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Last year I wrote about autumn tidying and the effect this can have on wildlife. I left my garden untouched over winter, leaving hibernating creatures snuggled under a duvet of fallen leaves and rotting stems. None of my plants died or were ravaged

over and remove it once a layer of ice has formed. If the pond has already frozen, make a hole by leaving a pan of hot water on the surface, allowing the base of the pan to melt the ice. Froglife also warns against smashing or pouring hot water

of hot water on the surface, allowing the base of the pan to melt a hole. Then leave a plastic ball in the hole overnight, and remove it the following morning when the pond surface has refrozen. This enables noxious gases to leave the pond. ARC also warns

for now to avoid the food going rotten if the birds don't come. I've also got some fat balls on the go, which I dutifully removed from their nets to avoid any broken bird legs. Now, where are the birds?

to dismantling and removing it, only to find around 15 frogs buried in the compost, asleep. I quickly covered them back up and left them alone again.Frogs residing in grow bags is nothing knew. I spoke to frog expert Jules Howard, who said grow bags make

of putting the nest into the box, sealing it and taking it to its new destination. Let the bees settle and wait until morning before removing the tape from the entrance hole.I had only moved one bumblebee nest before, and that was a disaster. The bees were

pots - everything was gone. But the queen and her bees were holding on in there, angrily defending their home. I wondered if I could encourage them to carry on. I removed the caterpillars and replaced most of the bedding, then returned the bees

are declining so alarmingly, but the usual factors are likely to blame: in rural areas, there are fewer hedgerows to provide shelter, while use of pesticides removes a vital source of their food. In towns and cities, small, over-tidy and paved gardens reduce

loudly. I put the theory to test by removing the bin lid, emptying a bucket of cold water on to the heap every day and hitting the bin with a rake whenever I went past. The rat was indeed evicted, but it always returned within a few days. There’s a limit