Almost everyone who has a summer house, a garden, or just a piece of land where the whole family comes in the spring to plant and then plant potatoes, has encountered such a problem as the appearance of moles. At first glance, there is nothing serious, but this can only be said if in the garden or lovingly manicured lawn there is only one mound dug by this small animal. But literally after a few days, dozens of these mounds appear, and every day there are more and more of them. Then the owner begins to seriously think about what to do with this pest? How to deal with it? We will try to answer these questions in our article.

Specifics of the life activity of moles

A mole is a fairly small animal, which very rarely exceeds 15 cm in length and 150 g in weight. It has poor eyesight, but a very well-developed sense of smell and hearing. The mole feeds on worms, various beetles, their larvae and other pests that live underground.

Walking in the fresh air is unusual for this animal, so it comes out of its burrow very rarely and mainly in the dark. Since the mole is almost constantly engaged in making new passages, restoring old ones, thus obtaining food for itself, it has fairly strong forelimbs and long claws. This pest moves very quickly, both underground and on the surface, so catching it with your hands is not an easy task.

A mole can settle in almost any soil, but still prefers moist and loose soil, since it is easier to dig and, accordingly, this process occurs much faster than in hard soils, where, for example, there is a lot of crushed stone or clay.

The mole is not one of those animals that lives alone. Therefore, if this animal appears on the site, this means that somewhere very nearby there is also its family, which can be quite numerous.

Moles are very careful and intelligent. Sometimes it seems that they sense danger even a meter before the trap is set, so they bypass it in advance.

Harm and benefits from moles

Oddly enough, but moles, once on a personal plot, garden or vegetable garden, can do both a lot of good and harm. Concerning benefits, then it consists in the fact that feeding on the larvae of the cockchafer, centipedes, wireworms, etc., this small animal is able to rid your beds of numerous root pests in a short time.

In addition, by making numerous moves, the mole loosens the soil in a unique way, thereby making it more fertile.

Most gardeners believe that the soil thrown out by an animal has special properties, which is why it is often used for planting seeds of cultivated plants.

But the fact that, on the one hand, is beneficial, on the other hand, harms, since by eating underground pests, moles, in turn, damage root system plants, which often leads to their withering and death (especially for young seedlings).

In addition, the mounds made by the mole spoil appearance beds, and if we talk about flat beautiful lawn, then the many mounds that appear can bring the owner to a nervous tic.

Fighting with folk remedies

The fight against moles has been going on for a long time, so it is not surprising that today there are a sufficient number of ways to combat these animals using folk remedies, namely:

1. Scaring away.
   - Sounds.
   - Smells.
   - Smoke bombs.

1. Firecrackers.
2. Help from pets.
3. Planting.
4. Water treatments.
5. Fishing with a shovel.

Sound repellent

This method is quite simple and is designed for the mole's perfect hearing.

Sharp and loud sounds can easily scare him away from his habitable territory.

Therefore, various noise devices can help get rid of these animals. In particular, these can be plastic bottles or tin cans tied to tree branches. Swaying from the wind, they hit each other, making unpleasant sounds.

• An interesting but time-consuming method can also be this: take a pan and a spoon and, moving along the garden or garden, knock with them.
• You can also use reeds or a glass bottle. To do this, you need to stick these objects into the open hole of the hole at an angle of 45 degrees. When wind appears, air enters the open part of the reed or bottle and the sound is quite unpleasant to perceive.
• In addition, some summer residents also suggest playing loud music, but you must try to ensure that the melodies are not calm, but rather sharp, shrill and rumbling.

It is desirable, of course, that the sound sources used in the garden change their sound from time to time, since moles quickly get used to them.

The use of these devices, unfortunately, does not provide a 100% guarantee that moles will leave the area forever. After a while, when you have already forgotten about them, they can calmly return back.

Smell repellent

You can also try to scare off the mole with odors, since, as mentioned earlier, it not only has excellent hearing, but also a sense of smell. To do this, you need to place any objects with pungent and unpleasant odors into the holes left by the mole.

But here you need to take into account the nuance that a mole, sensing a stench, can easily fill up such passages with earth, thereby stopping the flow of odors, and not leave the area.

