Traditional methods
Thrifty summer residents who do not want to spend money on buying ready-made tools for scaring off moles, turned on their ingenuity and came up with their own methods of dealing with small animals. Some comrades showed off their intelligence and invented effective, and most importantly, fast-acting methods. Other gardeners with a “limping” mind and an abundance of free time also achieved some results, but their path was more thorny and winding.
“Noise”
It should also be mentioned about the positive effect of the use of various devices that emit noise, which irritate the nervous system of the mole and make his stay in this area unbearable. In this case, everything depends on the imagination of the summer resident: the main thing is to create “interference” not so much above the surface of the soil, but in its depth. Some install fans and weather vents for this purpose, others drive stakes and put cans, plastic bottles, beer cans on top-everything that can rattle and make noise from the wind.
The basic rule is as follows: the pinwheel or stake on which the jar or bottle is emblazoned should not just be stuck in the ground, but should be immersed in a segment of a hollow (preferably metal-to enhance the roar) pipe previously dug to a depth of 15-30 cm (5.9-11.8 in).
A more complex method is to use as a “noise suppressor” or reed, less than 2 m (6.6 ft) high, a pipe or thick wire is inserted into each stem, and then added drop by drop to the structure so that the aboveground remnants of 60-70 cm (2-2.3 ft) in the wind, filled with reeds, will make a dull sound and completely upset the nervous system of the mole. The reed has a strong hollow stem, so these plants are ideal for this purpose. But the Typha, which many also used to call a reed, having a dense core, will not allow you to create such a buzzing structure.
Special attention should be paid to the invention of an unknown, but certainly outstanding summer resident, who came up with the idea of burying glass jars with mechanical alarm clocks in them as a noise attack. Each of them should be configured for a different time.
Whatever noisy method of dealing with the mole you choose (or do not come up with yourself), do not forget that such “home” devices will only work in a small range. And how many of these things will need to be installed in the garden, you can only find out experimentally.
“Stinky”
At the heart of this approach is a game on the increased sense of smell of the mole, namely the use of repellent “flavors” of home production. Some cottagers praise the laying of rags soaked in kerosene in the pit, others insist that it is better to moisten these rags in liquid ammonia, and still others with both hands for using tar.
Some are quite different in imagination-they plunge into the role of moles and bury rotten eggs and fish in the rest of the plot. However, it is not known how the owners themselves will continue to work on such a fragrant garden.
This also includes planting plants in the garden that repel these animals with their scents. There is one “but”: the mole will not be naughty only in the immediate vicinity of any of these plants. Therefore, to evict the animals from the site, you will need to plant such “flavors” all over the territory.
Cats-helpers
Many residents of private homes claim that moles bypass their land ownership because of the indispensable attribute of rural life-cats. He either catches moles, or forces them to get out of their territory on pain of death (sometimes dogs also deal with such cases).
If you do not mind taking on the maintenance of such a fluffy assistant, keep in mind that you will face a dilemma: either find an adult and skilled ” mole catcher “with a long track record, or be patient with a small kitten – wait for it to enter a” reasonable ” age and the hunting instinct will finally wake up in it. You may have to sit in ambush with your younger cat for hours, guarding the” moving ” wormhole.
Mechanical barrier
Quite a common situation: a gardener drove out one mole from his plot, and another of his brothers moved to live in an empty underground palace. At some point, the cottager gives up, and he decides once and for all to stop the endless “fermentation” of moles on his territory. To do this, he digs a trench around the perimeter of the site with a depth of 0.5 m/1.6 ft (the deeper, the better) and puts in it a fine-mesh metal mesh or any other protective material.
Moles winter and rest at a considerable depth, but in search of food, they “furrow” just the upper fertile layer of the soil, and when they come across such an obstacle, they automatically turn to the other side. Therefore, if you have free time and good physical training-this time-consuming, but effective method is just for you.
It is worth noting that the same method of dealing with moles necessarily finds both supporters and opponents: some gardeners use it to easily and quickly expel the pest from their possessions, while others claim that this method is completely ineffective. Probably, both moles and people with completely different temperaments – one is “on the drum”, while others are nervous at the slightest stimulus.
If your mole turned out to be “thick-skinned” and does not respond to your tricks, use the last “advice”: stop cultivating the soil and zaabrostye your dacha plot-this animal will never live in poor soil and, without thinking twice, will go to look for a new home next to a more industrious gardener.
Surely among the readers there will be those who were able to come out victorious in the fight against these underground pests. Be sure to share with us in the comments how you managed to expel moles from your site.
How to Get Rid of Moles: From Absurd to Really Useful Ways (Part 1)
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