Those who have a summer cottage are familiar with the problem of moles. Often, to the uninitiated, moles seem to be a mythical and stereotypical problem. But when summer residents begin their activities on the site, it soon becomes clear that moles do not live somewhere far away - in a field, in a forest, but specifically next to us.
If there are moles in a certain area, then these are not two or three animals, but a whole community that is capable of digging up the entire area up and down, ruining the appearance of a neat lawn, and destroying a significant part of the long-awaited harvest.
Therefore, summer residents who are familiar with the problem of mole infestations strive to get rid of them by all means. Having decided to fight moles, you need to choose the most convenient, affordable and humane method.
Repelling moles
There are several methods humane struggle with moles:
- ultrasonic repellers;
- sound devices (bottle spinners, rattles, firecrackers);
- aromatic repellers;
- standard barrier in the form of an underground fence.
Sound method not always effective, since the turntables require a fairly strong wind to function. Ultrasonic method It is highly effective, but it should be noted that ultrasound can act as an irritant on people.
Build an underground barrier is a radical solution to the problem. The only drawback of this method is that it is labor intensive, since a barrier of a meter or more in depth will have to be installed along the perimeter of the entire area.
Crushed garlic, hemp, herring heads, and even tow moistened with tar or kerosene are placed in the holes. All this will scare off the moles, but they will return as soon as the smell dissipates.
Due to the insufficient effectiveness of repellent methods, summer residents have to use more stringent measures in the fight against moles.
Use of poison
Poison can be used when summer cottage small children do not play, there are no pets (dogs, cats, chickens, etc.) and there is no potential threat of poisoning anyone other than moles.
The mole is a predatory animal, so it may not pay attention to poisoned grains, granules, or pieces of poison. For such cases, special poisons with a high degree of attractiveness have been developed. They contain special enzymes that imitate the smell of meat. For example, Mole Slayer, Mole Thrower, Ratox.
Using poison is a time-saving and economical method; placing poison in the garden takes only a few minutes, and the cost of the poison usually does not exceed 100-200 rubles. For many summer residents, this method is unacceptable for ethical reasons.
Trap or snare
The main difference between traps and traps is that in some cases the moles die, while in others they remain alive. The choice of trap is up to the personal preference of the summer resident.
The most common trap is a spring crossbow and an ordinary mousetrap. Their design is simple and easy to use. The trap is installed in holes in excavated areas where moles move, preferably in two directions, since a mole can approach from any direction.
Usually the mole touches a special lever with its body, the trigger mechanism is activated, and if it is a mousetrap, then the mole is pressed with an elastic wire, and in the case of a crossbow, it is hit right through by the sharp part of the trap.
Traps more difficult to use. The point of the trap is to catch the animal without harming it. After which it can be released into the wild. The trap is a container where the caught mole will be located, and a release valve that will close the container when the mole is directly in the trap.
Mole baiting by dogs
Dog baiting is biological method fight against moles.
To be effective, it is desirable that the dog be a hunting dog. Several small dogs will help deal with moles forever. Moles are very afraid of dogs and will immediately leave the area as soon as they feel that they are being hunted. The only problem may be the carelessness of the dog itself; during the hunt, it can cause more harm than the mole itself.
Some farms use cats, which scare away and catch the pest.
It is worth remembering that moles can be potential carriers of certain diseases. This must be taken into account before releasing dogs to bait and cats to hunt. It is advisable for pets to have appropriate vaccinations.
Planting plants that the mole does not like
Eat whole line plants, the presence of which on the site the mole cannot tolerate and goes to other places:
- marigold. They have a pungent odor. They repel not only moles, but also other pests. Euphorbia and castor beans have a similar effect. But you should be careful when using these plants, as they are poisonous and can harm children.
- disembarkation Siberian scilla(a type of tulip), imperial hazel grouse, decorative flowering onion - more safe method, but the effectiveness of these plants is much lower. These plants can be used on the site if there are small children.
- if you want to approach the matter radically, then along the perimeter of the entire summer cottage you can plant legumes. They will be a natural barrier to the path of moles to your site.
Flood
Since the mole is a burrowing animal, its home in natural conditions is subject to flooding, during which they have to climb to the surface and go to drier places. Therefore, summer residents simulate a flood by flooding molehills with water from a hose.