Repelling with smoke bombs

Fighting moles using smoke bombs is very effective because sulfur smoke is quite poisonous. But, at the same time, this method cannot give a guaranteed result, since new families of moles will come to replace the old ones, and the smoke itself can negatively affect the root system of plants: they can get sick or even die (in particular, young plantings).

Firecrackers

A rather non-standard way of dealing with a small pest, but, on the other hand, interesting entertainment: everyone has fun and the moles run away. To do this, you need to place several firecrackers in all the wormholes found and try to launch them at the same time.

The only negative is that if you place firecrackers very close to plants, they may die in an explosion.

Pet Help

Dog and cat lovers can easily resort to their help.

The main task is to interest the animal in hunting the mole.

Everything is quite simple: wait until the mole starts digging the ground, keeping your pet at the ready. Having noticed the first movements, bring it closer so that the animal can smell the pest. The first catch will be the best motivator for the subsequent hunt.

Planting

Planting certain plants is the most environmentally friendly and humane method of mole control.

Since the mole reacts to strong and pungent odors, the plants should be selected accordingly: onions, garlic, hazel grouse, beans, hemp, black beans. But this method is more suitable for prevention, since animals that have already appeared will bypass such plantings, making new moves.

Water treatments

Water is also a good way to fight moles, but only in cases where they have just appeared and have made few tunnels. For animals that have already settled in the area for a long time, this method is not dangerous, since there may be so many tunnels that there is not enough water. Its essence lies in the fact that water is released into the open hole from the hole, thus flooding all the passages and forcing the pests to run away.

But this method also has a negative point: even if you manage to get rid of the moles, after the “flood” a lot of worms will appear, which will attract new animals.

Fishing with a shovel

This method will require a lot of free time, since after digging out a freshly dug mound, you just need to sit and wait until the animal comes to repair the damage, and then with a quick movement, pry up the earth with the mole and throw it into a bucket.

Modern methods of fighting moles

Along with primitive folk remedies for fighting moles, a sufficient number of new, more effective methods have appeared, namely:

• Poisonous substances.
• Traps:
  - Mole beaters.
  - Hooks.
  - Crossbows.
• "Pan" mole trap.
• Solomon's traps.
• Insecticides.
• Gas bombs.
• Ultrasonic repellers.
• Help from specialists.
• Fencing with mesh.

Use of poison

One of the more effective methods the use of poison is considered. In particular, it can be zinc phosphide, which is used to impregnate grain or simply pour it into the passages.

But this method will have a greater effect if you sprinkle poison on earthworms - the mole’s favorite delicacy, since he may simply not pay attention to the grain, but can smell such bait at a great distance.

Mole beaters

You can find an incredible number of types of mole-cutters on the market, ranging from the most primitive – mechanical, to electric.

But the mechanism of action is the same for all of them. Mole beaters are installed inside the passages and when the animal goes through them again, the mechanism will work and kill the pest.

Fishing hooks

Another modernized method is hook fishing. To do this, you need to take a three-pointed metal hook and place it in the excavated hole, after tying a strong thread to it. When going through the tunnels repeatedly, the mole will catch on the hook and can be easily reached.

Crossbow

These are original homemade guns that have a spring trigger mechanism.

Such guns consist of a pipe, a motion sensor, the trigger itself and, accordingly, the shot that they fire. When the mole approaches, the sensor is triggered and the gun fires, killing the pest.

"Pan" mole trap

The essence of this method is quite simple: find a freshly dug mound, dig it halfway, place a pan and cover it with turf. As soon as the mole smells a draft, he will certainly come to restore it and fall into the pan. You can also use a glass jar for this method.

Of course, the fact that they can only live in good soil is a credit to you and your garden. But the harm they cause to those impaled cultivated plants, flowers and the soil itself subsequently to their life activity is not at all happy. In a short time, a mole is able to dig many holes, tunnels and passages. Therefore, you should immediately begin to fight them.

In order to function normally, moles need a large supply of food. That is why the best option for them - to settle near a vegetable garden and a holiday village.

