The mole appears in the garden only when there are favorable conditions for its habitation. In just one day, this animal is able to create an underground system of moves of 15-30 meters. To save the crop, urgent measures must be taken.
The fight against moles implies the use of many different techniques that each gardener can choose on their own. This animal can be brought out using chemical and folk remedies, as well as using various traps and repellers. In addition, it is important to periodically carry out prophylaxis.
Mole behavior features
Before determining how to get rid of moles on the site, you need to know what conditions will be comfortable for the animal and what he does not like. In order for moles to live comfortably, they need to live close to large amounts of food. Therefore, they often appear near a garden or a summer cottage. In addition to worms, beetles and larvae, animals can settle on a site with loose soil, which is periodically dug up and fertilized.
Before you start a fight with moles, you need to learn about the features of their behavior. Usually the animal settles on the site with his family, which is quite numerous. For the winter, they equip themselves with a warm hole, often located on high ground. With their moves, the animals harm the root system of plants, however, they do this completely unintentionally.
The fight against moles in the garden is quite complicated, since it is not so easy to catch them, and it takes very painstaking work to get them out of their area. The animal moves very quickly along its moves, its average speed is about 5 km per hour. In case of danger, the animal will defend itself, scratch with strong paws and may even bite. Moles simply do not tolerate free space, which is why they rarely rise to the surface of the earth. Poor vision is fully compensated by good sense of smell and hearing. This makes it easy to bypass the set traps. These animals are very voracious, therefore, literally in a couple of days they can cause simply irreparable damage to the site.
The benefits of the mole
Before starting the fight against moles, you need to know exactly what the benefits of these animals can be. Among the main advantages of this animal, it is necessary to highlight the fact that it:
- loosens the soil, which contributes to the saturation of plants with oxygen;
- rescues from pests, eats invertebrates and insect larvae;
- increases the nitrogen content in the soil.
Moles eat garden pests, therefore they are of great benefit, although they themselves are a source of food for predatory animals. They are most active in early spring, and then the damage to the soil gradually decreases when it dries.
Mole Harm
Many gardeners complain that the animals simply destroy their crops, but it is worth noting that this damage is indirect. The harm from the moles in the garden is that they dig tunnels for themselves, as a result of which earthworms leave these places, and the roots of the plants dry out. Small earthen mounds immediately become visible. We need to take action immediately. At the same time, the earth is trampled, and then watered with water in order to retain moisture and the plants could again become stronger.
The harm of moles for the site is that:
- rodents use these moves in search of food;
- damage to the root system of shrubs and garden plants;
- the infertile soil is carried to the surface;
- animals carry on themselves parasites that spread the infection;
- young trees may be affected.
Moles change their feeding position all the time. As soon as there is less food on the site, they move to a neighboring garden. This animal will violently defend its territory and will not tolerate neighborhood with other families.
How to effectively deal with moles
There are many different ways to help get rid of these rodents, the most common of which are:
- repellers;
- traps
- granular preparations;
- grids;
- folk remedies.
Means of combating moles can be simply mechanical, in particular, such as nets and traps. They work on the principle of a mousetrap and allow you to catch animals in burrows. However, there is absolutely no guarantee that new moles will not settle in the garden. That is why the effectiveness of this method is not too high.
In addition, among the measures to combat moles, the use of granular preparations containing essential oils and lavender extract can be distinguished. The disadvantage of this method is the high cost of the drug, the effect of which will end in just a few months.
Among the effective means of combating the mole, the use of special repellers can be distinguished. These devices emit various sounds propagating inside the soil. They scare away animals that leave the plots with entire families.
This method is quite safe and simple, as well as very reliable. However, it is worth considering the radius of the device in the area.
Trap application
Many are interested in how to drive moles off the site quickly and efficiently so that they do not cause trouble. Manufacturers suggest using different trap models that belong to the same type at the same time. They are small pipes with lids on both sides. These devices are quite inexpensive and do not give almost any result, since often the animals simply do not go into an unfamiliar object that appeared on the site.
You can purchase traps of a slightly larger size so that their diameter design is the same as the animal's mink, and the walls are rough. Thanks to special valves, it is possible to easily keep the animal inside. There are many varieties of such traps, in particular:
- tunnel traps;
- mole pipe;
- live trap;
- plunger devices.
If used correctly, you can quickly and effectively get rid of these animals in the garden. Traps are also good because they give a clear, visible result, which immediately becomes apparent. Their main drawback is the complexity of the installation, since you need to dig up the mole's moves. It is also important that it will be necessary to regularly catch periodically appearing animals on the site.
The live-traps work according to a very simple principle, since the animal easily gets into them and can no longer get out. There are already finished products, but you can easily make a trap yourself. To do this, you can use plastic water pipes or bottles. In addition, a pit trap can be used, which is a wide bottle or a glass jar located under the mole. The animal just gets into it and can not get back.
In addition, you can use traps that simply kill the mole, but this is not too good, since the animals do not do much harm.
Animal Repellers
Experts are sure that these animals simply do not tolerate loud sounds. That is why many gardeners recommend using various kinds of mole repellers. They give a fairly good result, but it is worth remembering that the animal may return over time.
Special devices can create discomfort for shrews, for example, ultrasonic repellers such as Biostrazh and Chiston. They are buried in the ground. It is worth remembering that they have a fairly low power, therefore, they may not give any result.
Such a device makes an unpleasant sound for animals and scares off all rodents within a radius of 20-30 meters. Among the shortcomings of mole repellers, it should be noted that such devices need to be located throughout the site. In addition, they have a fairly high cost.