This method is effective if you need to lure out a large number of moles
Existing molehills are filled with water as much as possible, the water destroys the mole's passages and he has to leave. In cases where there are a lot of molehills and underground passages, using this method you can flood the entire garden, ruin some plants, and soak and compact the soil. It should also be taken into account that the mole is likely to return. And it is unnatural to maintain a state of flooding in the garden.
Given the huge number of methods to combat moles, several of them can be combined for greater effectiveness. For example, plant appropriate plants, install several turntables, periodically place aromatic repellers in holes and get a cat. This will help cope with the mole infestation.
Summer residents are always unpleasant about the presence of any pests in their gardens, especially when, at first glance, such large and dangerous animals as moles appear. But you shouldn't strive for quick deliverance from moles, especially if their numbers are small.
Remember that the mole directly benefits the garden. It exterminates wireworms, which not only eat potatoes, but spoil them by making thin through passages in them. They cope well with cockchafers and mole crickets; such pests are capable of causing much more widespread damage than moles.
If there are too many moles, then you should not start using radical methods - traps and poison. You should first try to scare them away, lure them out, catch them and put a barrier around the perimeter of the garden.
The effectiveness of mole control, methods of mole control. Description of our persistent, long-term struggle against moles different ways. Each method of struggle gave some result, most often the result was unexpected.
There have always been moles on our site. While construction was going on, they did not interfere with us, and we did not interfere with them.
The first stage of construction was completed, and we finally took up the site.
A year later, a garden appeared with two beds, currant and gooseberry bushes. The rest of the plot is lawn. And molehills immediately appeared, we simply leveled them.
A mole is a predator, it doesn’t touch plants, but growing something in a garden bed if moles are constantly visiting it is problematic. Planted seedlings of zucchini or cabbage very quickly ended up either on top of the molehill, or were covered with earth, and it was difficult to find them. And even if the planted plant remained in place, it did not grow, since a tunnel was dug under it.
Despite the fact that all the beds were mulched with a thick layer of grass, the soil dried out very quickly. When watering the beds with a hose, the water went to no one knows where.
Then we decided to try the first method of fighting moles. Drown them, fortunately there is a recently dug well, and every 4 hours you can download 1.5 tons of water.
The way to deal with moles is to fill the holes with water.
Every 4 hours I turned on the pump and poured water into the holes from a hose. This continued for 3 days. I would have continued further, but after 3 days the first result of my efforts appeared.
The neighbors' outdoor toilet surfaced.
That same evening we learned that there was a second result of my efforts - the lower ring of the well was covered with sand. The well had to be cleaned, after cleaning we learned the third result.
The water level in the well was restored not 4 hours after downloading, as was before, but after 40 minutes. It turned out that we “rocked” the well. This is a positive result.
What about moles? They continued to frolic in the beds and eat worms!
Three folk ways to fight moles
Sticks and pieces of reinforcement were stuck all over the site, aluminum beer cans were hung on them, and much more that constantly clinked and rattled in the wind. The bottles were buried in the ground at an angle, and in a strong wind they howled. Rotten heads and ridges of cod and herring are stuffed into the holes.
The result is that the site looks like a landfill. The moles threw the fish outside and sealed the holes.
Two ways to control moles - chemical
Two products were purchased at the store, one was called “Mole Thrower” and the other “Mole Thrower”. Both products are in granules, similar to dry cat food. According to the instructions, after smelling the Mole Thrower, the moles were supposed to get scared and leave, and after eating the Mole Thrower, they were supposed to die; both had to be poured into the hole and covered with mud.
But the moles didn’t read the instructions.
Everything was thrown out, and the entrance to the hole was sealed.
The result is money spent.
Here I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the active substance in “Mole Boy” causes internal bleeding. Therefore, I had to carefully collect all the granules from the ground. I was afraid that cats would eat them.
A way to fight moles is with strong-smelling substances
Acetone and kerosene were found in the barn, in the first aid kit ammonia. Minks were dug up and rags soaked in ammonia, or acetone, or kerosene were stuffed into them.
In this case, the moles behaved differently. The rags remained lying underground, but then the passage was sealed with clay, and fresh piles appeared nearby. New holes were dug.
Result - while we were moistening the rags, we smelled ourselves...
A way to fight moles is with strong-smelling plants
Imperial hazel grouse, daffodils, and marigolds were purchased. So my mother-in-law planted beans every year. But you can’t plant hazel grouse and daffodils in a garden bed, so they planted them next to the beds.