Among the main causes of pests are:

• Loose soil in the beds. In addition, it is constantly moistened and dug up from time to time.
• Large amount of food. The fact is that garden pests, such as bugs, worms and others, lay their eggs with larvae in the ground. And this is the best treat for moles.
• No natural enemies. After all, predators avoid human habitation, but for a mole this is exactly what is needed.

Before you start fighting moles, you need to consider a few points:

1. As a rule, where there is one mole, there is his whole family, which can reach dozens of individuals. Therefore, when you notice it, remember that there are a couple more nearby, either in the neighboring area, or very close to the first hole that you noticed. This situation creates new conditions - you will have to destroy not just one digger, but a whole brood, the number of which can only be guessed at.
2. The mole sleeps peacefully in winter. It digs a hole at great depths, below the dug passages under the soil. There he arranges a secluded, warm and small den. You can spot it by a large mound of excavated earth. If this is not the case, then you can find a mink on humps and hills, since the snow melts away faster on them and it warms up in the warm spring sun. Therefore, you can easily get the mole out of there.
3. The passages that moles dig out are full-fledged highways and mines underground. They can grow hundreds of meters throughout the garden. The depth of the underground halls is only 5-25 cm, just in the layer of fertile soil. The planted ones are not of interest to avid diggers; they spoil them quite accidentally during their activities. In the soil layer they destroy all larvae, beetles and worms. But in the pursuit of food, everything in this zone suffers.
4. Please note that pests do not have abandoned highways. They have a habit of checking their working shafts almost every hour. Therefore, even if you push through the mine, it will be restored again after some time.
5. Please note that moles do not like too much space. They feel a certain insecurity, so they very rarely appear outside. And in the mines themselves, pests move very quickly and it is very difficult to catch them on the move.
6. The mole has a very strong body and powerful paws, because it is constantly in motion, digging the ground. IMPORTANT - if you decide to catch it with your bare hands, then you are unlikely to succeed. The animal will simply break out and in addition may bite you or scratch you with its powerful clawed paws. The average speed of a mole moving underground is 5 km/hour. Therefore, special traps and traps are used to catch them.
7. Moles are very careful and intelligent animals; they can adapt to any terrain and will not allow you to dictate the rules. When you use the same traps or repellers, they easily bypass familiar dangers. Since they have obvious problems with vision, everything is compensated by their hearing and sense of smell, which are developed at the highest level.
8. These are real gluttons. Suffice it to remember the fact that they attack the garden with a whole family and quickly dig tunnels, then in just a few days they can cause enormous damage.

Thus, having taken into account all these points and seeing the first signs of the presence of moles in the garden, you should start fighting them immediately.

Today, there are several types of traps for these animals, or rather, models of the same type. They are inexpensive and small pipes with two caps on both sides. Such traps are not very effective. The animal manages to avoid it, as it detects a foreign and new item on its territory, which was not here before. There is a theory that explains why the mole does not go into the trap - the highways and passages have the rough structure of an earthen tunnel with rough walls, but the walls of the pipe are smooth and he feels this difference.

Of course, you can buy larger traps - they are more effective.

They are specially designed for the pest - the diameter of the pipe is similar to the size of the mink, its walls are rough inside, and the presence of special valves will not release the animal into the wild.

Therefore, if you find a pest in your garden, spare no expense and buy a more effective trap that the animal will not bypass.

With the help of traps you will be able to catch the animal. Even despite his physical strength, the mole is unlikely to be able to escape from the trap. But a person faces a question: how to place a device for catching an animal in an underground tunnel? After all, they do not move on the surface of the earth, and by breaking the passages, setting a trap in the ground, the mole will sense something wrong and dig a new mine. The same can be said about molehills. Do you know exactly what routes the mole takes? You may be able to catch a few animals, but the problem will remain a problem.

To perform this task, it is best to use mole traps.

It is a trap made of wire. Having touched a special spring with its head, the mole falls into a trap. Such devices are installed in two directions towards the tunnel dug by the animal. To do this, you must first remove the top layer of soil near the mole hole using a shovel and place a mole trap. No matter which direction the animal goes, it will definitely fall into a trap.

Please note - you only need to install the mole trap while wearing gloves! Otherwise, the moles will smell someone else’s smell and dig a new tunnel.

