It may happen that some mounds of earth that appeared on the ground of the orchard or the garden, it is the unmistakable sign of the presence of moles . These little animals, as you know, live underground, their home is a network of tunnels and at the point where they emerge the characteristic mound of earth is created, very easy to recognize.
If you are reading this article, you are probably coping with the presence of moles in your area The first thing you need to do is ask yourself if you really want to remove moles from the garden or if you can live with this cute little animal.
In fact, although the mole may damage the roots plants in its path, this animal also has a series of positive effects, it is worth knowing and evaluating. Of course, a massive presence of moles in the garden is negative, however we will also see some remedies to avoid his presence. In any case, instead of eliminating moles, the invitation is to try to evict them.
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The positive role of the mole
The first thing anyone who cares for moles in the garden should know is that moles they feed on insects on the ground not vegetables.
Therefore, these animals defend the garden against larvae and pests, such as elaterids and nocturnals, although on the contrary, they are as greedy as the precious earthworms. However, the presence of moles in the area is a good deterrent against the presence of caterpillars and other plant pests.
Moreover, as a second positive action, these extraordinary burrowing animals aerate the ground thanks to its constant digging work, keeping it soft . For this reason, they are animals that can be useful for our culture.
There is a preconceived idea that the mole eats vegetables or food from seeds or roots of plants, they are fake news : there are many animals that eat roots, bulbs and seeds, they are rodents and certainly not moles. If you find edible plants and tunnels, it is more likely that there are voles . One can distinguish the work of mice and moles because the mole creates a larger mound where its tunnel comes to the surface.
mole damage
Although it does not eat the roots, the mole is not always welcome in the garden, quite the contrary. excavation work this can be annoying for the grower because when the tunnel crosses the cultivated plot, it often damages the roots of the orchard. If one is willing to tolerate burrows in the garden, having moles in the garden becomes a problem: for those who want to have a good lawn, it is really annoying to find little mounds appearing everywhere.
For these reasons live with moles it’s only possible if these animals do not proliferate and they are few. the mole is usual and it follows roughly the same tracks, if the tunnel is not destroyed you can take this into account and move the plants so as not to disturb it. In particular, the mole is active in May, for the season of love, and in November, when it prepares for winter, then rebuilds its den before hibernating. At other times, the excavations are smaller.
The increased damage caused by the mole in the garden is not direct but occurs when there is a combined presence of mole and mole . The mole makes the tunnels, the moles go through them and use them to gain access to what is in the garden, devouring at all costs.
Mole burrows are easy to recognize due to the mound of dirt
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Mole elimination: deterrent systems
When moles cause problems in the crop, ruining the crop in their wake, it may be appropriate to combat them.
My advice is look for peaceful ways to expel the mole I am personally against murder. It would therefore be better not to ask how to kill moles, but rather how to hunt these animals, or how to catch them.
There are a series of methods to make these animals understand that they must not approach our crops, these are deterrent systems. These mole remedies, which are not always effective immediately, should be applied consistently and only then will they be able to remove moles from their vegetables over time.
The logic of the methods for removing moles from the lawn or garden is based on causing discomfort , this can be done using unpleasant smells, noises, ultrasound, plants. Below is a list of some anti-monster activities that we can implement to keep these animals away.
mobile burrows
The first method against moles is trivial: destroy burrows that cross the garden or the lawn that we want to defend. Over time, the animal may decide to migrate further and may realize that its tunnels are unwelcome.
In addition, always as a deterrent, you can leave in the mouth of the burrows sardine heads that we want to remove: it seems that the smell bothers the mole. This animal cannot see but to compensate it has a very good sense of smell, which we can use to eliminate it.
Catapult of Euphoria: The Mole
There are plants that are not welcome in moles, such as the imperial fritillaria or the most common Spurge Lathyris ( catapuzia spurge ).
Spurge secretes an irritating latex for moles , so the animals do not approach. This means that if we plant these crops in the garden or vegetable patch, we can keep the animals away and make them dig somewhere else. You can also macerate of euphoria to spray in the tunnels.
The problem is that it’s a remedy adapted to small extensions: a plant of euphoria covers a diameter of 3 meters. It is unthinkable to use it massively or even to use it to protect a lawn.
do it yourself mole bollard
Moles are blind but they compensate with a very good hearing , so they are very sensitive to noise and generally do not frequent areas they believe are being watched by other animals. To get them out of the garden, we can simulate the human presence, causing noises.
A first do-it-yourself method, which can be implemented simply and inexpensively, consists of making self-produced terminals . It is necessary to take a metal tube or a rod (those used in construction), to which we attach a suspended can, or a plastic half-bottle. The banging of the bottle moved by the wind creates a frequent noise. To maximize efficiency, we can also make cuts in the bottle, creating fins that increase the effect of the wind.
It is useful to periodically move the posts, so that the animals do not get used to the noise.
A bottle carved out of an iron stick to ward off moles.
ultrasonic pilots
With the same principle of the self-assembly terminal there is also ultrasonic devices for sale only to scare away mice and moles.
Experiments on the effectiveness of these ultrasound-producing poles are very inconsistent, sometimes they seem to work, other times the tunnels pass near the device as if nothing had happened. It’s surely a better system than bars and bottles, but don’t expect a miracle. In this case also remember to move the stakes Often enough.
Ultrasound for moles, however, is inexpensive, there is solar or battery power, it may be worth a try. By comparing experiences and reviews, I think I found the best model.