The result was beautiful.
We noticed that the mole does not go into the beds with garlic and onions. But garlic does not react to single-planted garlic.
Meanwhile, the first apple tree withered. The seven-year-old tree was very pitiful. When the tree was uprooted, a “cave” was discovered under the roots.
The trunk circles of the trees were mulched, and there were worms under the mulch. And where there are worms, there are moles. It became clear that trunk circle should be sod, or better yet, sod and densely planted with garlic. Garlic does not need to be removed; it is not for food, but for protection.
Method of fighting moles - ultrasonic repellers
I didn’t want to lose the rest of the apple trees at all, and the decision was made to spend money but get rid of the moles. We bought 5 different vibration-ultrasonic repellers. Each manufacturer promised that there would be no moles left within a radius of 20-30 meters.
The moles especially liked one repeller. It was dug in by moles literally in a circle, right up close! It was not a repeller, but an attractor! They didn't pay attention to the rest.
The result is a lot of money wasted. Spent a day traveling to Moscow and back. The constant squeaking in every way annoyed the neighbors.
A way to fight moles is firecrackers
Firecrackers of various calibers were purchased specifically for moles on New Year's Day.
In the spring, when the moles became active, my husband, two sons and I dug up holes, threw firecrackers in, covered the hole with a board and stood on the board with our feet. The explosion occurred inside, the blast wave should have gone further into the hole. The board under my feet tried to bounce. Two weekends disturbed the peace of the neighbors.
The first three days there was zero mole activity. On the fourth day the first fresh pile appeared. And off we go.
The result was a good weekend.
Method of fighting moles - mole traps
Two types of mole traps were purchased. One - plastic pipe, into which the mole must climb, but will not be able to get out, the second is made of thick wire. It was necessary to dig out a passage that runs horizontally, install mole traps, place a plank over the mole traps and cover it with earth.
The mole refused to climb into the pipe; he simply walked around it, digging a parallel passage. The work of the second mole trap meant that the mole, with its nose, when moving forward, had to release the spring, and the mole trap had to slam shut. The slammed mole traps were filled with earth. It felt like the mole was pushing a lump of earth in front of it when it moved.
The result is money wasted.
Perhaps we installed the mole trap incorrectly, perhaps there are other, more successful models.
It was the third year of the war with moles.
The way to fight moles is to set fire to gasoline
This idea came to my husband's mind.
Run more water down the passages, followed by gasoline. Gasoline is lighter than water and does not mix with water. Then set it on fire.
Flashes of fire were observed at quite large area, where there is more, where there is less. Fire burst to the surface from underground in the most unexpected places. Later, smoke came out from under the ground in thin streams.
There were no moles at the “experimental site” for a week, but we were happy early! Heaps began to appear, then more. The rate at which new heaps appeared grew rapidly. I understood. They don't restore old moves! They are digging a new metro at an accelerated pace!
The result is that we have ruined the earth.
The method of fighting moles is water after washing the septic tank
It's not even a septic tank. The toilet is outside, two rings are dug in. In the fall, a sewer truck came and pumped it out. The next step in the program was to fill it with water and pump it out again. The idea came to pump them into the holes. They pumped it out. The hose did not reach the garden.
Over a fairly large area, moles did not show activity until winter. They appeared again in the spring, they did not dig a new metro, they carried out restoration work.
A way to combat moles - fumigation tablets
Read the instructions for use. Sold in packs of 3 so that a person does not get poisoned himself. They begin to act upon contact with air. The higher the temperature, the faster. They release a gas that kills everyone who breathes the air. The specific gravity of the gas is 1.3. Heavy, but not too much. Do not open packaging indoors.
You shouldn't put it in surface holes - it won't help. You need to find “mines” - passages that go vertically down or at an angle. There are no such passages in the beds; you need to look in the aisles or on the lawns. Place the tablet and hammer a stone into the hole suitable size and cover it with soil and compact it. Use constantly, because some die, and others quickly take their place.
The result is that with constant and proper application of tablets, the number of moles can be reduced to a minimum. It won’t be possible to destroy everyone, you’ll miss it a little, and there are already as many of them as there were.
The way to fight moles is to destroy the food supply
After a three-year war, they finally asked the question. Well, where are there so many of them, and why do we have them all? Well, let's go and live with the neighbors! Twig and twig, what kind of misfortune is this?