Today, there are many facts that indicate that pests are afraid of loud and varied sounds. Having heard them, the mole can go dozens of meters away from the source of the noise.

Homemade rattles, plastic bottles, and noisemakers can serve as repellers for animals.

These devices can be bought at the store or made yourself. But pests may not react to them in any way. In addition, some difficulties may arise, which we suggest discussing:

• So you decided to buy a repeller for the animal. But it is quite difficult to predict in which direction the animal will go - it may go to your neighbor or to a completely different part of the garden. You won’t install ratchets at every step.
• Experts say that installing noisy repellent devices throughout the entire area of ​​the garden and plot is almost impossible. Having driven him away from one plot of land, the mole will brazenly move to another.

There is a theory - if you make a lot of noise, recreating sharp and loud sounds, then the moles will leave your territory forever. In fact, it is difficult to imagine such a picture - how you wander around the garden and plot for days, knocking buckets, lids, while simultaneously blowing a whistle. This is not only funny, but also ineffective - pests will very quickly adapt to such sounds and will feel quite normal.

They also say that you can drive out pests using unpleasant odors.

But the question also arises: are you ready to spread rotten food or rotting food scraps all over your garden? Moles will simply bypass an unpleasantly smelling place, but a landfill in the garden will make its presence felt for a long time.

Thus, these control methods can hardly be called effective, so think carefully before putting them into reality.

Our people are quite inventive, so there are also traditional methods fight against moles. We offer you several ways.

• To do this, you need to break the reed stems, which are about two meters long. Clean them from the “entrails” and place a tube in the reed stem. You need to leave an empty space up to the surface, about sixty centimeters. When exposed to wind, they will make sounds similar to the howling of wind in pipes. Since pests have very developed hearing, such sound irritates them greatly. Within a week, the animals will leave the site forever. The same goes for turntables made with my own hands. They must be installed evenly throughout the garden. An ordinary tin can, which is tied to a rod or stick, is suitable for this.
• Plant a lot of onions, hot peppers, legumes and bulbous flowers in the area. People say that moles do not like the smell of these plants. They will try to move away from this place and will leave your garden in a short time.
• The most effective and more labor-intensive. Along the entire perimeter of the garden it is necessary to dig hard materials to a depth of 70 centimeters. Ideally suited for this are linoleum, slate sheets or tin. Thanks to their dense structure, they will not let animals into your plot from neighboring gardens.
• Very often they use a method such as flooding underground passages.
• This is the best option and it is called a “pan trap”. If you find a fresh molehill, then you need to dig a pan or jar somewhere in the middle below its level. The passage itself must be covered with something dense that will not allow light to pass through. The animal will fall into the pan and be trapped.
• Ambush with three shovels. Block the mole's passage with a shovel. When he comes to repair the damaged passage, block his escape route with the help of a second shovel. Using the third shovel, start digging out the pest.

Therefore, if you find something to your liking, you can try to scare away animals using one of these methods.

You can also resort to other methods of fighting moles, such as:

1. The use of poison. Today the market offers several types of toxic substances that can be used to completely destroy animals in the garden. Some of these substances have shown their absolute uselessness in the fight against these animals, and some have been quite effective effective action. Before you start using toxic products, be sure to carefully read the instructions. The fact is that some substances can be destructive for planting in the area where the land will be cultivable. Also handle such substances very carefully - if they get on your skin, the poison can cause great harm to your health.
2. Involve a cat or dog in the fight. It's quite bold and interesting solution, but only if your pet is interested in hunting, and you, in turn, have not previously poisoned the moles with poisons. Almost every dog ​​loves to dig in the ground, and every cat that is not characterized by a high level of laziness is interested in hunting for prey. There are many examples when they successfully rid the garden of pests of this type. The only question left before us is how to get a dog or cat interested in attacking an animal? The answer is quite simple - you just need to watch the mole holes for a while, and as soon as you see slight movement, take your pet there. The first catch will serve as the best incentive for further successful mole hunting.
3. Plant harmful plants for the mole. Plants such as black beans, hemp and beans are good at fighting animals. They have an unpleasant odor for the animal and he will try to avoid such places.

The surest way to never fight moles in your garden in your life is to prevent their untimely appearance in time. This is a fairly expensive process, but effective.

