There are always a lot of pests in gardens, but the most elusive is probably the mole. This article will tell you how to get rid of moles in your summer cottage.
A mole is a small, almost blind animal that lives underground. The cylindrical body of the animal is densely covered with short velvety fur. The head is slightly cone-shaped, the nose is in the shape of a small proboscis, the eyes are small, covered with fur.
The animal has a wide forehead and a short, strong neck. All this helps him move underground easily and quickly.
The front paws are designed so that the mole can easily rake the ground - with large shovel-shaped hands and long sharp claws. Instead of auricles, moles have ear openings covered with fur. And the teeth are somewhat reminiscent of crocodiles in shape, which is probably why the mole is often called an underground crocodile.
The mole feeds on insects and worms, so it cannot directly harm the growing crop.
But the mole is a digger, and this is what harms not only the plants present on the site, but also the entire landscape. He digs passages, holes, lifts the earth.
What harm do moles cause?
In search of food, moles tear up the soil in the garden, create passages and arrange food storage. By breaking through passages, moles push the earth to the surface, which undoubtedly spoils the appearance of the area. Few people will be happy with piles of earth on a once perfectly green lawn.
Despite the fact that moles are not herbivores, they cause considerable damage to plants. In search of food, they undermine the lawn or dig up the roots of bushes and trees, which, of course, does not have the best effect on vegetation.
Because buried roots can cause a bush or tree to simply dry out. Moreover, in winter, moles do not disdain tree bark.
With their moves, moles dig up the entire garden and lawn.
Moles feed not only on larvae and bugs, but also on earthworms. The latter, as is known, are beneficial not only by loosening the soil in vegetable gardens, but also by maintaining soil fertility. So, thanks to this small and, at first glance, seemingly cute animal, your fertile plot can turn into a piece of land on which even weeds grow reluctantly.
Among other things, moles can carry various parasites, such as fleas or ticks. Moles can be carriers of an infection such as tularemia or a disease such as babesiosis.
Mole behavior
Before talking about how to fight moles in your garden, it’s worth getting to know this animal better and studying its behavior and habits. Here's what you need to know about this little pest:
- These pests do not live alone. This means that if there is a mole on the site, then you will have to fight not just one animal, but a whole family, the number of which can reach a dozen.
- Moles hibernate during the winter. They winter in deep burrows, which can be found in elevated places thanks to the earth dug up by a hill.
- With their moves, moles dig up the entire garden and lawn. In the fertile layer, which is located almost at the surface of the earth, in search of food, moles dig through entire mines, with winding paths of varying lengths. They rarely abandon tunnels that have already been dug, so even if you find and dig up the animal’s path, within an hour the tunnel will be restored.
- Moles do not feed on plants ; they are only interested in insects and larvae living in the upper layer of soil. It is in search of this food that they cause the greatest damage to the area.
- These small predators feel uncomfortable in open space , so they rarely crawl out of the ground.
- Don't catch a predator with your bare hands. Firstly, this is almost impossible, the mole is a fairly fast and agile animal. Secondly, due to the fact that he has been digging the ground all his life, the mole has strong paws and sharp claws, with which he can easily hurt you.
- Moles see poorly , but they have well-developed hearing and charm, and these pests are also quite smart and careful. They easily overcome dangers, especially if you use the same mole control methods.
- These little pests are quite voracious. And taking into account the fact that they appear on the site in families, the harm they cause is great and quick. Therefore, if you notice dug up earth, do not delay in fighting for your territory.
How to fight moles in the garden, video:
Photo of the mole:
photograph of an animal - mole
photo of a real mole
Smells against moles
Some methods of fighting moles are based on irritating their sense of smell. The bulbs of some plant have a rather specific odor that is unpleasant to animals.
