Garlic varmint?

ako1974 · April 27, 2018

I have been seeing the standard "drill holes" in my garlic beds. Something has dug straight into the straw and into the ground. I don't see any loose cloves laying around. I've always known squirrels dig in and around my garlic, sometimes removing a clove or two.

There seem to be more holes this year. When I opened the door this morning, I flushed two blue jays from one of my beds. I've never seen them in my garlic before. One year, I had an issue of dying and missing young onions. I couldn't figure out what was going on until one day I noticed a robin pulling them all up and flinging them.

Have you ever seen blue jays digging in your beds? Especially where you may have planted garlic or some kind of root?

KarenO · April 27, 2018

I would guess it’s not the garlic they are after but some sort of grub or insect
KarenO

GrowingCoastal · April 27, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by ako1974

I have been seeing the standard "drill holes" in my garlic beds. Something has dug straight into the straw and into the ground. I don't see any loose cloves laying around. I've always known squirrels dig in and around my garlic, sometimes removing a clove or two.

There seem to be more holes this year. When I opened the door this morning, I flushed two blue jays from one of my beds. I've never seen them in my garlic before. One year, I had an issue of dying and missing young onions. I couldn't figure out what was going on until one day I noticed a robin pulling them all up and flinging them.

Have you ever seen blue jays digging in your beds? Especially where you may have planted garlic or some kind of root?

Yes I have! I grow my garlic in pots. Why the jays pulled the tags from the edge of the pots I don't know but they did! I see them fly into the yard and kak up a mouthful of birdseed gleaned from the neighbour's feeder to bury in the lawn, or acorns from neighbourhood oaks.

Last year I had onion sets pulled out of pots by the many sparrows who are always scratching and looking for whatever in the yard. I wondered what was going on.

ako1974 · April 27, 2018

I figured, too, they were after straw for nesting. But they didn't have to make holes for that. Dang birds!

Karen - yeah, maybe they're going for insects or worms just below mulch level?

After one flew off the bed, it landed on my fence and started going at a zip tie I have on there. I guess it may be a mixture of foraging and curiosity.

Nan_PA_6b · April 27, 2018

I have a robin who studies my gardening closely. This year I put down leaves and compost. He digs little holes in both. He's looking for worms or other insects. He may pull up a plant or two by accident, but he's looking for meat. I feed him chopped raisins every day and he loves those to supplement his diet.

Nan

bower · May 1, 2018

I had the same problem with ravens here, when I used leaves to mulch the garlic. They didn't damage the plants at all though, but they were tearing up the mulch to go after insects underneath. This year I pre-empted their frolics by removing the leaves myself.

I've seen the problem before with young transplants, that the birds would pick them out and fling em as they're looking for bugs or worms. I find it safer to cover the beds until transplants have rooted in, before letting them go about their buggy business.

April 27, 2018	#1
ako1974 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: New Jersey Posts: 109	Garlic varmint? I have been seeing the standard "drill holes" in my garlic beds. Something has dug straight into the straw and into the ground. I don't see any loose cloves laying around. I've always known squirrels dig in and around my garlic, sometimes removing a clove or two. There seem to be more holes this year. When I opened the door this morning, I flushed two blue jays from one of my beds. I've never seen them in my garlic before. One year, I had an issue of dying and missing young onions. I couldn't figure out what was going on until one day I noticed a robin pulling them all up and flinging them. Have you ever seen blue jays digging in your beds? Especially where you may have planted garlic or some kind of root? __________________ Arne Zone 6A, Northern NJ

April 27, 2018	#4
ako1974 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: New Jersey Posts: 109	I figured, too, they were after straw for nesting. But they didn't have to make holes for that. Dang birds! Karen - yeah, maybe they're going for insects or worms just below mulch level? After one flew off the bed, it landed on my fence and started going at a zip tie I have on there. I guess it may be a mixture of foraging and curiosity. __________________ Arne Zone 6A, Northern NJ

April 27, 2018	#2
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	I would guess it’s not the garlic they are after but some sort of grub or insect KarenO

April 27, 2018	#5
Nan_PA_6b Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3,194	I have a robin who studies my gardening closely. This year I put down leaves and compost. He digs little holes in both. He's looking for worms or other insects. He may pull up a plant or two by accident, but he's looking for meat. I feed him chopped raisins every day and he loves those to supplement his diet. Nan

May 1, 2018	#6
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I had the same problem with ravens here, when I used leaves to mulch the garlic. They didn't damage the plants at all though, but they were tearing up the mulch to go after insects underneath. This year I pre-empted their frolics by removing the leaves myself. I've seen the problem before with young transplants, that the birds would pick them out and fling em as they're looking for bugs or worms. I find it safer to cover the beds until transplants have rooted in, before letting them go about their buggy business.