Persistent pests

Which are the worst pests – those with two legs, four legs, six legs or no legs at all? Bob investigates

- Bob Flowerdew

OUR crops are prey to many critters, both big and small. There are a mix of threats, and over decades of answering gardening queries I have noticed these have changed somewhat. Birds, those two-legged devils, have always been both gardeners’ delights and annoyances. Many birds do us so much good with their bug control, and then go and spoil our fruit and steal our seedlings. By far the worst damage is caused by woodpigeons, which have become a plague in many areas. However, if you make the effort, birds are fairly easy to exclude with cloches, nets and fleece.