Can anyone recommend an ultrasonic fox deterrent?

[Ferdinand]

13 hours ago, Adsibob said:

@Ferdinand how did you get on with this?

 

A serious illness intervened, I am afraid - spent several months flat on my back.

 

The fox is still around, but the back garden has not been touched by me since last year.

[Adsibob]

3 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

 

A serious illness intervened, I am afraid - spent several months flat on my back.

 

The fox is still around, but the back garden has not been touched by me since last year.

Ghosh, sorry to hear that. Hope you're on the mend now.

[Ferdinand]

1 hour ago, Adsibob said:

Ghosh, sorry to hear that. Hope you're on the mend now.

 

Yes - chronic condition came out of remission, and needing the next round of treatment.

 

I have since 2020 (lockdown year 1) a rare form of leukemia called Hairy Cell Leukemia. No one knows what causes it. It is treatable but treatment loses effectiveness every X years, resulting in massively depressed energy levels until it gets short term treatment (a drug called Filgrastim) to stabilise until long term treated can be done again.

 

My 2020 treatment, which was the second line one for COVID reasons, had that happen in January.

 

I am being set up for retreatment hopefully later this month with a drug called Cladribine, having previously had a monoclonal antibody one called Retuximab.

Let's say I am getting value from the NHS - just looked up the prices of the above, and I thought diabetic treatment was expensive !

 

I had a period in hospital in May-June resulting from being immuno-supressed letting a bug in in June - quite the experience. I didn't know they had so many IV antibiotics (nearly 100 portions over 2.5 weeks) in stock in the entire hospital.

Massively impressed with *all* the staff at my local District Hospital (Sherwood Hospitals Trust).

 

F

[Big Jimbo]

Jeez @Ferdinand sorry to hear of all your problems. You are very good value on here, so don't you be planning on going anywhere soon, ya hear.

[joe90]

1 hour ago, Ferdinand said:

Massively impressed with *all* the staff at my local District Hospital (Sherwood Hospitals Trust).

 

So sorry to hear of your position, shit ain’t it. I too am having treatment fir my third cancer (all new cancers not reoccurrences according to the consultants) fatigue is a massive part if it, lucky I guess that I did my build between my second and third cancer, I never would have finished it otherwise. I am on immunotherapy (just started) so here is hoping for both of us eh?. As above I have found the NHS remarkable, they saved my life from a previous condition and multiple operations. My middle name should Be “lucky” 🤣.

[SteamyTea]

With all the serious illness above, it makes worry about an urban fox rather trivial.

Giles' Grandmother sorted it.

[Jilly]

It’s pretty difficult to keep out determined foxes, think of trouble hen keepers have. You need 6’ fences with a roof and wire in the ground too, or electric fencing to defeat them.

 

You could try the teabags, but don’t hold your breath (see what I did there?). Failing that, get busy with dog poop bags, set up an infra red camera and embrace them. They are very entertaining. 

[Adsibob]

I’ve found a solution:

 

I will buy a rifle and some bullets. Lots of bullets.

 

I will buy some <s>bait</s> chickens.

 

(The law allows shooting of foxes to protect livestock, so long as I notify the police within 48 hours as per the Animals Act 1971.)

 

 

[SteamyTea]

4 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

 

I will buy a rifle and some bullets. Lots of bullets.

Have you read this?

[Adsibob]

40 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Have you read this?

 

No, but looks good. Will look even better on my new bookcase.

 

 Though when I search for it, all I can find is this:

 

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30397714250&ref_=ps_ggl_2039220669&cm_mmc=ggl-_-UK_Shopp_Tradestandard-_-product_id=UK9780340951699USED-_-keyword=&gclid=CjwKCAjwt52mBhB5EiwA05YKo4hD643lW8QaCwYwUisA5XQpaY0aBGFaKXY5LVqo9jdZhtj-EwMf7RoCwPcQAvD_BwE

Edited July 31, 2023 by Adsibob

[SteamyTea]

44 minutes ago, Adsibob said:

 Though when I search for it, all I can find is this:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314622820642

 

https://uk.nicebooks.com/book/33175877-Mad-Bad-and-Dangerous-to-Know-The-Extraordinary

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by SteamyTea

[Jilly]

https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2002/mad-bad-and-dangerous-the-cult-of-lord-byron

[SteamyTea]

20 minutes ago, Jilly said:

https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2002/mad-bad-and-dangerous-the-cult-of-lord-byron

And his much more important daughter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace

[Ferdinand]

16 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

With all the serious illness above, it makes worry about an urban fox rather trivial.