The most the best option And the right way is a special fence over the entire area of ​​the garden.

It will not allow the animal to enter the area. As a fence, you can use slate, roofing felt folded in several layers or galvanized steel mesh. It needs to be buried fifty centimeters along the border of the garden. Please note that the fence should protrude slightly above the ground. This way, pests will not be able to dig a tunnel and get into your garden.

Summarizing all of the above, the most in effective ways in this case is:

• Creation of embankments over the entire area of ​​the garden. Their depth should be from 35 cm. They must be filled with sand and crushed stone. Having encountered such an obstacle, the animal will not dig further.
• Instead of embankments, you can use hard materials - linoleum or slate slab.
• Be sure to plant a crop such as black beans or any other legumes in your garden.
• Additionally, place electronic repellers around the area.
• You can place small wind propellers in your garden. They will create vibration and noise that will scare away pests from the area.

​More information can be found in the video.

• Is it really possible to get rid of moles in a summer cottage using folk remedies?
• What strategy for combating these animals is optimal and what important nuances it should be taken into account;
• How can you effectively catch moles on your property using available means?
• Which folk remedies for repelling moles are the most effective, and which have virtually no results;
• How to protect your site from the penetration of new pests and whether it is worth protecting the territory in winter.

To reliably get rid of moles in your summer cottage, expensive industrially manufactured devices for scaring or catching animals are not always required - as practice shows, excellent results can be achieved by using simple folk remedies, it is only important to approach the issue competently.

Among the methods and devices that have been invented for independent control of moles in summer cottages, there are deterrents, as well as means for catching animals alive (so-called live traps). Of course, not all of them are equally effective: we will talk about these folk remedies in more detail and see which of them really work and which are simply useless and even harmful.

On a note

It is important to understand that in most cases, reliably getting rid of moles on a summer cottage using folk remedies will only be possible with a well-planned comprehensive fight. It is naive to believe that, for example, simply burying a dozen rotten herring heads in the underground passages of animals, or exploding a couple of firecrackers in them, will thereby be able to solve your problem with moles forever - as practice shows, this can only work in one case out of 10, and even then only for a short time.

Ideally, in addition to scaring away moles, you also need to catch them and use barrier means that will not allow the animals to enter the area again. Sometimes one of these components of success can be eliminated (in particular, with good planning, you can do without scaring).

Also, summer residents often forget one simple thing: two different repellents are better than one, and three are better than two (the likelihood that moles will not pay attention to three repellents at once is significantly lower than if only one repellent was used).

Unfortunately, many owners of summer cottages, exhausted by the pestilence of moles, lose all compassion for these animals and are ready to mercilessly kill animals with almost bare hands or a shovel, as well as use traps and other lethal and even sadistic devices (for example, catching with fishhooks).

This negative attitude towards moles is most often due to two reasons:

• Some summer residents are convinced that moles lay claim to their harvest by eating their carrots or potatoes (this opinion is erroneous - moles feed on insects, and vegetables and roots garden plants spoiled by various rodents);
• Dislike for moles is also due to the fact that in search of food they are forced to constantly make new tunnels underground, thereby worsening the appearance of lawns and creating a risk for a person to twist his ankle.

Well, in this case, it is useful to keep in mind that using folk remedies you can get rid of moles without killing them. For example, you can scare away the animal or simply catch it alive and take it away from your summer cottage and release it into the wild.

Good to know

Sometimes, out of ignorance, shrews are also considered terrible pests of the garden and they try in every possible way to get rid of them. Meanwhile, these animals destroy harmful insects and their larvae in huge quantities, do not build significant underground passages and practically do not harm the garden. In other words, shrews are, rather, active assistants to the gardener in the struggle for the harvest.

Now let's figure out which folk remedies against moles are really effective and how to use them correctly.

General strategy for mole control

Perhaps the most reliable scheme for fighting moles in the country using folk remedies is as follows:

1. Those animals that are already present at the dacha are caught, brought to a safe distance and released;
2. At the same time, deterrents are installed on the site while the barriers are being installed;
3. Barrier devices are installed that will prevent moles from entering the garden again;
4. After this, the repellents can be removed from the area.

