Some believe that a cute little animal, dressed in a beautiful velvety fur coat, is a harmless animal. In fact this is not true. Of course, we should not argue that these mammals bring certain benefits to farms and summer cottages. They destroy many insects and their larvae, which are pests of gardens. Having appeared on the site, he begins to make moves in the ground with increased strength, getting food for himself, which violates the root system of all plants, shrubs and trees that come across in his path. About how to deal with moles in the country, and will be discussed in this article.
The appearance of the animal
Moles belong to the class of mammals, belong to the genus of the Insectivorous family of the Mole. Animals of small and medium sizes from 5 to 21 cm, weighing up to 100 g. There are 6 main types and 11 varieties. All of them differ in size, weight, structure of the jaw and skeleton. The body of a mole is cylindrical, dense. The hair grows perpendicular to the skin surface, which allows it to move freely back and forth underground. Fur color from black to dark gray. On the triangular head is a proboscis with vibrissae (hairs) helping to find food.
The animal has 44 teeth. Vision and hearing are poorly developed, but he has excellent sense of smell and touch. Eyes without lens and retina. The forelimbs are well developed, stronger than the hind limbs, have the shape of a spade, on the feet there are five fingers connected by a membrane, the nails are long and strong.
Lifestyle
In order to find out how to deal with moles, and whether it is necessary to do this, you should familiarize yourself with their lifestyle. They do not fall into hibernation; they dig tunnels year-round. In winter, they do not make new moves, but deepen the old ones. The main nesting chamber of the mole is up to two meters deep. Tearing it and the ring galleries around, the mole does not throw the earth out, but squeezes through the soil. She covers the burrow with dry leaves and grass. In addition, there are fodder passages that serve to obtain food, the earth from which is thrown to the surface. They can reach a length of up to one and a half kilometers. Animals lead a solitary lifestyle, in pairs they connect only in the mating season. They give birth to eight cubs, ready for independent life in two months.
Mole Nutrition
In order to understand how to deal with moles, you need to know what they eat and what harm gardeners do. Moles also belong to predatory animals and only occasionally can eat the roots of some plants. The main food is underground and consists of:
- earthworms;
- a bear;
- insect larvae;
- Zhukov;
- wireworm;
- slugs;
- wood lice.
The diet of moles consists of garden pests and vegetable garden pests. The only exception is earthworms, which loosen the earth, saturating it with oxygen. On the one hand, moles are useful animals for a personal plot. And on the other, why their gardeners do not like them, breaking through the moves, they damage the roots of plants. Moles are voracious animals, and can eat a little less than their own weight per day. Moreover, they eat constantly, 17 hours of starvation leads to the death of the animal. In winter, moles feed mainly on earthworms. To do this, they make supplies: they bite off their heads, and immobilized bodies are stored in special pantries.
Mole Habitats
They live in any soil, but give preference to light and moist soil, which is easy to dig. These are underground inhabitants, they only occasionally, more often in the dark, get to the surface. It is necessary to know the structure of the wormhole in order to determine how to deal with moles in the summer cottage without harming the plants. The home is as follows:
- The main nest (bedroom) is located in the center of the mole system, often under the roots of trees and shrubs, stumps and buildings at a depth of up to two meters.
- The main chamber is surrounded by passages consisting of rings for rest and rearing offspring. They are connected both with the main nest and with each other.
- At a depth of 20 to 50 cm from the surface layer of the earth are constant passages from which it pushes the soil to the surface. On them, the animal goes to the watering place and to the forage areas.
- The feed passages are shallow, horizontal to the surface, forming earthen rollers, there are a lot of them.
The mole digs its moves year-round. In the spring, they notice the fruits of his life on the site.
The reasons for the appearance of moles in the area
If pests occur on the site, before looking for various ways to deal with the mole in the garden, you need to find out the reason for their appearance. They may be as follows:
- Loose soil. Well-fertilized soil, with frequent watering and timely digging, has a friable structure, contains a large number of earthworms and attracts moles.
- The presence of insects. Agricultural plants attract many insects, which in the winter period of time bury themselves in the ground or lay larvae there, which is animal feed.
- The absence of enemies. Near human habitation there are no predators who can attack moles.
- The presence of rodents. Mice living in homes and plots are a treat for the animals.