It turned out to be simple. I don't use mineral fertilizers, I just mulch the soil with a very thick layer of grass and constantly. It's called .
The worms eat the grass mulch and produce vermicompost right in the garden bed. Moles eat every 3-4 hours and their main diet is worms.Everyone knows about the benefits that worms bring. Moles also eat the larvae of the cockchafer, the dangers of which everyone also knows, and the larvae of bronze beetles. The fact that bronze worm larvae bring benefits no less than worms, processing dead organic matter, and how to distinguish them from the larvae of the cockchafer, written
Naturally, the fact that moles can only live in good soil, does honor to your garden plot and to you. However, the harm they cause to plantings in the country cultivated plants, directly to the soil and flowers as a result of their vital activity - is not at all happy. A mole can dig many passages, tunnels and holes in a short time. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately begin the fight against moles.
Peculiarities of mole behavior
Moles need sufficient food to function normally. Exactly because of this reason best option for these animals - settle around garden plot in the country.
Among the main reasons for the appearance of moles are:
- There are no natural enemies, since predators bypass human habitation, and this is exactly what this pest needs.
- Lots of food. Pests, such as worms, beetles and others, lay their eggs in the ground with larvae. And this is the best treat for moles.
- Loose soil. At the same time, it is constantly moistened and periodically dug up.
Before you start fighting moles on a summer cottage, you need to take into account a number of points:
So, taking into account all these points, you need to start fighting moles as quickly as possible.
Fighting moles
Using Traps
Today there are several types of mole traps, or rather, models of the same type, which are small and inexpensive pipes with covers on both sides. These traps are not very effective. The mole manages to get around them side, because it detects a new and foreign object on the territory. There is a theory that explains why the mole does not go into the trap - the passages and highways have the rough structure of an earthen tunnel, while the walls of the pipe are smooth, and the animal feels this difference.
Naturally, you can also purchase larger traps - they are much more effective. These traps are specially made for pests. – the pipe size corresponds to the diameter of the hole, the inside of its walls are rough, and the installation of special valves will not allow the animal to be released into the wild.
Therefore, if you find a pest in your garden, then spare no expense and purchase an effective trap that the animal will not bypass.
Mole beaters and traps
With the help of traps you can fight animals. Even despite its physical strength, this animal is unlikely to be able to escape from the trap. However, the question becomes: how to place a device for catching a mole in an underground tunnel? Since on the surface of the earth these animals do not move, but by breaking the passages, placing a trap in the ground, the mole will sense a foreign object and make a new mine. The same can be said about molebreakers. If only you know exactly which routes the mole moves, you will probably be able to catch a couple of animals, but the problem will remain the same.
It is advisable to use mole traps. They are a trap made of wire. Hitting the spring with your head, the animal falls into a trap. These devices are placed on the tunnel dug by the mole in two directions. In order to do this, you must first remove the top layer of soil near the hole with a shovel and install a mole trap. No matter which direction the animal goes, it will certainly be caught in a trap.
Please note – you only need to wear gloves when setting up the mole trap. Otherwise, the moles will sense a foreign odor and make a new underground passage.
Mole repellers
These animals are afraid of a variety of loud sounds. Having heard them, the animal can move tens of meters away from the source of noise.
Homemade noisemakers serve as mole repellers, plastic bottles, ratchets. Device data You can buy it in a store or make it yourself. However, animals may not react to them in any way. This may cause certain difficulties:
- You have decided to purchase a mole repeller. However, it is very difficult to predict in which direction the animal will start walking - the animal may go to your neighbor or to a completely different area of the garden. You won’t install ratchets at every step.
- Experts assure that installing noise-repellent devices throughout the entire site and garden is almost impossible. Having scared it away from one part of the earth, the animal will move to another.
There is a theory - if you make a lot of noise, creating loud and harsh sounds, then these animals will leave your area forever. However, in reality it is difficult to imagine this picture - how you walk around the plot and garden for days, knocking lids, buckets, and at the same time blowing a whistle. This is not only ineffective, but also funny - animals adapt to these sounds quite quickly and they will feel quite normal.
There is also an opinion that pests can be driven out using unpleasant odors. But the question also arises: are you ready to spread rotting food scraps or rotten food throughout the garden? Animals will simply bypass an unpleasantly smelling area, but a landfill in a garden plot will make itself felt for a long time.
Our method is quite inventive, because there are also traditional ways to combat these pests. We offer several options.
