2-legged asparagus pest !

[Alison Adams]

We have been so careful to dig the beds deep, fill with excellent compost and soil and space the crowns carefully. I know about asparagus beetles, ready for slugs and have windbreak fabric to protect the growing ferns from the prevailing south westerlies we are rather exposed to. Ready for everything you might think.
Nobody told me about blackbirds though !
I watched him, just like he was after a worm and he had the top right off before I could react. Two down in two days - this is war
I am going to have to net the asparagus bed until the new spears are green enough to not look like worms and big enough not to look like caterpillars.
He can have all the slugs he wants, but beaks off my new asparagus !

[starloc]

I use pieces of foil printing ribbon from a hot foil press tied onto bits of canes and trees to scare off birds, it usualy works,a cd hanging up is suposed to as well, ive removed most birds with the bits of foil, but recently I have had a problem pidgeon stealing the onion sets....

Over and over again even if i was standing there it would drop down and pull onions out.

I sorted it out a few days ago....... i went outside armed with a few bad mandarins, i waited and whack, i got it on the back of the neck realy hard with a rotten mandarin as it landed , it flew off as fast as it could, as it went i got it again with another mandarin

It hasnt been back since!

Chuck rotten fruit at the birds, it works!

[Eyren]

Hmm, that might explain why one of our tiny spears was munched but the big one is still fine. Mr E suspects mice or rats, but rats would surely eat the big one as well? OTOH we have a very friendly blackbird who's been following us around whenever we dig...

[frias]

I used to have a really nice asparagus bed, then I got some chooks..........