Garden enthusiasts are advised to steer clear of one common blunder as it could inadvertently attract rodents and other pests. Surprisingly, this rookie error involves using natural fertilisers like oats, cinnamon or tea for feeding plants in the Spring.
While this may seem like an easy and affordable choice, Ben Hilton, founder and editor of The Gardening Fix, previously told the Express that it may harbour complications. Last January, he explained: “Raw (uncooked) oats can be used to add nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure.
“It’s a rich source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, however, oats would not provide all trace minerals, such as calcium or magnesium. Calcium plays a critical role in cell wall development and nutrient transport within plants, whilst Magnesium supports photosynthesis and overall plant health.”
However, he later added: “I would never recommend composting any cooked foods. The probability of attracting rats, mice, or other small rodents is extremely high, especially if the oats were prepared with milk or sugar.”
Ben’s advice also came as rat catcher Kieran Sampler told YorkshireLive that rats are now growing to the size of ‘small dogs’. The pest expert from Wakefield previously said that he’s killed a staggering 50,000 rats since 2018, and believes they are far less bothered about humans and cats than ever before.
“Rats are used to detect mines in Cambodia, they’re very smart animals,” he explained. “Say, you’ve got two Easter eggs, one is Cadbury’s and the other is Lindt. They’ll go for the Lindt. Honestly! You’d have to see it to believe it.
“Do I want to kill every rat in the world? No! That’s not my job. The aim is just to reduce the population so it’s manageable.
“If they’re in fields or something like that, I’m not bothered. Everything has got to live.”
Gareth Davies, another expert at Pest and Property Solutions, previously echoed this, telling the Mirror that furry pests are always keen to get hold of any snack in sight. Unfortunately, this includes bird food and anything you leave out for squirrels or other animals.
Last April, he explained: “Rats are getting bigger and it’s purely down to the abundance of food left for them on the streets. We’re a fast food generation with lots of KFC and burgers which are high protein. If we want to get bigger, we eat protein and this is exactly the same.
“Once they get into your house, they can cause some major problems, chewing anything from electrical cables to water pipes….They’re cannibals too – they eat each other.”
If rats do manage to invade your home, Gareth recommends always calling pest control to manage the issue. He emphasised: “Always seek professional help – if you have a gas leak you wouldn’t try to do it yourself, so why do it with rats?”