If you need anything had to to your liking, then you can try to scare away the mole using one of these methods.
Catching by cats, planting and poisoning
You can also resort to other methods of controlling these pests, such as:
The best option is to fence the entire territory of the garden, which will not allow the pest to enter the site. You can use roofing felt, slate or galvanized steel mesh as a fence. They must be buried 50 cm along the border of the garden plot. Do not forget that the fence must protrude slightly above the ground. This way, moles won’t be able to dig a tunnel and get into your summer cottage.
Summarizing all of the above, the most effective methods in this case are:
All these methods have their advantages and disadvantages, and it must be taken into account that moles are not absolute evil. They can even be useful: as a result of their activity, cockchafers disappear, since animals feed on their larvae, and the ventilation of the earth improves. Now, knowing how to effectively remove moles from a summer cottage, when choosing a method you need to focus on the most humane ways, and it is advisable to release caught animals into the wild, away from the dachas.
For summer residents, moles are unwanted neighbors in their summer cottage, from whom they want to get rid of as quickly as possible. Moles, busy searching for food, are able to shovel the entire area, including lawns, flower beds and vegetable beds. And then numerous earthen hills - molehills - appear on the lawn or lawn, and plants with undermined roots may be in danger of death. There is only one way out - get rid of moles by any means possible ways. Fighting moles is not an easy task and requires a comprehensive solution.
In fairness, it is necessary to note the useful activities of the animals. By laying a network of tunnels, they improve the oxygen saturation of the soil. Water does not stagnate on the surface and seeps through dug wells to the roots of plants. This is especially good for heavy clay soils. In addition, moles eat a large number of harmful insects and their larvae.
What do moles eat and how do their passages work?
Moles are insectivorous animals. The basis of their diet is earthworms; they not only eat them in large quantities, but also store them for the winter. The mole bites the head of the victim, thereby immobilizing him and storing him in the hole. Such winter stocks may consist of hundreds of immobilized individuals.
The extermination of beneficial earthworms is one of the reasons why gardeners want to get rid of moles on their plots. Although scientists do not believe that moles are capable of causing irreparable damage to the population. The number of individuals per hectare reaches 250 thousand.
They also eat mole crickets, larvae of the cockchafer and beetle. , woodlice, millipedes and spiders also form part of the diet. If a sedentary mouse, lizard or frog gets in the way, the mole will eat them too. The weight of food eaten per day is equal to the weight of the mole. Without food they die within 14-17 hours.
To provide itself with food, the mole digs feeding passages; they form an extensive network and are located horizontally at a depth of up to 5 cm. In areas with compacted, dry soil, the passage goes deep up to 10-50 cm. Excess soil is thrown out through vertical holes, forming so-called molehills. The smell of mole musk attracts prey. Moving through the tunnels, the animal eats prey that is trapped.
The mole's nest is located at a depth of up to 2 m in a protected place, somewhere under trees or bushes, under stones or stumps. The nest is connected to the feeding passages by inclined passages.
It is important to understand that moles do not feed on tubers, root vegetables, bulbs and roots. Either voles or mole voles and other rodents are to blame for the destruction of your crop. His fault is that when digging holes, he sometimes undermines the roots, which can lead to the death of the plant. In addition, mole holes can be used by the same rodents.
What attracts “diggers” to our dachas.
When caring for the plantings at our summer cottage, we dig up the garden, add compost and humus, and water it regularly. Thanks to our efforts, the soil becomes loose, rich in organic matter and moist. There are a lot of earthworms in cultivated soil, and they are the main mole diet.
How can I get rid of you?
In addition, they crawl and flock to our gardens various insects. , click beetles and other insects, mole crickets, slugs, and woodlice complete the food supply. All this abundance attracts tireless diggers to our dachas.
You are not in danger of being close to moles if there is high level groundwater or sandy soils in which there are practically no worms. Nor will it live in a land tortured by overuse. chemicals, because there will be no food there for him.
What to do to prevent pests from coming to the site.
The mole lives alone. He is attached to his territory and jealously guards the borders from strangers, leaving special odorous marks. Typically the area of the territory is 600 – 1000 square meters. It can be very difficult to get rid of a mole, because it is not easy for him to find a free area from which the angry owner will not chase him. And even when the mole is expelled or destroyed, a new “master” will immediately come to the vacated territory.
And if a female settles in your dacha and breeds offspring, it will be almost impossible to drive her out. In a good way, she will not leave her cubs until they go into independent life.