Giles' Grandmother sorted it.

My grandma in her 70s used to look just like that.

All of 4'10", with a hat pin.

[Jilly]

https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2002/mad-bad-and-dangerous-the-cult-of-lord-byron

 

@Ferdinand@joe90sorry to hear about your illnesses, glad you’ve had good treatment experiences

[Onoff]

There might be some truth in the strong smelling natural products vs foxes.

 

I'm expanding my veg patch so have been sieving soil and putting it in the bean enclosure to eventually bring the soil up to the height of the sleepers. It's lovely soil tbh, I can really see the appeal of crapping in it!

 

 

 

However, nothing, not even a cat has crapped in it. Over the last couple of months the beans have been periodically sprayed with peppermint oil (nice) and also a neem oil (foul) mix. Of late I've been sprinkling neat chilli then curry powder, bought in bulk, around my sad looking butternut squash plants. This to deter slugs and snails it sort of works if in quantity.

 

Guessing all these smells are keeping the bigger things out. 

 

 

[Adsibob]

On 18/12/2022 at 10:21, Ferdinand said:

I'll be trying ultrasound to see if our urban foxes are sensitive

@Ferdinand did you have any success with an ultrasonic deterrent? If so, which model did you buy?

[Onoff]

Managed to get out and start digging over my little veg patch. Dug in the couple of bags of manure I'd had sat in the bags a couple of years. Put a jumbo bag's worth of cherry leaves through a shredder plus the old bean vines. A bit clumpy so I'll finish the digging today maybe now it's dried out a bit.

 

 

 

 

Really need to knock up a little tool shed.

This year the aim is to double the veg patch size with another, sleeper bordered section to the right.

 

Beans are a given this year, in the same spot. Probably more beans up the side and squash again in the L shape but earlier.

I really want to do some spuds.

Got to decide whether to re-erect the frame over the whole lot. Every 3D printed connector failed when the wind blew it over. My own fault as I'd not finished fitting the metal plates at all the joins.

 

There was really little planning went into this. I decided to "grow beans" when my Dad died as the Tubeclamp  bean frame I made him needed a home. I had the bean trench dug then realised I should have had it all dug. Added the side and L shaped trenches by hand. The hatched area is still made up ground full of builders rubble, old bottles and chalk from the house build in the 30's:

 

 

 

[SteamyTea]

11 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Beans are a given this year, in the same spot.

There is two schools of thought here:

If they grew well last year, they will grow well this year

Don't plant the same thing in the same spot.

 

There is a number of reasons for the second one, usually involving contamination.

 

This year I have planted stuff in containers, but kept them indoors. Potatoes, onions and some chillies (I have no luck with these at all). Shall wee what happens.

[Onoff]

Whoops, I posted in the wrong thread. Should have gone in "How Does Your Garden Grow?"

 

Mods, can this and @SteamyTea's comment be moved please?

[SteamyTea]

48 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Whoops, I posted in the wrong thread. Should have gone in "How Does Your Garden Grow?"

 

Mods, can this and @SteamyTea's comment be moved please?

Then I can show you my indoor garden

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

digging over my little veg patch. 

"No dig" is a much better idea. 

The worms do all the work for you, and you don't kill off the microorganism stuff going on under there.

Also avoiding concentrations of the same plants. Onions and garlic scsttered among the leafy veg confuses pests. Mix some tagetes in there too. 

I bought no compost last year but got about 10 bags worth from composting.

[Adsibob]

 It’s definitely foxes. Spray jetted my patio to get rid of the mould that had built up over winter. Patio looked lovely and clean… the day after two defecations on the patio. The after that, a third!

 

 Desperately need a solution.

[Susie]

I have recently noticed the hedgehogs are waking up can you put a camera up too check who the culprit is?

Hedgehog poop is smaller and dogs don’t bother with it as much. 
if you have recently cut your grass that’s easier for them to walk/crawl on. We a field which we cut paths in for us that the hogs also use the foxes keep off the paths.

hope some one comes a long soon with a solution as foxes are not nice to have that close to home. 
 

[Adsibob]

I’m virtually certain it’s foxes as we caught one on camera a few months ago (at the front) and since then a family of foxes has made nextdoor’s garden their home. Next door put up their fence very badly, so large gaps under the gravel boards where it is easy for Foxes to get through. They used concrete gravel boards. Not sure of best way to block off the holes/gaps. I guess I could cut appropriately shaped wooden pieces from wooden gravel boards and wedge them in. Should work, but in some cases the gaps are triangular slithers as the ground has a very slight slope to it, but the fencing has been laid straight.