This scheme is good because, firstly, moles are removed from the site immediately, without having time to cause additional damage, and the most labor-intensive and expensive part of the procedure - installing mole barriers - can not be done immediately, but only when the owner has the opportunity to carry it out.

With full and correct execution With this program, moles will never appear in the dacha again, even if there are a lot of them around the site itself.

If any part of this scheme is canceled, the result is not always achieved. For example:

• If you don’t try to catch the animals, but simply scare them away. In practice, repellers work well for some, and not so much for others. This depends both on the repellers themselves and on the moles. Where animals get used to noise, bottles buried in the ground and various turntables will no longer scare them away. Accustomed to the rustling of bushes, moles are not afraid of the same thing, for example, reeds, which they sometimes try to use in their summer cottage as a folk repellent. In general, you can limit yourself to repellers alone, but the effect against moles is sometimes insufficient;
• If you catch moles, but start installing barriers only a month later without using repellers, then there is a high risk that during this month new animals will repopulate the area.

As a result, the main steps here are the capture of animals, which solves the problem “in the moment”, here and now, scaring as an auxiliary measure, and the installation of fences, which excludes the appearance of animals on the site in the future.

Let's first see what folk remedies will help catch moles in a summer cottage.

Traditional methods of catching moles

So, you can get rid of moles in your summer cottage by catching them using so-called mole traps (live traps). For this purpose, two main variants of such structures are widely used among people:

1. Fishing in a self-made “pit”. The animal's passage is dug out, a hole is dug underneath it, into which a pre-selected deep pan, bucket, glass jar or a 2 or 5 liter plastic bottle with the neck cut off. The edge of this catching tool should be slightly below the level of the bottom of the passage. The container is placed in a hole, its edges are masked with rollers of earth, and the entire excavated area of ​​the passage is covered on top with light-proof material - a board, thick fabric or roofing felt (so that light does not penetrate into the passage). At the next check of progress, the animal will fall into the trap and will no longer be able to get out of it;
   
   
   
2. Catching a mole in a homemade pipe trap. It is made from a two-liter plastic bottle, the bottom and neck of which are cut off, and instead of them, “valves” made from the necks of other bottles are inserted, directed towards the center of the main one. These necks are cut lengthwise into petals about 1 cm wide, which easily bend under the weight of the animal, letting it in, but then return to their original position and no longer allow it to get out. Also, a mole trap-pipe can be made from scraps of plastic or steel pipes– in this case, the valve is implemented according to the principle of a door that opens only inward. The mole trap is installed in the path of the mole and covered with light-proof material on top.
   
   

It is very important to choose the right place to install mole traps: these traps should be installed in the middle between fresh piles of earth left by the mole.

The trap is checked 2-3 times a day. As soon as a mole is discovered in it, it is taken out of use and the animal is taken right into it to be released. You can get a mole out of a trap pit by putting a thick construction glove on your hand.

On a note

Experienced mole catchers sometimes catch these animals simply by digging with a shovel. To do this, you need to waylay an underground inhabitant (it is clearly visible when it moves near the surface), quickly stick the bayonet of a shovel behind it and abruptly throw the earth with the animal itself onto the surface of the soil.

A mole on the surface of the earth can easily be caught by hand. Moreover, even if you are wearing gloves, it is better to grab the animal by the fur on the withers, between the head and back, so that it cannot twist and bite.

People also know the barbaric method of catching moles. fishing hooks. In this case, a fishing line with 2-3 hooks is used (or a fishing tee is used), and its end is brought to the surface of the ground and attached to a strong pin stuck into the ground, or simply to a strong stick lying on the ground.

Sometimes worms are put on the hooks (although this is not necessary), and bells are additionally hung from the pin. The mole, passing along the path, clings to the hook, which pierces its skin and digs into the soft tissue. Trying to free itself, the animal tugs on the fishing line, the bells ring and inform the catcher that it has been caught.

Depending on what part of the animal’s body the hook sticks into, the mole can receive serious injuries and then slowly die, because this method, again, is inhumane and, one might even say, sadistic.

