6 Outstanding Tips To Prevent RATS in Your Compost Bin
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
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So many people worry about rats getting into their compost at home.` but with a little knowledge, you can still compost to get the best for your garden and also ensure you'll NEVER get rats in your compost bin.
In this video, I give you 4 reasons why rats invade your compost bins and 6 tips to ensure they don't. Make sure you watch to the end as this will prevent you from getting overrun with rats or mice
00:00 Introduction
00:47 Reason No 1 Looking for somewhere to live undisturbed
01:07 Reason No 2 Looking for food
01:26 Reason No 3 Nice and warm, save energy
01:44 Reason No 4 Security for the rats family
02:27 Tip No. 1 Location of compost bins to prevent rats
03:31 Tip No. 2 Compost bin design to prevent rats
05:33 Tip No. 3 Human Intervention to prevent rats
06:42 Tip No. 4 Adding compost ingredients to prevent rats
07:22 Tip No. 5 Keep compost moist to prevent rats
07:55 Tip No. 6 Remove clutter and mess to prevent rats
08:40 Showing inside a compost bay that's been in use for 2 years
09:33 Conclusion on preventing rats in your compost bin
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That’s why I put my food scraps in the center of my chickens and ducks in the morning so they will go through it all before night. It’ll be broken down pretty much by the animals I want, not the ones I don’t.
Great tips
After going through the things that make a compost heap ideal for rats, I want to move in too!!
Folks I hope that this video has given you more confidence to compost at home. To learn how to compost correctly then check this video out. th-cam.com/video/n1cVCkCfwi0/w-d-xo.html
forgot to mention that i have 1/2" hardware wire under compost and raised beds for the gophers.
Great tips
Hey Tony ! Yet another great video. You are both clear and comprehensive in your content. I picked up some tips that I can use as rodents are an issue in my community garden that has compost bins and sheds to provide bed and breakfast.
Enjoyed this Tony. Great video.
I have 4 cats chained to each corner of my compost bin and they work perfectly.
Please say you're joking and arent abusing scentient beings like that!?
@@noname-ea 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
@@noname-ea 😂😂😂😂😂
Just realise where I went wrong here.
I should have chained four cats per corner!
@@andy1way 4 on each corner is the absolute minimum!!!
Thanks mate, Starting my compost bin today and this was helpful picking the location
At my local area, I'm getting everyone to become more involved in our environmental issues. Thanks for this video, this is one step closer to convincing my family to start composting. And I subbed! Thanks again for your tips.
Great tips Tony - I had mice in mine at the start but they quickly moved on when I gave the bins a rummage every day!
Brilliant tips! I had mice in the home last year so I'm very weary of getting a compost bin. I feel far more confident in getting one now. Didn't even realise you could buy a rotating composter!
I made one out of hardware cloth. (Wire 1/4 inch squares and 2x4s including the top cover. It has worked very well for 5 years. The wood is finally starting to rot, so I am going to break out my husband's welding gear and make it totally metal with t posts or angle iron. (Yes, I know how to weld). Go big or go home rats!
That's a great idea Donna
Always, always get great value from your videos. Thanks so much!
Thanks so much Deb. I am glad your enjoying them
Thanks Tony, you’re a gem. Very thorough as always. I’m envious of your lined compost bins, too late for me for the moment though. I’ve got four pallet compost bins I’ve put together for now. Too much other stuff to do, only had my allotment four months, starting from scratch. Very glad there’s guys like you sharing your experience.
The compost lined bins are pallet bins and i made a video showing how to do it
Great stuff Tony.
Amazing tips! We have had issues with this recently. Perfect timing👌.
Glad it was helpful!
Great tips, thank you Tony!
Any time!
Great tips tricks-& handy hints 👍👍👍
Cheers Pal :)
Great video Tony 👌👌
Love all the tips Tony. Composting is my next challenge. Small garden composting. ❤️❤️❤️
Sounds great!
Great video Tony. You have such a lovely compost set up. I can't seem to make enough. We definitely need to relook at our composting.
You can do it! Karen make some pallet bays just make sure you can fill them. Ask neighbours for their pruning and stuff
Rose inherited some pallet bays with her plot. They're a bit wobbly but should be OK once they've been put in properly. What have you lined yours with?