- The fight against moles in neighboring areas. Underground residents dig new moves and move to neighbors.
Appearing on the site, they master new areas, breaking through the underground passages throughout the site in search of food. Therefore, the fight against garden moles must begin immediately after their discovery.
What is harmful garden mole on the site?
Every day, a voracious animal, working hard, eats a large amount of food. And in search of food, he digs many moves, throwing part of the soil out. If he encounters plants or root crops, he will also throw them to the surface of the earth or damage them so that they soon die. Summer residents often think about how to deal with moles in a summer garden, and look for suitable ways for this. After all, not only vegetable crops, but trees and shrubs suffer from this animal, when as a result of excavations, it damages their root system. Earth thrown out of the hole on lawns and lawns can ruin the lawn mower mechanism. And the grass after a while may turn yellow and die. It should be borne in mind that the land also becomes infertile over time, since impoverished soil is thrown from the depths.
Mole harm to animals and humans
The mole passages that they break through to hunt for food are located at the surface of the earth. There are cases that cattle fall into a hole and break or dislocate a leg. This is of great danger to the animal. Small mammals are carriers of some serious infections. Pyroplasmosis and tularemia for people with weakened immune systems can be fatal. Such problems make people often think about the question, but how to deal with moles in the area? In addition, the mole is a carrier of ticks, fleas and worms. Animals rarely go out of the ground, but when they appear on the surface, you do not need to pick up a fluffy animal. Such unwanted guests should be disposed of.
Biological Mole Control Methods
The fight against moles can begin with the elimination of feed reserves for them. Their hourly need for food requires a lot of food. The destruction of insects, snails, small invertebrates, spiders, caterpillars will force moles to look for another place to live. What other methods to take and how to deal with moles on the site? One such method is the use of pets. Terrier dogs and dachshund dogs are capable of driving moles for training before hunting. Some gardeners claim that cats are fond of hunting animals. Such methods may not bring much effect, but it's worth a try. It should be remembered that pets dig up much more land on the garden than moles.
Shrew in the garden
This small insectivorous mammal is very similar to a mouse. The difference is only in the elongated face. The head is large, the nose is extended into a movable proboscis, the eyes are small, the limbs are short, the fur is thick, short and velvety, the tail is long. For the garden, it is useful in that it destroys plant pests. And in search of food, like the mole makes many moves, damaging the roots of plants. Often uses mole and mouse moves. Gardeners and gardeners are looking for ever new means of combating both moles and shrews.
How to deal with moles and shrews?
The appearance of small predators in the summer cottage makes the owners fight them. There are many ways, here are a few of them:
- Use various chemical protective equipment. It must be remembered that this method can damage the health of humans and animals.
- Bury fish entrails and heads in minks. The spread of a strong odor forces the animals to leave the developed territory;
- domestic and wild cats.
- Pour a large amount of water into the hole from the hose.
- Use modern ultrasonic repellers.
We fight with moles on the site on our own
The best way to get rid of moles is prevention. Such work should be done constantly, in order to prevent pests in the suburban area. To do this, use:
- Special fence. With the appearance of moleholes at the neighbors, you can make a fence at your site so that uninvited animals do not come to visit. As a fence, sheets of tin, slate, linoleum or a metal mesh are used. Bury the material vertically in the ground around the perimeter of the plot to a depth of one meter and leave a protruding edge of 10 cm from above. Such a fence is used together with mechanical traps.
- Poles with unbalanced propellers. How to deal with moles in the garden with their help? To do this, dig the device around the perimeter of the site. Under the influence of wind, the blades spin and create a vibration that is transmitted to the ground. Moles, feeling discomfort, leave this site.
- Various do-it-yourself weathercocks, turntables, bottles buried in the ground. All these devices under the influence of the wind create a vibration of the earth, and the underground inhabitants leave uncomfortable places.
Electronic repellers
In addition to homemade mole repellent devices, you can purchase them in a store. And the problem of how to deal with moles will disappear immediately. They are placed around the perimeter of the site at a certain distance specified in the instructions. The repeller consists of a hollow metal or plastic cylinder.
Inside it is a battery and a motor that transmits vibration to the body, and it to the ground. Moles begin to get nervous, they leave the site, but not instantly, but after about 2-3 weeks. At first, their activity may even increase.
