Yesterday evening my helper and I seeded 500 cups of cucumber,cantaloupe,and watermelon and various squash.Meanwhile I've had something nipping the tender tops off of 2-3" high pepper seedlings that were broadcasted 250 to a flat growing like lawn grass,saved for another wave of transplanting.

At first,I thought I had an insect of sorts doing the job of a cutworm but high up,so,I applied an insecticide.I was up early this morning,at daybreak looking around and noticed that cucumber,watermelon,and some cantoupe seed hulls( upon closer review) were laying on top and something had made small 3/8th" holes to get the seed.I am reseeding where nessessary and covering with poly covers per flat,and set mouse traps baited with bacon tied on with thread.I'me not sure which mouselike creature is too blame.

I dont really have a question here,other than I wonder if I'me going about it right.The damage to my work is massive if it happened every night.

If it isn't birds, I'd try limestone powder to get tracks. We had coon doing that a couple years back.

It's right in my greenhouse up on the benches nearest to the wall.Center bench had no trouble.Outer edge benchs have a problem.Something that can climb...I know woodland voles can.

I see my quarry can move the corner of a poly cover enough to get in a flat,and also nibble the bacon on a mouse trap and not get caught.More weight on the pan needed there.ADC is a whole different ballgame,lol. Damage wasnt as severe last night after protecting each individual flat with it's own cover.

We have had cottontail rabbits find their way into a green house. It's hard to believe that a lone rabbit can cause thousands of dollars damage in a single night.......... But the green house owner declares war on rabbits or they are out of business.

I've geared up with 8 more mouse traps- the snap trap with the fake chees platform trigger,with bacon affixed to it with a lenth of bread tie,and you cant hardly keep it set...just the way I like it.And some sticky traps with bacon propped up with tooth picks in the center,using it as a runway path.We'll see how it goes tonight.More sensitive pans were required.I'me not sure of the specie,but I could have swore I smelt shrew,but I didnt think they were seed eaters.Here is a pic of the holes they dig to get seed.
And here are the poly covers I use to protect the seeded cups.They fit tight over taller cups,but merely rest on the edge of the flat underneath on the shorter cup,allowing access to the critter,which can wrestle its way in and dislodge the cover ever so slightly.

Might be in your best interest to get a nice feisty cat if it's rodents.

Try using peanut butter with a few seeds, small amount of vanilla extract mixed in on a few traps. Worked well for me, weeks later in the house. Can't hurt to give a choice, to see which works.

Kurt Temple

Thanks for the tip Kurt,I have plenty of traps.

I've got a cat,sleeps most of the time,and licks it'self,doesnt kill anything.

Here is what was in a trap when I built fires in my greenhouse stoves tonight.

It's mouselike,but I am not sure it's a mouse or what kind,or perhaps its a vole of some kind.

I was going to suggest that you have it mounted but I think you might have ruined the skull.

Oh,I caught another one this morning...another hulking beast,look at the shoulder hump on these guys,lol.I believe its a white footed mouse,also known as wood mouse.

Good one!

I think it looks more like a Northern Grasshopper mouse.

The northern grasshopper mouse has a distinctive white patch in front of each ear,and it's tail is less than 1/3 the length of it's body.(Mammals of Minnesota,1993).Also restricted to prairie counties in MN.

Last night I imbedded cucumber seeds into smeared peanut butter on the pans of 8 out of 10 mouse traps,caught nothing by morning.The treated seed was their best target for some reason.We'll give it till the end of germination season.

I have checked these traps again,no luck,I'me protected by poly covers,almost every where,and the seed depredation is minimal,but still occurring.I believe that these mice are attracted to the slowly moistening,freshly planted seed,as opposed to the seed imbedded in peanut butter.Or,I'me down to the picky mice.Meanwhile,some seeds are sprouting and comming out of the soil,thus not being an attractant.I'me not sure what to do,except I've made sure I have traps in runways between the rows of flats where seed hull piles have accumulated.

I'me going to try not to obsess over this.

Les, I thought you had it working with bacon, is that not what you caught them on? Maybe just put moistened seeds on the bait pan without the peanut butter. Or try a very light coating of vegetable oil over the seeds,without the butter. The bacon has oil so maybe.........
Kurt Temple

The bacon is still there,with peanut butter on it,and alone on a couple traps.

Les, If that isn't working for you try nutella and peanut oil for a liquid bait, grease works good too. That is what I use for my rodent jobs and in colder weather I use flesh from the rats along with it. Jar of nutella should last you quite a long time, add a little oil to keep it from drying out they love it.