to my arms when I pushed the burning mass out to prevent loss of the building and its contents. I was in the same building last just about to shut a pair of the big doors when a partridge flew in with the afterburners on and smacked into the end wall. Methinks more game for the freezer but it came to before the spaniel or I could get to it, stumbled about looking a bit dazed then flew rather erratically up into the apex of the roof. As I wanted to shut up shop up I didn't want to leave it in there so spent ten minutes up a stepladder wielding the longest bit of batten I could find persuading it to leave the way it came in. The dog must have thought the season must have started early this year and it was the weirdest beating she had seen. 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Had some bees nesting in the workshop for a while... they made a surprising racket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted May 17, 2022 Author Share Posted May 17, 2022 They do , a couple of years back I had 3 different swarms take up residence for a couple of months between insulation and roofing sheets in an old pig shed . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 We get loads at work. Every temporary sign left on the verge for more than a few weeks in the spring. Ants nest under them, then along come the slow worms. I make a habit of moving them to better places, as most of the signs are dumped in the swathe, so get mangled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 6 hours ago, landroversforever said: Had some bees nesting in the workshop for a while... they made a surprising racket! I have a similar issue. They are trying to nest above a frequently used doorway though. Any tips for moving them on without killing them? I hate killing bees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted May 17, 2022 Author Share Posted May 17, 2022 Smoke would probably do it , but have a look on the UK bee websites for more info. Wild swarms usually move on after a month or two anyway. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Give your local bee keeper a shout, they’ll come and collect any swarms. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 3 minutes ago, landroversforever said: Give your local bee keeper a shout, they’ll come and collect any swarms. Spot on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Are they interest if not honey bees? Don't think these are. They are bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 AFAIK they’ll come and get anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean f Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 Even if the bee keepers don't want the swarm they can probable advise on a safe and humane way of moving it on. I get the odd rat in the workshop, generally trap them outside, the joys of living in the countryside, I use live catch traps as I don't mind the mice and we get hedgehogs as well (was a bugger getting it back out the trap without hurting it when I caught one by accident!). The rats soon become ex rats!. Not sure if the neighbours cat counts as wild life but it comes in to visit now and then, I generally push it out as I don't want it to get hurt but cats just do what they want any way. Never had a slow worm in the workshop but plenty in the garden, odd grass snake as well, made me jump first time I saw one as I wasn't quite sure what it was, mostly they are small but had the odd bigger one, fortunately never had an adder, they are about in the area but not my garden so far. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junglie Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 Bats nested in my workshop roof during the 2 days I had some planks off over the door so I could put CCTV up there. They're cool. But they're also protected and you have to wait for them to leave of their own accord. Which can be a bind. They make really creepy noises when they're roosting, but I didn't get bitten by a single mosquito working outside while they were there... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 Not quite in the workshop but along with the wagtail on my engine I have a thankfully small wasps nest appeared in my lightweight and a blue tit nesting in my engine crane, picture has loaded upside down but if you enlarge it you can see her eyes popping up from rim of nest Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted May 18, 2022 Author Share Posted May 18, 2022 The bats here live in the ivy covered Alder tree's at the rear boundary mostly . Always love seeing them after the sun goes down before full dark. Stephen - that looks more like a hornet nest to me ? Blue tit in the engine crane boom , how lovely . Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted May 22, 2022 Share Posted May 22, 2022 Found more wildlife unintentionally today, was moving a rotten stump that had had my anvil on when a few wild bees started flying around me, stump was split and falling apart, when I lifted it fell in two and bees comb fell out Moved comb back into shelter and put some lino over the top in an effort to protect them from the elements Where the nest was, you can see the shredded wood My lino hut A picture of them building up shredded wood around the comb to protect it, probably only a dozen bees in total I hate damaging bees regards Stephen 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted May 22, 2022 Author Share Posted May 22, 2022 great save Stephen and how lucky to have the chance to observe them at work too. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Nest well cocooned now regards Stephen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted May 23, 2022 Share Posted May 23, 2022 Can you get a better picture of the bees? I'm trying to identify them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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