How do I DETER badgers?

[Philthy]

These last few weeks I have been receiving nightly visits from some animal(s) that's been digging in the lawn. In the morning there are fresh divots lying on the grass and little holes everywhere. My prime suspect is a badger - I'm yet to catch it in the act but I've looked it up already and all the signs point to one(or more). Annoying as it is I walk round when I can and tread the turf back down and hope it re-roots. When it's hot though the dug up grass soon dies. So now the lawn is collecting bare spots and beginning to look a right mess

Any ideas to move my night visitor on?? I was thinking some sort of humane trap where I can then release it in the local woods. I'd be concerned of falling foul of the law with this though, as although I wish the creature no harm I would be intentionally trapping it (albeit briefly). There's no sett around, I would've seen it or been made aware of it. No-one else has reported badger activity that I know of. I last had this problem about 10 years ago but it occurred randomly over a fortnight and then stopped by itself.

Help. (Fencing the perimeter and entry to the property not an option).

[muddled]

I know it sounds silly but might a light help? One of those triggered by sensor?

I have one from lidls, cost about 14 quid...its solar powered and when it comes on it illuminates the whole garden like a flipping floodlight!
Even my dogs jump when it comes on, horrible thing!

We got it to deter human visitors.

As an aside, its possible the badger it is) is digging up leather jackets. If so, they would possibly do more damage than him if left....he might be doing you a favour!
(I'm biased of course, got a bit of a soft spot for badgers )

[Nicos]

Strangely enough earlier on this week we had our first event of a badger digging up one of our lawns.
I thought it might have been a fox, but a friend said that it's definitely a badger as her mom had exactly the same problem a few years back.
An expert came and sprayed the lawn to kill off the leather jackets, and it solved the problem.
Nothing to eat....no badgers.

Certainly an option.

My lawn too looks a flipping war zone of small upended divots and crators dug out.

looks like they've only visited the once so far.....

[vixylix]

If they eat the leatherjackets, personally I'd welcome the badger with open arms

Seriously though... I don't know, but suspect, there may be legal implications to trapping a badger... also they're supposed to be pretty nasty aren't they?! Not sure I'd want to be the one opening the trap to release it!

[Kirk]

If it is a badger then you will need something fairly big to trap it in, they ain't small. Also releasing one in the terriatory of another set would mean it is likely to be attacked and driven off.

Not sure of anything on the legal side of trapping one, they are not (as best I know) classed as vermin that you cannot release into the wild (again) and neither are they endangered and so protected.

Things like squirrels not being natural to the UK if trapped you cannot release them.

[Knight of Albion]

Badgers are a protected species ...

[Knight of Albion]

If they eat the leatherjackets, personally I'd welcome the badger with open arms

Seriously though... I don't know, but suspect, there may be legal implications to trapping a badger... also they're supposed to be pretty nasty aren't they?! Not sure I'd want to be the one opening the trap to release it!

As someone who gets regular visits, they aren't 'nasty'. They're friendly, playful and sociable.
They will defend their sett if attacked and they will defend themselves if attacked, though they're most likely to avoid confrontation.

[veggiechicken]

Badgers and the law - Protection of Badgers Act - Protecting badgers

[muddled]

I think that vixylix meant 'tough when cornered' rather than unpleasant...nasty as in 'could give a nasty bite'

I cuddled a badger once.
I was helping the keeper feed the badgers in a wildlife park shortly before their release...(I also got to walk the wolf cubs while I was working there) and one sidled up for a cuddle. I knelt down, unthinking, to stroke him and he just sort of climbed on!
I was terribly honoured.
Then I noticed what ENORMOUS CLAWS AND TEETH he had

I felt bad afterwards as their release was delayed...can't have them wandering up to people for a fuss and I was a total stranger...but it was still an awesome privilege.
Little stripey bears

[Knight of Albion]

I think that vixylix meant 'tough when cornered' rather than unpleasant...nasty as in 'could give a nasty bite'

I cuddled a badger once.
I was helping the keeper feed the badgers in a wildlife park shortly before their release...(I also got to walk the wolf cubs while I was working there) and one sidled up for a cuddle. I knelt down, unthinking, to stroke him and he just sort of climbed on!
I was terribly honoured.
Then I noticed what ENORMOUS CLAWS AND TEETH he had

I felt bad afterwards as their release was delayed...can't have them wandering up to people for a fuss and I was a total stranger...but it was still an awesome privilege.
Little stripey bears

How lovely.

Yes, that's it. Pound for pound, they're one of the most powerful creatures on the planet, but there's no malice there, only a playful, sociable spirit. Sadly it's centuries of cruelty and persecution that makes them hide from man, when he should be their friend.

[Philthy]

I don't know that I have leather jackets in the lawn. No signs of their activities. Perhaps the badger(s) is looking for worms..?
So I can't trap it. And I can't prevent it gaining access. All I can think to do then is put netting down on the worse affected areas and reseed them, and hope in the meantime the badger(s) go looking elsewhere. I'll try getting a sensor activated outside light too, that's a good idea.
It's got to eat, I don't begrudge it that, but there're woods not that far away so it's all rather annoying that it should choose my grass to forage in.

Thanks for the advice.

[Knight of Albion]

My guess is it's probably a mother badger. At this time of year, she'll have cubs in the sett and cannot wander far, or spend long away. Basically, she'll be that desperate for food, she'll eat anything.

A sensory light is your best bet if it's a problem. Any sort of noise will frighten her off.

[Madasafish]

Our local badgers visit our garden regularly when the strawberries and rasps are ripe. They eat the fallen ones.. and climb the small pear tree to eat the lowest (ripe) fruit.. Their sett is 1/4 miles away across fields. In winter you can see the tracks across the lawn - they have a regular pattern.

We used to hang peanut feeders from our bird table they tended to disappear without trace. The security light one night showed a LARGE badger reaching up and removing the feeder... So we started hanging them from the trees. Problem solved until the squirrels found them - so I trapped and killed them..

In summer, the badgers dig up and eat bumble bee nests in our garden..

I accidentally caught a badger in our neighbour's fox trap.. It was very indignant and ran away when we let it go:-) . The local colony is large - must be 20+ badgers .

[quanglewangle]

Leatherjackets => starlings => badgers

This was our badger - definitely after leatherjackets. First the grass went brown, then then hundreds of starlings pecked holes (not too drastic: aeration, really), then along came brock.


Badger - should animate

Devestaion, on a lawn on which we used to play a somewhat cramped game of croquet - really just an excuse to get pie-eyed on Prosecco outside on fine evenings.

Tried nematodes last autumn but ballsed up the application somewhat so just had another go. Two lots, two weeks apart with smart Swiss applicator. Will report results.