Gardeners

The following advice is fairly general - you would probably be better to speak to your local Badger Group for specific advice about your particular situation.

"The world of badgers is in some ways analogous with the human world. Like us, their behaviour is greatly influenced by their need for homes and living space, and being social like we are, they too have their problems of learning how to live together ..... and with us" Ernest Neal

Feeding Badgers

Of course, badgers main food source is earth-worms, and they can cause some problems digging up lawns as they try to get the worms. Evidence of this is usually provided in the form of snuffle-holes, where the badger has pushed it's snout down into the ground so it can pull up the juicy worm (without the worm snapping in two). In dry summers the amount of digging may increase as the badgers really need to eat wet food (like earthworms), Putting out Water (not Milk) can help the badgers feel less de-hydrated, which can mean they cause less garden damage in the hot summer months.

As well as worms, badgers can also eat garden pests - including leather jackets, slugs, snails, wasps nests, various grubs etc.

Encouragement

Tolerating a few garden pests may well encourage badgers to visit your garden if it gives them an easy meal or snack. Gardeners can help badgers by not minding when they dig up your lawns to get at the worms! After all, the badger doesn't know your garden it meant to be neat and tidy - it just sees it any another extension of its habitat.

Badgers also love to eat some bulbs, roots and tubers, as well as some types of grain. They may well end up ripping up flower bulbs - though they don't seem to like bluebells. You may be able to protect some of these areas with fencing, arranging an "assault course" of sticks to deter badgers from making the trip to the bulbs section.

If badgers are digging up bulbs frequently or getting into large urns, some people have suggested using a thick wire grid to prevent digging. Hopefully the flowers will grow through the grid, but the badgers can not dig through it. This is an extreme solution for small areas only.

Deterrents

If you cut your lawns short, this simply means that badgers find it easier to locate the worms on the surface. Leaving the grass to grow longer (i.e. several inches), may mean worms are more difficult to find, so badgers don't end up doing as much damage (though your garden may look less formal than it did before).

You can also protect your best garden areas with unclimbable walls and/or very stout fences and wiring. A badger can climb roughly-built walls, so make sure it can not gain any footholds or claws holds to get over the top. A badger can also climb a wire fence in a somewhat ungainly fashion, so you will need to make sure it is pretty tall (i.e. one metre).

Warfare

Marking areas "out-of-bounds" can be done with stout fencing and electric fencing. It can no longer be done with the chemical deterrent called Renardine. See also our Chemical Deterrence page.

Other options include the use of things to "spook" the badgers away. Being very cautious animals, badgers can be deterred by unusual things or changes to their surroundings. A sudden change (like a security light or a house light coming on) can spook some badgers, and other unusual sounds (like wind-charms) can help. In other cases, badgers do not like the appearance or smell of people (perhaps a scarecrow with a noisy nylon cagoule).

However, badgers can overcome some of their fears - especially if the food is good enough. Accordingly, make sure dustbin lids are very securely fastened; and smelly food scraps bagged up deep inside the bin. Remember that a badger will be able to overturn a bin if it can get a paw or its nose underneath it!

Protection and Licensing

Badgers remain a protected species, and you can not do anything to cause them actual harm (even if they do wreck your nice garden).

If badgers cause a serious problem, it is sometimes possible to get the badgers moved to another area. However, this requires a licence from the authorities, and good proof of subsidence or serious economic harm. Wrecking a garden is probably not counted as serious harm - unless you are running a commercial garden or the badgers digging is causing subsidence or other structural damage.

If you (or a group of neighbours) have badger-related problems, then try and involve your local Badger Group.

Legal Notice regarding the banning of Renardine:

Renardine was the only legally permitted chemical deterrent which was effective against badgers. As from the 24th March 2005, Renardine has been banned. Importantly, ALL the approvals for Renardine have now expired. This means that:

* Renardine can no longer be advertised for sale.

* Renardine can not be bought from any shop, wholesaler, mail order, agricultural supplies merchants, internet or by private sale.

* Renardine may no longer be supplied, sold, given away or swapped.

* Renardine may no longer by used.

* Renardine may no longer be stored (so any stocks you have must be disposed of).

RenCoco ( Renardine- impregnated cocoa shells) has also been banned.

For more information see the PSD's web site at http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/approvals.asp?id=1567