Thanks for the great info! I noticed a few holes in the soil before we put down mulch and compost bins. Thought it might've been moles or insects because we did have mole hills and an underground wasp nest before. While rebuilding a section of collapsed stone wall yesterday i suddenly noticed a scruffy brown rat scuttle along the drive wall from near the compost bins. They must be nesting there, not sure what do. We will continue regularly wetting and turning the compost. Kids play in garden not far from it and our cars park nearby. Probably not enough to scare them away. I was surprised it was a rat because it moved quite slow, even when chased it. We have a lot of open land next to us and I've noticed quite a few holes there too. I'm regularly mowing it so hopefully that will annoy them
Such an awesome video Tony, we definitely don't want rats in our garden, we use 2 durable plastic bins for our compost/worm farm. Looking forward to this planting season 🌱 👩🌾
That's a great idea!
My goodness, I like the way you explain it.
Thanks. i am glad you enjoyed it
Thank you. This makes a lot of sense
Great glad you got value from it
nice tips there tony
Thanks 👍
Love the content bro it's very informative and helpful 💙
Glad you think so!
Nice one mate, I'm terrified of rats, a few have moved into my greenhouse
Very useful video Tony. Thank you 👍💚
glad you enjoyed it Stephen
Your explanation of why they love compost was insightful and helpful.
Glad it was of interest to you
I live in a rat free area! Grew up with rats ... well in an area with rats.... now live in a rat free area! Don’t know how much I appreciate being rat free. Thanks for the appreciation of being rat free!
We don't have any rats, but still great information as to what to look for
and what to do to prevent them from moving in. Forewarned is Forearmed.
TYFS Tony, Mark and Rosa
Glad you enjoyed it guys :)
Great information tony
Glad you enjoyed it
Top tips buddy,I put a concrete pad down last weekend for my compost bins 👍
Perfect Graham follow these tips and keep it rat free
thanks for the information regarding keeping the rats away!
Nice tips Tony.
I also compost meat, dairy and cooked waste using bokashi technique prior to putting on the compost. Seems to work well 👍
I imagine the same tips would work for mice, voles and other members of the rodent family? We don’t have rats, but almost every other critter likes to visit us...rabbits, woodchucks, raccoons, squirrels, possum, chipmunks. You name it we have it! Thank goodness for our hawks, owls, fox and other predators!
Yes, absolutely
Great tips thank you x
Thanks
Great tips Tony, and you've got the best scarecrow I've ever seen on an allotment :-)
Thanks mate that was modelled after Worzel gummidge
Brilliant 👍🏻
My mum tried composting...but gave up because of rats...great info and tips tony...thanks 👍
Sorry to hear that Pam. give it another go and follow these tips
@@simplifygardening will do...great tips Tony...hope you are keeping well..🙏
Thanks so much for this video and all the tips. I made up a pallet compost bin a while ago and where do you think I put it? At the very edge of our property, behind our shed - perfect for a rat run. Just didn't know. Fortunately & ironically, I didn't feel comfortable re rats so havent put anything in it yet. Have learnt alot from this video.
Great advice I have never had rats in my compost as I never put animal fat food stuff in egg shells are always broken up and no fat cooked stuff ie roasted veg
Yes avoid that at all costs
Hi Dear Friend! Totally awesome video! 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
We installed 4'x8' raised garden beds one fall. We filled them with logs and sticks then topped them off with soil and (mostly) composted vegetables. Early the next spring, they started construction on a new housing development behind our home. Some of the rats and ground squirrels re-homed themselves not only in our boxes, but also under our deck! We couldn't get rid of them, and they ate my seed potatoes and other root vegs. Had to call in the experts...next boxes will have wire mesh under them!
Oh damn thats one issue with filling raised beds that way
@@simplifygardening IKR? LOL!
well, i'm doing ok with the compost area, but see that i definitely need to clean up my garden junk area for crawleys and standing water. i host the neighborhood stray cat who takes care of the rats. for winter he has a heated ice chest with cat flap doors and bedding, but i remove his kibble dish to discourage visitors. thanks for the reminder of the junk area.
Cats will certainly help
Another interesting and useful video, thanks Tony.