These include garlic, beans, imperial hazel grouse, hemp, daffodils, marigolds, and blueberries. That is, if your site is occupied by small diggers, then you need to plant the entire area with one of the selected plants. Why do we say the entire territory - because on many forums, summer residents note that animals simply avoided flower beds with daffodils or beds with legumes, but did not leave the area. If you have just purchased your dacha, perhaps planting the land with daffodils is not the worst idea; in other cases, this method does not work effectively. Other scents are also used:
- Kerosene, fuel oil, antifreeze. A cloth soaked in a kerosene solution is placed in a molehill and dropped in drops. The solution is prepared at the rate of 100 ml of kerosene per bucket of water. Fuel oil or antifreeze is simply applied to rags;
- Naphthalene. The powder is poured directly into the molehill and covered with earth;
- The area is irrigated with a solution based on castor oil. 200 ml of oil is poured into a bucket of water and 2 tbsp is added. spoons of any detergent, mix thoroughly and distribute throughout the area. It is best to do this after rain or watering;
- You can use strong-smelling herbs - wormwood or mint. Tufts of grass are distributed into molehills and change as they wither;
- Raw fish heads, rotten eggs or rotten fruits/vegetables are placed in molehills and buried. During rotting, the products will emit an unpleasant odor, which should repel moles.
The disadvantage of this method is obvious - foul-smelling rotting fish, the pungent smell of kerosene or antifreeze will scare away not only moles, but also people from the area. In addition, the method will be effective only if the active substance is regularly replaced as the pungent odor evaporates. Otherwise, the animals will quickly return. Yes, and smoking out the unfortunate moles using this method will take quite a long time and painfully.
There are ready-made biological products on sale , so-called “flavors”. These are small balls that need to be distributed throughout the area according to the instructions.
Fighting moles in a summer cottage
In fact, fighting moles in a summer cottage is not an easy task, but there are not so few ways to do this. This could be traps, snares, or even hunting. Animals can be scared away. You can get rid of pests using a mole cleaver. But it’s best to start with preventing the appearance of pests on the site . Agree, it’s better to play it safe and avoid a problem than to have to deal with it in a long and painful way.
Preventing the appearance of moles on the site
There is only one way to protect yourself and your site from the appearance of unwanted guests - do not let them into your territory. This can be done using a partition made of fine farm mesh, which needs to be dug along the entire perimeter of the site to a depth of half a meter.
Do not forget that sometimes moles come to the surface, so it is advisable to also leave about 20 centimeters of mesh above the ground.
Yes, this method is not the cheapest, but this simple action will protect you from mole invasion.
If the pest does appear on your property, you can contact a special service that is engaged in catching and destroying these mammals.
In this case, you don’t have to do anything yourself; the specialists will do everything themselves. Yes, this is one of the surest ways to get rid of small pests in the garden, but it costs money.
Fighting moles in a summer cottage, video:
If you still want to save that money, you can try getting rid of the moles yourself.
How to drive away moles on your property using a repeller?
One of the most popular methods of expelling a mole from a site is noise repelling. To do this, use various rattles and other noise-producing objects. In order to scare away pests, it is not at all necessary to buy a cunning device in a store; you can make a mole repeller with your own hands. Good devices can be made from tin cans or plastic bottles.
Here is an example of how you can make a mole repeller from plastic bottles with your own hands.
You will need a pin or metal pipe and a plastic bottle. A hole is cut in the bottom of the bottle, with a diameter slightly wider than the pin. The pin is driven into the entrance dug by the animal and the bottle is placed on it. The wind will cause the bottle to hit the pin, creating noise.
Thus, you will get a good and quite affordable mole repeller. In order for the wind to move the bottle more easily, cuts can be made in its edges.
DIY mole repeller, video:
If the bottle option doesn’t seem entirely effective to you, you can go to the store and buy an ultrasonic mole repeller . This is a small electronic device in the form of a thick stick that needs to be stuck into the ground 2/3 of the entire length. This type of scare runs on batteries, and one set of batteries (usually 3-4 pieces) should be enough for the entire summer season.
But taking into account the fact that over time the batteries lose their energy, by the end of the season the device begins to work quieter. To avoid such a problem, it is better to buy a solar-powered mole repeller .