What to do?
The conclusion suggests itself: it is easier to prevent the appearance of diggers in your summer cottage than to spend a long and painful time getting rid of them.
Moles will not be able to enter the area through the mesh.
Measures to prevent the occurrence uninvited guests Location on:
- There is a time-consuming and costly, but very reliable method that will save you from annoying neighbors for a long time. To protect the dacha, you need to dig a mesh with a mesh size of no more than 25 mm along the boundaries of the site. It is better to give preference to polymer mesh, it is more durable than metal mesh. In a dug trench with a depth of at least 80 cm, a mesh is installed of such a height that the upper edge is 20–30 cm above the surface level, no less. The fence will save you not only from these but also other harmful rodents.
- The next way is to lay around the site strip foundation at least 80 cm deep and install a fence. It is clear that this is expensive and time-consuming. But the fence will solve the mole problem forever. And it won’t be easy for other rodents to get into your area.
Of course, while the fence is being installed, you need to catch or drive away the diggers living on the site, if they have already settled in your area. There are many options for getting rid of uninvited guests. How effective they are is determined by everyone in practice.
Traditional methods of fighting moles (not very effective)
Moles have always lived next to people and have always disturbed people. Therefore, people have come up with many ways to get rid of annoying “neighbors.” Here are some of these folk remedies.
How to get rid of moles using noise repellers.
You can install homemade turntables and noisemakers around the perimeter and inside the site. Plastic bottles and cans are used, in which holes are cut and blades are bent. Mounted on a metal pin, such structures rattle and rumble at the slightest breath of wind.
Some gardeners dig in glass bottles at an angle. The wind creates in empty bottle hum It is believed that moles with sensitive hearing get scared and leave the area.
Noise maker in the garden
The advantage of these methods is the low cost of available materials, ease of manufacture and use.
Disadvantages - to get results there must be a lot of noisemakers around the perimeter and not only; constant noise will irritate not only the animals, but also the owners; the abundance of designs greatly spoils appearance plot.
Summer residents have differing opinions regarding the usefulness of the method. But given the fact that moles live quietly along railways, we can conclude that even strong noise does not particularly bother them.
We fight moles with the help of plants.
There is an opinion that moles cannot stand the presence of certain plants in the country.
- For example, you can plant black beans around the perimeter of your garden.
- Imperial hazel grouse, onion, garlic.
- Cypress spurge and spurge spurge are believed to repel rodents. All parts of milkweed contain poisonous milky sap.
- Castor oil contains castor oil, and its smell repels animals. Castor beans are very poisonous, especially the seeds.
Another “noise maker” in the garden.
According to reviews from summer residents, in practice this method of fighting moles is not always effective. It is better to use it in combination with other methods.
Refusal by strong odors
The mole has a highly developed sense of smell, with which it searches for food. Hoping to get rid of the mole, summer residents place disgustingly smelling rotten pieces of fish or meat, and rotten eggs in the aisles. Rags soaked in kerosene, antifreeze, and fuel oil are also used. Naphthalene and castor oil are used. There are a lot of options, but the effectiveness of these methods, if any, is short-lived. The animal simply buries the foul-smelling corridor and begins to dig new holes.
The product is sold in stores Detia. Balls smelling of lavender are placed in the garden at a distance of 1 m. It turns out that the aroma of lavender is unpleasant for moles’ sense of smell and they avoid such places. The balls are harmless to humans and domestic animals.
Means Mole thrower Contains garlic extract. Granules are applied to a depth of 20-30 cm in the pest’s habitat. The pungent garlic “aroma” irritates the animal’s sense of smell and interferes with its search for food.
Some try to fight impudent diggers with exhaust fumes.
Repelling a mole with odors requires patience from the summer resident and constant renewal of odorous substances, since they tend to evaporate. Only practice will show how effectively the method will work for you.
Filling molehills with water
You need to find the entrance to the hole and fill it with water from a hose. The method was found to be ineffective. The mole, of course, will leave the flooded passages. But the water will quickly seep deep into the soil, and the area will dry out. The mole will return to its territory after some time.
There are many more folk ways to fight moles. Some of them are very labor-intensive and even dangerous (for example, they pump gas into dug tunnels and then set them on fire), and some can make even the moles themselves laugh (they bury electronic alarm clocks in the ground and they ring there every morning). Unfortunately, the methods described are unlikely to help you get rid of these cute pests forever.