Mechanical means of control
How to deal with moles in a summer garden? For this, various traps are often used. They can be purchased at the store and made by yourself. Consider several options:
- Ready mole catcher. It consists of a plastic hollow pipe. Galvanized metal shutters are fixed at the ends, which easily let the animal pass inside, and do not allow them to get out. The trap must be placed in the earthen passage, along which the mole runs, on top of it cover the board from the sun's rays.
- Homemade trap. To do this, you can take a small pot or jar. To dig below the level of the underground passage in the earth. The running animal will simply fall into the trap.
- Mechanical homemade repeller from a plastic bottle. Moles have a great sense of touch, so they feel good vibration. The simplest noise device is made of a water pipe and a plastic bottle. Bury the pipe in the ground below the course of the animal and insert the metal pin. At the bottom of the bottle, make a hole larger than the diameter of the pin. On the sides, cut four holes and bend the valves. In the wind, it will spin and, hitting the pin, create a vibration that scares away moles.
- Noise installation of reeds. Take long stems of reeds up to 2 m. Insert them into the ground so that 80 cm rises above the surface. In the hollow stalk, when the wind blows, a howl that causes the earth to vibrate. Moles are leaving their homes.
When using such control measures, it becomes possible to get rid of moles in the garden without harming the animals. For the effective destruction of pests, it is necessary to simultaneously apply several ways to get rid of the unwanted neighborhood, not excluding prevention. In the event that all the measures taken do not give the proper result, you need to contact the professionals. Special service workers will determine the necessary control measures and help to cope with the problem.
Folk remedies for fighting moles
Are there moles on the site? How to fight folk remedies with these animals? There are simple, natural ways to get rid of moles that do not require radical measures. The best method is to make the pests change their place of residence. To do this, you must:
- Reduce soil moisture. Frequent watering greatly moisturizes the soil, and moles begin to dig passages close to the surface. Getting rid of this problem is simple.
- Destroy the insects and their larvae that feed the animals.
- Plant onions along the perimeter of the plot, garlic, marigolds, daffodils, imperial hazel grouse. Animals do not like the smell of these plants.
- Black beans planted around the perimeter of the plot at a distance of 30 cm from each other will help scare away the animals.
- Arrange rags soaked with kerosene, antifreeze or gasoline on the land plot.
- Grind gooseberry branches, mix with manure and bury.
- Acetic essence repels well, but, evaporating, quickly loses its properties.
- Animals do not like castor oil, its persistent smell. Small containers filled with this substance are distributed along the stroke length.
- Dig up the ground periodically.
Choosing the appropriate option, how to deal with moles with folk remedies, it must be remembered that not one method gives a 100% guarantee against their disposal. Poorly seeing animals from birth have a very developed sense of smell. The use of folk remedies is just mainly designed for this feature of moles. With the help of various unpleasant odors, affecting the sense of smell of animals, the owners are trying to simply force the underground inhabitants to leave their site.
Chemical methods of control
How to deal with moles in the garden, if you tried all the methods and nothing helps? In this case, it remains to turn to a chemical preparation. Such specific means of control are used infrequently exclusively with a large concentration of animals. These tools include:
- Various poisons. They are also used to kill rats and mice. Often, earthworms are taken for bait, the favorite food of animals, sprinkled with rat poison and laid out in mole passages. Inappropriate handling of the poison may damage birds and pets.
- Smoke bombs. They are ignited and placed in the running hole, tightly closed with a bucket, a sheet of linoleum, plywood or roofing felts. The spreading smoke along the courses, scares away or kills the mole. This, of course, is an inhumane way to deal with animals. In addition, smoke bombs adversely affect soil microorganisms.
- Tear gas. The spray is sprayed in the open, the animal may die. When applying, observe safety precautions.
When using chemicals, it should be borne in mind that moles have an excellent sense of smell and they may not eat suspicious foods. In addition, this is a very inhumane way to fight.
Finally
How to deal with moles? This question often worries the owners of suburban areas. The fight against these animals, which can spoil their presence on the land throughout the garden, is carried out by more than one generation of people. A large arsenal of means of getting rid of uninvited inhabitants of country plantations has been accumulated. Often you have to apply several methods at the same time to get a good effect. Which of them to apply and how to use is described in the article, so it remains only to try.