I find composting very satisfying and productive; I have 5 plastic bins. So far, I've not encountered any issues with rats however I have seen mice in there! Upon lifing the lid one day there was a grey mouse right on top of the conents completely unperturbed by my presence! Presumably many of the same tips would apply. Are there any other things to consider when dealing with mice?
Yes Dick they would also help with mice
Heartening to see I have a lot of this covered already. Mine is a Dalek which is sat on concrete, in a small yard so impossible not to be near human (or cat) activity. I water it anyway to stop it drying out and refusing to break down, plus I keep digging around in the bottom to see if it’s ready yet. I’m kinda impatient like that lol. I’ve got some mint growing right by it too, as I heard they dislike the smell. Not sure I’d put a lot of faith it that concept tho, as can’t see mint smell standing in their way when sewer smell doesn’t.
Seems you have it nailed. Mint has some compound in it that rats don't like but i am not sure what its called
I always understood that bins had to be on soil. A question of bacteria I believe.
@@brianbarcroft9167 I’d heard that it had to be on soil too, but both worms and bacteria seem to find their way there anyway. There’s already decomposing bacterias on the food scraps I put in there, plus when plants die I chuck em in there, so some soil specific bacteria will enter that way too.I have no clue how the worms get in, but there’s a tonne of them in there.
@@weirdheathersgarden Right, well - if it works!
Great tips Tony👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi. Does a compost bin need to go on soil? Or can it be on a hard surface. I thought the worms are what breaks down everything so they need to come up through the soil. Thanks!
We didn't have rats in town until recently. The local dump was closed several years ago.
I put food out for wild animals to take rather than putting it in the garbage.
But now, all towns folk have to be vigilant and keep the rats moving on.
Oh keep on top of it and use these tactics to prevent them
Great advice Tony! I’ve just built an aerated static pile. I rather hope this keeps most things out of the pile. I plan on growing stinging nettle around the sides and back of the pile to keep land critters out. I’d love your thoughts on this idea.
nettles dont affect rats so be mindful that it wont affect
@@simplifygardening I’m more concerned about dogs, raccoons and the like.
Thank you Tony I was kinda freaking out about rats 🐀 and the compost bins. I think I've done half of the things you said there not to do in my efforts to avoid it being near the house in case rats get in it. I have 2 darlecs between the shed and playhouse in the shade with plant pots nearby so exactly what I shouldn't do. When I've emptied them I'm going to have to move them. Do you think I'd still be able to use these if I left the lids off? I'm short of space to fit pallet bays where people go past them. I've only been putting cardboard leaves and garden stuff in mine thinking that might deter rats.
Hello Tony . Dure this is a verry usefull video . Thank you for that . Vut maybe you forgot one thing ; in my neigbourhood
What is it?
I'm having this very issue with my Dalek style compost bin. I found that there is a rat been living in it over the winter. What would you suggest I do with it now? Can I salvage it somehow or should I dispose of it? Its about half full. I will follow your tips when I set up a new one this spring. thanks Tony, another great video!
I have a large Australian plastic composter on hard standing with chicken wire around it. The rats bury around it when the weather turns cold trying to get in as they can still smell it. When you live in the country it’s very hard to keep them at bay.
Thank you Tony, this in very informative! Would compost be safe to use if you’ve had a rat living in it? I don’t think I’ll be using mine, but I will be moving my compost bins to the centre of my plot now thank you for the great advice.☺️
It would be ok to put on the garden providing you flush it out with water
Great tips tony thanks we got rats on allotment, well fed and healthy looking big furry one they are! At least 2 are living inside my compost bin! If I put plastic sheet down before I sit the Darlek bin on top, would it stop the rats going inside the bin? Or will they chew through the plastic sheet on the floor to get inside the bin?
I had a drum composter - supposed to be easier but really it’s not. If your ingredients are too moist, you get clumps of smelly goo. If it’s too dry, nothing breaks down. The more you put in, the harder it is to turn, and the ingredients don’t mix properly. They’re possibly ideal for someone who only wants to make 30L of compost at a time. Pulled apart, mine made great barrels for growing potatoes in, and the stand covered in shade cloth keeps the sun off my lettuces 🙃 My pallet compost bins are in the chicken yard. Any spills are cleaned up by the girls, and they deal with any rodents who come snooping around. I just put a chicken wire lid on so they can’t raid the bins, and I let them go in and clean out the bottom after I’ve removed the black gold to the gardens. That location also makes it much easier to add the bedding & sweepings from the chicken house, and rakings from their yard.
