Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Cultivation => Cultivation Problems => Topic started by: Katherine J on April 05, 2008, 09:11:20 AM

Title: Animal in the trough
Post by: Katherine J on April 05, 2008, 09:11:20 AM
I think these are made by some animal(s). Has anybody any idea what it could be, or should I dig? On the plants I see no harm at the moment (but what is below the soil ???).
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: Gerdk on April 05, 2008, 09:51:07 AM
Kathrine,
Maybe you found the excretions of earthworms. ???  They deposite their s...
just above their holes.
If this is the fact, there is no harm.
I am curious about what other forumists will think about it  ???

Gerd

Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: ian mcenery on April 05, 2008, 07:10:35 PM
Kathrine I think this could be what we call in the UK Miner bees try the link below


http://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/solitary_bees.htm
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: mark smyth on April 05, 2008, 08:38:40 PM
Can you take a close up of the 'droppings'?
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: Lesley Cox on April 06, 2008, 10:48:17 PM
They also look like the detritus that is thrown up when ants make underground nests; the little shiny black ants that are around in most people's gardens, especialy under my dianthus plants. :'(
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: mark smyth on April 06, 2008, 10:58:32 PM
I was think wood louse
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: Katherine J on April 07, 2008, 07:33:19 AM
Hello.
I wasn't at home on the weekend. Thank you for your comments. This through is on our balcony, near a south-facing wall.
Ian, I've seen many times solitary bees like this, which tried to make nest in my plant's pots.... ??? I usually did not let them to finish it... put something on the hole and then they went away. But who knows... As I understand from this site, they don't make any harm to the plants?
I think I should anyway replant this through this year, it looks rather tired.
I will try to make a closer photo, but now it's raining and is extremly dark.
Strange that I look at it very often and I can't see or hear anything. And there are no holes on these piles, nor anywhere else.
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: ian mcenery on April 07, 2008, 12:22:00 PM
On reflection it does look like ants and Lesley could be right so Kathrine be careful where you repot ;D
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: Katherine J on April 07, 2008, 12:57:48 PM
After some exploration I found only this. It is about 4 mm, and looks very tired  ;D.

He was in the soil, not above!
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: mark smyth on April 07, 2008, 01:18:22 PM
looks like a parasitic wasp
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: ian mcenery on April 07, 2008, 04:03:40 PM
seems like he dug his own grave   ;)
Title: Re: Animal in the trough
Post by: Anthony Darby on April 12, 2008, 12:51:48 AM
Looks like a solitary bee to me. No threat to humans or plants.
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