Note about inhumane ways getting rid of moles

Besides in various ways catching animals alive, there are also folk remedies for exterminating moles. For example, placing earthworms cut in half or pieces of meat stained in rat poison into the passages. The method is inhumane and, moreover, ineffective, since thanks to its keen sense of smell, the mole recognizes the smell of poison quite well.

It is also sometimes recommended to fill mole holes with water from a hose, or place smoke bombs in them - insecticidal or sulfur. The first method is also ineffective, since many of the mole’s passages are covered with random landslides (the animal constantly clears them), and the water itself is quickly absorbed into the soil and does not flood the entire system of passages.

The second method is harmful to the soil and is relatively ineffective: its use kills a large number of soil microorganisms, insects and earthworms, which are of great benefit to the garden. In addition, without forced injection, smoke is usually not able to fill any significant part of the underground passage system.

Dogs of burrowing breeds - dachshunds, fox terriers, Jagd terriers - are quite good at helping get rid of moles. For them, hunting moles is their favorite pastime, and they can dig animals right out of the ground. However, during such a hunt, the dog will dig a lot of holes, and there will be even more harm from it than from the mole itself.

But let's return to our mole traps.

After catching the mole, you need to take it at least one kilometer from your summer cottage and release it in a planting or thick grass. An adult animal, in search of a convenient area, almost never travels a kilometer long, but usually remains where it is released.

The mole must be released within 8-12 hours after being caught. The fact is that for a reason accelerated exchange substances, this animal cannot starve for a long time, and usually dies within 24 hours after falling into a live trap.

So, let’s assume that we managed to get rid of the moles present on the site. However, if you don't take additional measures, then his “colleagues” from the neighboring area will quickly penetrate into the vacated territory. Therefore, the next step is to prevent other animals from entering the area, and folk remedies for repelling moles may well help with this. Let's talk about them...

Folk remedies for repelling moles

Perhaps it’s worth noting right away that the effectiveness of folk remedies for repelling moles from the site is not absolute: they work every once in a while, and sometimes they turn out to be completely useless. However, in some cases the effectiveness of some remedies can be very pronounced, and they really allow you to get rid of moles in the country quite quickly.

Let's first look at some commonly used traditional methods mole repellents based on sound effects:

1. Mole repellers made from plastic bottles or beer cans - the so-called “pinwheels”. The blades in the bottles (cans) are cut out and bent, and the resulting windmill of sorts is installed on a stuck metal pin. The structure spins in the wind, and the plastic or tin makes sounds that scare away the animals. However, such repellers do not always help get rid of moles - for some they help drive pests out of the area every season, while for others the animals dig tunnels right under the pins;
   
   
   
2. Reeds, the stems of which are stuck directly into the passages of animals. It is believed that moles are repelled by the hum of the stem in the wind, which, however, is doubtful;
   
3. Empty glass bottles, which are dug into the ground at an angle of approximately 45 degrees so that their necks stick out at a height of 5-10 cm above the ground. The wind, blowing into the bottle, produces a hum, transmitted from the glass to the ground, and many summer residents believe that this hum scares the moles. In practice, the method rarely works;
   
4. And sometimes they try to get rid of moles by simply scattering them hermetically around the area. covered with lids plastic bottles. It is believed that the cracking sound produced when bottles are deformed due to temperature changes during the day scares away moles.
   

You can try using all these folk “noise makers” in combination with each other, but there is no guarantee that they will work. In any case, these products should be placed more or less evenly over the area so that the mole at any point can hear the sound of the repeller.

This is interesting

Of course folk art has also given rise to numerous curious means of repelling moles. For example, it is advised to regularly play loud music in the area during the day, preferably heavy music (with a predominance of low frequencies), which moles allegedly cannot tolerate. How to relate to such methods is up to the summer resident himself (as well as his closest neighbors).