I agree I’ve even tried the aerobic here in Aus both absolutely useless. My pallet one was working ok till the rats moved in.
I once almost had a juvenile rat get chewed up by the mantis's tiller. It surprised me when it darted past me.
my dads best tip was a 410 shot gun. He'd sit up on a step ladder like a wimbledon tennis umpire, with a torch taped to the barrel, shining at the run's near his chicken hut on a night. When they showed their inquisitive little faces, game over. But like you suggested, prevention is better than cure. I dont own a cat, but some of the ones that patrol around my neighbourhood look fearsome, I wouldnt want to meet them up a dark alley, never mind a rat!
I laid three layers of overlapping ceramic floor tiles on the ground before placing my composter on top of them. It is next to the house, but I make daily visits to add chopped kitchen scraps and leaves. I turn the compost over weekly. I think I’m doing the right things. There are rats about, but they’re not in my compost!
Yes because you are there regular and turning it they wont stay there so that's great stuff
I was born in Leicester but moved to Canada as a child. I’m trying to place your dialect!
@@DavidMFChapman South Wales around 15 miles from Cardiff
Can you tell me what type of plastic did you use in the compost bins? Should there be a lot of air flow out little, I'm sorry I couldn't understand. Thank you
I watched an old video the other day on slugs. You mention a video about making your own nematodes but haven't been able to find it. Could you please either point me to the video of explain how I can make nematodes to cut down on my slug problems. I have beer traps etc and even go out at night lifting leaves and hand picking slugs but don't get them all. Many thanks
Hi tony
Got a problem that needs sorting asap please help.
I've got my king edwards on window shelve for chitting. Trouble is instead of short stocky green chits they're half centimetre long and WHITE and just a single shoot... temp is cool but bright daylight.. surely not normal. As my charlottes and Arron pilot are indeed green and stocky chits. Thanks tony..
hey how about carving out the center of a root and making a mixture of stuff and putting it inside. to prove it is possible just try it but it may eat it so well that it collapses. the theory is this. is the potato we eat the potato or is the potato the skin of the potato and the white is just he storage area for growth and if i am right the growth rate when carved and replaced should be more then 100 percent greater but will it have to be replaced.
Any videos on red worm farm?
I did a worm farm video but will be doing a new one here is the link th-cam.com/video/Jj3C00uznBk/w-d-xo.html
We have snakes here, and sometime I found snakes around where I have my compost. Is there any thing I can do to keep away snakes?
What about using fine mesh or chicken wire all round, including the floor? Thank you for your tips, we will find them very useful when thinking about the compost bin builds and hopefully keeping the pesky critter’s away 🐀
You can do that but it does make harvesting much harder and it is not required if you manage the pile as suggested here
👍
And another sure fire way is to put up jon pertwee as worzel gummidge , guaranteed to frighten any animal!
Hi Tony I have a cubic meter sq of spent mushroom compost and a few empty raised beds still "as I'm a new grower on allotments" how would you fill these raisedbed with these materials only ratios, layer sequence etc : normal ground soil, spent mushroom compost and shop compost many thanks look forward to the reply 👍👍👍
thirds mate of all the soil compost and mushroom compost
@@simplifygardening thanks mate 👍👍👍
something that concerned me over composting haven't tried it yet.
Well Janine now you know how to avoid them
@@simplifygardening I haven't watched it yet but I will :)
Get 50Ibs of used Coffe Grounds a week from local coffe places. Plus one every 2 weeks get 20 Ibs on brewery grains. Trying to find different ways to process this much material /compost this much material. Is looking for ideas and suggestions.. 🤯🤨Actually I do have a free source for carbon 4 weeks I go to my local Recycle bin plant to grab newspapers. One of our local grocery stores I get pallet full of cardboard Then I shedd it in my wood chipper. Feed part of it to my worms and the rest is in heat piles.Coffe Grounds have NPK of N: 2.1 P: 0.3 K: 0.3.People consider coffee grounds wast. I consider it black gold
I’ve given up
Tony after omitting all household food from the compost last year just garden waste and cardboard. Ratty’s were still a problem . so yesterday I dismantled my pallet bin and eeek a big rat jumped out. Having had them get into the walls of house downstairs and having bait stations all around that area under house ( room high) area and garden for 12 months no more on ground compost for me. It might be ok in an allotment but not a home garden. I’ll have to re think.