You can scare away uninvited guests not only with the help of noise, but also using smells, for example, burying rotten herring or the offal of fresh fish in the passages. If you don’t want to make your property a dump for fish waste, you can try throwing lavender balls ; you can always find them in household chemical stores.
There are also natural mole repellents. Pests cannot stand the smell of onions and garlic , so they never dig the part of the garden where these vegetables grow. You can protect your flower beds by sowing daffodils or marigold . Diggers are also afraid of castor plants.
You can also scare away a mole using water. To do this, you just need to insert a hose into the hole and release a strong stream of water. By flooding the passages, you will simply force the animal to go to another place. By the way, this method is effective in the fight against all “diggers”.
How to remove a mole from the garden using chemicals?
As mentioned earlier, moles do not feed on plants and seeds, so killing moles using poisonous agents is a questionable activity, but, be that as it may, many summer residents resort to this particular method of pest control.
Moreover, on store shelves you can find more than one chemical remedy for moles, the manufacturers of which guarantee successful removal of pests. Many summer residents claim that it is perfectly possible to get rid of the animal with the help of ordinary rat poison.
The choice is yours, but when choosing this method of struggle, you should not forget that this way you can not only get rid of the mole, but also harm yourself.
Not a single poison disappears from the soil without a trace. You should not poison moles in areas where pets live, otherwise you may lose your pet.
Other mole traps, their advantages and disadvantages
No less often than pipe-shaped live traps, slightly less convenient methods of catching moles are used: in buckets, deep pans, glass jars or wide plastic bottles with a cut neck. They are buried in the gap in the mole's passage, the edges are covered with a roller of compacted earth, and the opened passage is covered on top with boards so that sunlight does not enter it.
Moving along the way, the mole simply falls into such a trap “pit” and cannot get out of it. When checking, the animal is taken out with a gloved hand and taken away from the site. This method is also quite effective, although it is more labor-intensive to implement than using a good pipe mole trap.
Unfortunately, moles are also often killed with special traps (crushes, crossbows, snares...) Their designs are varied, but their main disadvantage is the inhumane destruction of animals, which are only to blame for the fact that they turned out to be a person’s neighbors in the area.
But various methods of repelling moles are for the most part less effective than traps. Many of them do not always work (for example, noise, as well as rotten fish, perfume, ammonia, carbide), others are harmful to the soil and its inhabitants (pouring kerosene, gasoline into holes, pouring Alphos tablets, fumigating with insecticidal and sulfur bombs). But the effectiveness of other methods is initially questionable: sticking reeds into the ground, burying feces in underground passages, etc.
In some cases, special mole repellers (not all models on the market) provide a good repellent effect. However, read more about repellers in other articles on our website. And before that, do not forget to leave a review about your personal experience of using a mole trap-pipe, if you have such experience (to leave a review, just write it in the comment field at the bottom of this page).
Interesting video: a mole caught in a mole trap-pipe
Another clear example of the work of a mole trap made from a piece of pipe
How to catch a mole with a trap?
A mole trap can also help significantly in pest control. One of the advantages of the trap is its reusable use. That is, with one trap you can catch not just one animal, but an entire family. The main thing is to install it correctly.
To combat pests, it is best to purchase a special mole trap . This trap is made specifically to fit the width of the hole, has a rough surface and a valve that will not allow the pest to get out. This design is, of course, more expensive than, for example, a mousetrap, but it also has more benefits.
A do-it-yourself mole trap will also be a salvation from pests . It is not difficult to make, so even a schoolchild can cope with this task.
You will need a plastic pipe with a diameter close to the mole's hole, a small piece of tin and wire. We cut out two flaps for the trap from tin. We fix one of the dampers “tightly” to the pipe. Another piece of tin is attached to the opposite side of the tube, so as to create an opening door.
The main condition is that the damper should not open outward , otherwise a nimble “digger” will easily crawl out of the trap. The wire is needed to secure the damper in the open position. How you attach the wire is not so important, the main thing is that the “door” closes as soon as the annoying predator is trapped.