Among sound scarers, firecrackers should also be distinguished, since this is a fairly effective way to fight moles, in addition, it has a low cost. Many gardeners claim that after applying this method, animals do not appear on the site for several seasons. To do this, dig a mole hole, throw a lighted firecracker into it and cover the exit with your foot. The result is a deaf underground explosion. A similar procedure must be repeated with each hole.
You can make a repeller yourself. To do this, take an empty plastic bottle without a cap. Deep in the earth you need to stick an iron rod, put a bottle on it. When the wind blows, the plastic will start to make unpleasant sounds that the mole’s auditory organs cannot withstand, and the animals leave this place.
You can dig into the ground empty glass bottles with the neck up at a slight angle, so that about 10 cm remains above the ground. The wind will blow in the neck and the bottle will make an unpleasant whistle.
Among the main advantages of using repellent devices, it is necessary to highlight the maximum ease of use in combination with the lack of the need for contact with the rodent itself. However, there are certain disadvantages of repellers, since there is no way to predict in advance how effective this tool will be.
Mole scaring does not always happen very quickly and efficiently, since even the best devices help get rid of animals in at least 1-2 weeks. In addition, it is not always possible to determine exactly whether the animal left the site or not. Thus, it is advisable to use repelling agents even before capturing moles, as an experiment.
Traps and special molehills
Some gardeners are interested in how to get rid of moles on the site using traps. Even having a lot of strength, the animal simply can not get out of the modern device. The difficulty is that you need to properly install it in the tunnel. Many fear that after a violation of the integrity of the moves, the mole will suspect something is amiss. Much more effectively helps to fight the molehill animal. It is a trap made of wire. When the animal’s head comes into contact with the spring, it is trapped.
To install a mole catcher, you need to remove the top layer of soil near the hole and place the device. The device is mounted in two directions at once, which will not allow the pest to bypass the trap. During installation, the mole catchers should be wearing gloves, as animals can smell well. The main varieties of traps include:
- plunger traps;
- wire mole catchers;
- harpoon traps;
- simple crush.
Many other designs that can be used in a wide range can also be used. Every year more and more advanced devices appear. Electric mole traps are practically not used, as there may be certain problems with electricity in the country.
Many of these devices are almost instantaneous, as well as simpler to use. However, before using them, you need to consider whether it is really worth killing animals.
Other methods of dealing with animals
The fight against the mole in the garden involves the use of a variety of tools and techniques. If more humane methods do not give the desired result, then poison can be used. These animals feed mainly on earthworms, and they can become bait. To do this, carefully cut the worm and place a little poison in it, which can be purchased at a specialized store for farmers. Such baits should be placed near the entrance to the wormholes and cover them with soil.
In addition, many use smoke bombs. Such a tool is simply ignited, laid in mole passages, and the hole in the soil is tightly closed. Smoke will spread through the aisles, scare away the animal or poison it. Some people prefer to use exhaust fumes. To do this, they are driven into the passages through a hose connected to the exhaust pipe of the car.
In some cases, filling the holes with water will be quite effective, which often leads to subsidence of the soil and the creation of small waterlogging. Dogs or cats can also successfully catch moles in the area. Dachshunds and fox terriers do this most effectively.
Folk remedies against moles
How to remove moles from the site, many gardeners and gardeners want to know. They are always in search of the most effective method. A good result can be obtained by using folk remedies to combat moles in the country. You can drive out the animal with the help of ordinary reeds. It is necessary to take its stems and clean it thoroughly. Then place the resulting tube in mole passages. In the event of wind, such a repeller will annoy the animals with its sounds.
You can deter pests by planting garlic, legumes, onions, hot peppers on the site. Moles simply do not tolerate these smells and will prefer to leave an already inhabited place.
There is another effective, but quite expensive way to deal with moles on the site. To do this, you need to dig slate sheets, sheet metal or linoleum to a depth of about 70 cm around the perimeter. Such protection will become a very reliable barrier for moles to penetrate the site.
The most common method of getting rid of this animal is to repel moles by smells. In this case, you can use a variety of oils, solutions. Summer residents burrow rags moistened with kerosene, turpentine or naphthalene in moleholes. In addition, you can fill in carbide, tar, as well as other strongly smelling substances by watering them from above with water. Then it’s good to drip all the previously made holes. All these methods require methodicality, accuracy and accuracy of execution.
In addition, you can buy special balls from moles with an unpleasant odor, such as Detia. This is an effective German remedy with the scent of lavender. In addition, there are Alfos tablets which, when in contact with water, emit phosphine gas with a very unpleasant odor.
Prophylaxis
The best way to get rid of moles in your area is to carry out prophylaxis. Such work needs to be done every year in order to accurately protect your future crop from this pest. Often used methods of combating moles, such as:
- placement of propellers around the garden;
- use of electronic repellers;
- creation of small earthen ramparts using sand at the border of the site.
In addition, to prevent the penetration of pests into the area, special barriers can be used. Faced with such an obstacle, the animal simply can not dig further.
In early spring, you can try to destroy all the food of moles, namely - bugs, larvae, worms. However, it is worth noting that when applying a large number of aggressive chemicals, the soil can be very affected. In addition, many pests and larvae are located deep underground, and chemicals simply will not reach them. Therefore, the use of such funds is not only impractical, but can also be harmful.
Drive moles from the site is not at all difficult, but the main thing is to competently and with full responsibility to treat the task. Then it will be possible to achieve a very good result.