Where is the bin located TG?
will see..
let me know
Please, can you tell us who we can stop/prevent squirrels destroying the garden veg and boarders.
Just put a very small wire mesh at the bottom of the compost bin. Just big enough for worms. Job done.
yes that would work
Any advice on getting rid of moles, they are playing havoc on my plot 😫
Tony I can’t for the life of my find your video on making your compost bins.,,,what sort of plastic did you use to line yours??
Its floor protection when your decorating. Here is the video th-cam.com/video/ZbE4emDTnD4/w-d-xo.html
@@simplifygardening perfect, cheers!
Hi there this video is very insightful! I am need of help I didn't watch this video before hand and now in my plastic compost bin I have a rat or rats please could anyone advise how I can get rid of!
Much appreciated.
Empty it to turn it over if your brave enough I just about jumped out of my skin when one jumped out as I was doing the same.
I was going to make one out of wood pallets but the slats are definitely wide enough for mice and rats, and I want to compost my food scraps, grass cuttings etc so shall I instead buy a Robert Dyas 800l plastic compost bin? That has no openings large enough for rats? we live in woodland area so lots of rats, foxes, squirrels etc in the area here?
Mary if you compost right rats wont be a problem if you do it wrong even the plastic ones wont stop them
I have never had rodent problems with my compost. I think it is because there are 9 pretty big cats within a few houses of me, including mine (I'm in a neighborhood). 😁 no problem.
That will certainly help
have you used tulle fabric for the garden?
It is belived that mice and rats do not like their nails being stuck in it it will stop birds having a go at you seedlings?
No john but I will look into it
Lay chicken wire under dalek bins, lets worms in but no rolands
A great tip i meant to include but when filming you dont remember everything you want to say lol
@@simplifygardening We work to the same ends, as a team!
I have cats sleeping all the time on warm compost heaps. No rats at all.
5:05 scarecrow?? A bit freaky to be honest 🤣 It looks real! ....or is it? 🤔
👍 the only problem is, I ve got to get some blue drums ,I can’t get them out of my head..😂
lol :)
I think rats have moved in to our bin. There is a tunnel in the middle of it. Should I empty it to get rid of them?
scarecrow at 9:33 is legit scaring rats away
I have a standard round 200 litre plastic compost bin with lid and suffered from rats getting in from underneath. I dug out the compost and then stood the compost bin on a layer of chicken wire and put the compost back in. Problem solved.
Sorry mistyped anything . Wat i would say is ; in my neighberhood we never trouw patatopeels and carrots in the compost because it attracts rats as well . Cu in next video bye bye . PS how is your book and is there a translation in Dutch language ?
Hey, The book is going to take some time after losing a couple of months of work on it when pc crashed. It maybe an end of year thing now as I need to concentrate on the course first
I wisch you verry mush succes Tony 😆
Is that your lass in the background?
I have two cats and they get mice all the time.. Rats can be a serious problem in a composters..
Try these tips it will solve the problem
If I have to battle them under the house I'd rather take the fight outside to the compost bin. I have taken 7 down this summer with traps but i caught one in a trash can and let my dogs dispatch it. I then turned that small trash can into a trap by running cans over center.
How about getting rid of bears from the compost bin?
Bill something i have no experience with but I assume an electric fence would sort that out
I've got a mate in British Columbia who swears that his wife's two Yorkshire terriers discourage bears from trespassing on their property. He reckons that the bears are annoyed by all the high-pitched yapping, just like he is.
What about Snakes?
i found a rabbit nest with 4 baby rabbits in my compost pile last year.
(dare I ask) what happened then?!
@@sroberts605 i left them alone and about a week later i found two had been moved by mom and two were left cold.
I liquidise all my kitchen waste before i put in compost bin.
Good tip
I freeze, then liquidise all my waste for my wormery its gone super quick. I don’t have a compost due to the rat issues. I have a garden Nextdoor which has been completely covered with decking and now there are rat runs under the fence and they rummage around in my raised beds... i hate them.
They ate even my liquidised stuff :(