The most effective ways to fight moles
As practice has shown, the most effective ways to combat moles on the site are ultrasonic repellers and old, old-fashioned traps and traps. All other methods are ineffective.
Getting rid of moles using traps
There are many different traps and traps on sale that are installed in existing passages. You can find the current move by digging up a fresh molehill. You need to dig carefully so as not to miss the two entrance holes. Install a mole trap pipe in this place, cover the top with a piece of plywood and sprinkle with earth.
How moles fall into traps.
Another way: dig a hole between two holes and place a saucepan or three-liter jar in it just below the stroke level. Cover this area with a piece of plywood or slate and sprinkle with earth. Crawling through the tunnel, the mole will inevitably fall into the container. Traps need to be checked as often as possible, because without food the mole dies within 14-17 hours.
Caught animals must be taken as far as possible from the site, at least 1-1.5 km, so that they cannot return.
This method is quite effective, but if there are many moles in the vicinity, then instead of the one caught, his relatives will come to the vacated territory. Then everything must be repeated all over again.
The use of poisons in the war against moles is dangerous for pets and poisons the soil on the site. Before spreading poison on the site, it is worth considering other methods.
Modern mole repellers.
Effective and in a safe way Getting rid of moles is the use of modern repellers. Repellent devices are divided according to their operating principle into sound, vibration and combined.
- The sonic repeller periodically produces sounds that frighten pests. Repellers that emit sounds of variable frequency and duration will be more effective. This prevents the animal from becoming accustomed to noise, which causes discomfort and anxiety. As a result, the animals leave the affected area. Devices that generate sound of the same frequency and duration are less effective.
- The vibration repeller produces periodic low-frequency vibrations. Constant microshocks force the mole to leave dangerous territory. Wells, pits, and structures on the foundation located on the site will prevent the widespread spread of vibrations. This factor must be taken into account and, if necessary, several devices must be installed.
- A combined repeller combines sound and vibration effects on the ground. It emits sounds and vibrations of different frequencies at different intervals. As a result of prolonged exposure to noise and ground shaking, animals begin to experience stress and are forced to leave the dangerous area.
Devices combined type They help fight moles quite effectively.
There are enough on sale today big choice: EcoSniper, Tornado, Skat, Chiston, etc. Reviews about the effectiveness are very different, but positive ones predominate.
What you need to pay attention to when purchasing a repeller:
- Devices that generate sounds and vibrations of variable frequency and duration are preferred. Random mode of operation eliminates addiction to negative impact and is more efficient.
- Repellers on solar battery more suitable for southern regions with predominantly sunny, clear weather. If summer doesn't spoil you on sunny days, it is safer to purchase battery-powered devices.
- A repeller in an aluminum case will last longer than a plastic one. When purchasing, evaluate the tightness of the assembly and the presence of microcracks on the body.
- Do not buy cheap, low-power counterfeits from dubious manufacturers.
As a rule, several repellers are installed on the site with a distance between them of 25-30 m. To ensure guaranteed disposal of moles, it is important to follow the instructions and operating rules when installing.
We've had enough moles!
How moles live in winter.
IN winter time moles do not hibernate, but continue to lead an active lifestyle. With the onset of frost, they live a little deeper, where the ground does not freeze and there is something to feed on. In addition, animals store large amounts of food for the winter. The mole bites the earthworm's head, thereby immobilizing it. The result is “live canned food”.
In mole pantries, scientists found up to five hundred paralyzed worms. And a mole has several storerooms.
The animals also dig tunnels under the snow, looking for wintering insects and larvae under fallen leaves and in the top layer of soil.
But if the winter turns out to be little snow and harsh, then the moles have a hard time. Without snow cover, the ground freezes to great depths, which greatly complicates the search for food. In frosty winters, many of them die from hunger.
Another folk way pest control. I don’t know if it will help you get rid of the mole or not, but it will definitely charge you with positivity. Enjoy watching.
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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 the appearance of the bed, and if we talk about even 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 the methods of dealing with these animals folk remedies There are today a sufficient number, namely:
- Scaring away.
- Sounds.
- Smells.
- Smoke bombs.
- Firecrackers.
- Help from pets.
- Planting.
- Water treatments.
- 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 reed or 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 that are used on personal plot, changed their sound from time to time, as 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 ways, 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 tunnels.
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.
