What are the benefits and harms of wild animals on the property?

News

Wild animals often mistake their forest home for a person's garden plot. Many come for a treat, and some even settle in permanently. For example, a hedgehog will happily dine on caterpillars, beetles, wireworms, and larvae. Frogs are also valuable in eating mole crickets, which damage plant roots and are quite difficult to eradicate on their own.

Hedgehogs are dangerous helpers

It's safe to say that the presence of these gray lumps in your yard is a good sign. It's possible to get rid of numerous pests, slugs, and snails without using chemicals or any other means—these animals love to feast on them.

Please note!

Another benefit of having hedgehogs as neighbors is that they provide a repellant against mice and snakes. They don't get along well with each other—hedgehogs are predators and will feast on these animals, too.

Hedgehogs are also a joy and a delight for children. Unfortunately, though, while they offer many benefits, they also have some drawbacks. These mostly revolve around trying to pick up the animal.

The animal can bite and introduce an infection into the wound, since its teeth are very sharp and not sterile.
Almost all members of this genus harbor fleas and ticks, which they collect and store in their spines. The insects themselves pose no particular problem to the animals themselves, but they can carry diseases.
Various helminths living in the animal's body can easily be transmitted to humans in the most severe forms.
The rabies virus, which may not show any symptoms in an animal, but is transmitted to humans through a bite.

The solution and prevention for all these dangers is the same: don't touch the hedgehog. Don't reach out to it or try to pet it, and children should be warned about this. To remove the animal from your yard, you can use a mop or bucket. Simply nudge the animal in the desired direction to get it to move.

Despite some problems you might encounter when a spiny neighbor appears on your property, they are still a very useful creature. They help control not only small pests but also snakes, rodents, hares, and lizards.

You can put in some extra effort and attract the animal to your property. All it takes is occasional feeding. Contrary to popular belief, hedgehogs don't like apples or mushrooms. They are carnivores and will happily eat meat, drink milk (preferably goat's or sheep's), and enjoy eggs. In just a week, the hedgehog will understand that it's being fed here and will come on its own.

Advice!

Additionally, in a secluded place, you can build him a house from boards, bricks and all sorts of junk, which will allow the animal to build itself a nest.

Toads and warts

There's a widespread belief among the public that these harmless creatures cause irreparable damage to farms. They ruin crops, devour cucumbers, and leave ugly warts on hands. Of course, these are all unsubstantiated myths.

These amphibians are very useful in the garden. Their prey:

caterpillars;
moths;
slugs;
mosquitoes;
beetles;
larvae;
fillies;
striped click beetles;
midges;
and the biggest enemy of summer residents is the Colorado potato beetle.

The harm these amphibians cause is minimal. Their unsightly appearance, the slime they're covered in, and their loud voice, capable of waking you up in the night—after all, toads hunt at night.

Should you get rid of snakes?

It turns out there's no need to fear all types of snakes—they don't attack first unless they're touched or stepped on. Racers, copperheads, and grass snakes are common in gardens and are harmless to humans. The only dangerous snake is the adder, which also never attacks, always trying to avoid an encounter by crawling into the bushes.

Attention!

If the garden area is occupied by a grass snake, the viper will not live there because the space is occupied.

snakes eat:
insects;
slugs;
mice and rats, destroying their nests.

They are capable of crawling into mole and vole burrows. However, if your fear of snakes outweighs the benefits they provide, it's worth getting a hedgehog.

Insectivorous mole and ladybug

Another helper in the fight against slugs, insects and their larvae, snakes, and lizards is the hard-working mole. It's very voracious and constantly digs its burrows in search of food, but leaves potatoes and root vegetables alone, a practice for which it is often unfairly accused. This animal also constantly loosens the soil, increasing its fertility.

However, sometimes a forest mole, which damages plant buds and feeds on berries, or a field mole, which damages trees, may wander onto the property. Burrows and mounds of earth, which grow in unintended places, also cause problems.