You need to install traps in the moves already made by the mole. Before setting the trap, you need to determine the direction of movement of the animal so that the mole trap meets it with an opening door and not a fixed wall.
Pay attention to this material - The Mittlider Method. Beds, growing potatoes.
If you have problems determining the direction of movement of the mole, you can install two mole traps; they need to be placed with the shutters fixed towards each other. This way the mole will definitely “not miss” and fall into one of the traps.
During periods of drought, mole traps are ineffective, for the reason that there are few earthworms in dry soil, which means there is no point in the mole going out hunting. Traps won't help either in very rainy weather. The rain makes the ground soggy, and the installed trap simply moves from its place.
Some summer residents use traps instead of mole traps. But such destruction of pests is extremely cruel. Traps often maim animals, bringing suffering and pain. Even death in a trap is not always instantaneous.
How to catch a mole in the garden, video:
How to get rid of a mole in your dacha forever?
Now let's look at more drastic methods of how to remove the pest from a summer cottage.
Poison bait for moles
Poisonous baits (mostly in the form of granules or powder) are very tasty for moles. Poison baits are placed in underground corridors to lure animals.
Traps, mole traps
There are several models of mole traps designed to catch moles, rats, and voles. A hole is opened at a distance of 20 cm and a trap is set. Placement of the trap should be done carefully so that the channel is clean and not contaminated. The clamp is secured with a fixing plate. The trap is covered with turf. Place an opaque bucket upside down on top. The edges of the bucket are sprinkled with soil.
Attention! All operations must be performed with gloves so that the animal does not smell human odor.
Smoke
You can also blow sulfuric acrid smoke into the tunnels, smoke that releases repellent or poisonous gas. For smoke to be effective, it must be used simultaneously in all inhabited burrows. These drugs also work on voles and other rodents.
The mixtures are prepared on the basis of potassium nitrate mixed with powdered sugar. The more sugar, the more smoke.
Be careful! Such mixtures burn intensely, spark, and burning pieces of the composition can fly off, causing burns. Take care of your eyes and skin; you need to set fire to the mixture from a distance.
There are many methods and ideas on how to get rid of moles in the garden. Different methods will be useful in different conditions. The Mole is not an easy opponent and stubbornly returns to its tunnels. When fighting it, you need to remain patient and repeat the procedures regularly. It is better to act differently and try different methods to get rid of the underground tenant of the vegetable garden and garden.
When choosing a method, you should take into account the safety of the inhabitants of the dacha, including pets. Some types of poisons can be eaten by chickens, cats and other pets. Particular attention should be paid to the possibility of children having access to poisons, explosives, traps and snares.
Getting rid of moles with the help of pets
Your pets can also help in the fight against uninvited guests. For example, cats are not only good at catching mice, but also excellent at catching moles from burrows. Of course, if your cat is lazy, then he will not help you in pest control. But if a real hunter lives at home, you can safely take him to the dacha, and he will definitely delight you with his prey.
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But not only cats, but also dogs catch moles. For example, dachshunds have always been considered good hunters. Moreover, there is practically no dog that does not like to rummage in the ground. And even if she doesn’t catch the animal this way, she will at least scare it away.
In order for your fight against the mole to be quick and effective, it is best to use several methods at once. For example, you can use a combination of traps and repellers. Do not forget about the ingenuity of this animal; do not constantly use the same method, the mole will quickly understand where the danger comes from and your struggle will be in vain.
Prevention
Preventive measures will prevent moles from entering the area. Slate and roofing felt are tightly fitted around the edges and buried in trenches. If you install fences around the perimeter of the garden, the animal will be blocked from accessing it. A special mesh is placed in the ground to a depth of 10 cm. The fence will not allow the animal to get out or disfigure the garden bed or lawn.
Moles on the site are unpleasant neighbors. Traps, repellers and traps have different operating principles. To get rid of underground guests, you need to combine several methods. Timely prevention will prevent the problem.