It is also worth considering popular folk remedies that sometimes allow you to drive moles away from your summer cottage with the help of smell. The following methods are recommended for this:

1. Placing rotten fish and meat, rags doused in kerosene, gasoline, white spirit or vinegar in the animal's passages. Some people strongly recommend using human excrement or, at worst, cat urine for this purpose. Interestingly, each of these measures actually sometimes helped people get rid of moles, and rotten fish heads are most often used with positive effect. However, there are also cases when an animal seems to isolate odorous passages and intensively begins to dig new ones, and the result ultimately turns out to be the opposite of the desired one - even more molehills appear on the site;
   
2. Placing a small open container with ammonia along with firecrackers in the moves. It is advised to cover the firecracker with a pan before the explosion to enhance the effect, so that the smell of ammonia under the pressure created during the explosion spreads far along the animal’s passages. Two points should be taken into account here: this method of getting rid of moles is not far from knackering (ammonia is a military poisonous gas, which was sometimes used during military operations in the past) and, in addition, ammonia is a too volatile compound and will quickly disappear from underground passages;
   
3. Laying tops in underground passages leguminous plants and hemp. There is a popular belief that moles cannot stand the smell of these plants. However, this assumption is very rarely confirmed in practice;
   
4. Placing carbide in the passages. When interacting with soil moisture, carbide releases acetylene mixed with phosphine. Phosphine, even in very low concentrations, has a specific bad smell, which is supposed to repel moles. Sometimes this method really works.
   
   

This is interesting

Trying to drive moles away from a site with smells is also not without its oddities. For example, as noted above, there is an opinion that moles are repelled by the smell of urine. As a result, there are cases when people spent weeks collecting the urine of their entire family in buckets, which they then carefully poured along the passages...

Sensible summer residents need to keep in mind that the mole is an animal that is not prone to long-distance movements. Plus, you can’t really speed up underground, and along the borders of its territory there are other moles who are not at all eager to meet a refugee from urine or hard rock (when meeting each other, moles can seriously injure and kill each other - these are solitary animals , jealously guarding their possessions).

Therefore, in order to really leave the inhabited area, the mole must have a very good reason. Excrement, the rustle of reeds or rotten fish in its passages are not always capable of inducing the animal to such a voyage.

Speaking of smells, perhaps it is also worth remembering the cultivation of garlic, onions, caper milkweed, marigolds, imperial grouse and black beans along the boundaries of the plot. There is evidence that moles are repelled by the smell of the underground parts of these plants. However, the effect is not always observed.

So you shouldn’t particularly rely on folk remedies that repel moles, although it’s quite possible to try them. A more effective approach is to build the fence as early as possible. Or rather, bury it in the ground...

Protecting the area from animals

There are two really very reliable ways to prevent moles from entering your summer cottage:

1. Along the entire perimeter of the site, it is buried in the ground to a depth of 50-80 cm. metal grid with a mesh of 1-2 cm, no more (or use durable plastic mesh). It is desirable that its top protrudes 10-20 cm above the ground surface. This is an insurmountable barrier for the mole. Theoretically, he can dig a passage under this grid, but almost never does this;
   
2. Or along the entire border of the site, it is done in the ground strip foundation 50-60 cm deep. Fact: in areas completely surrounded by a fence with such a foundation, moles never appear.
   

It is clear that such work is very labor-intensive and expensive, but in general it is usually carried out not only to combat moles, but also to improve the area (to install a fence, prevent flooding or soil movement). Therefore, if there is an opportunity to do this, then you need to do it: when the neighbors cry about the fact that their entire plot is dug up by moles, you will already forget what the traces of the vital activity of these animals even look like.

Is it worth protecting the site in winter?

In winter, the mole does not hibernate, becoming only slightly less active than in summer, but in general it digs many new holes due to lack of food. This means that with some probability the animal can enter the area at this time of year. Consequently, if in summer and autumn certain folk repellents have worked really well, then in winter they should also be left on the summer cottage, and, if necessary, updated regularly.

In addition, it is in winter that it is easiest to catch a mole in the garden with a shovel or live trap.

As you can see, it is quite possible to get rid of moles in a summer cottage using folk remedies, and for this it is not at all necessary to kill the animals. Of course, such a fight will require a certain investment of time and effort, but if the work is carried out correctly, it will allow you to eliminate pests forever with a clear conscience.

If you have your own experience fighting moles in your country house or garden, be sure to leave a review at the bottom of this page - perhaps it will help someone make the right decision when choosing this or that product.

An interesting video about fighting moles on a site using a mole trap-pipe

Practical information about mole and mouse repellers