I am a great supporter of ecology in the garden. For spraying plants, I mainly use natural extracts, e.g. from garlic and nettles.I have also been fighting ecologically moles for over a decade, about which I would like to tell the readers of the "Recipe for the Garden" in this letter.
I have read many tips on how to deal with the mole. The publications that I have at my disposal and my experience show that it is a very wise creature, therefore fighting it is difficult and requires a lot of patience.
It is worth knowing the enemy
The Mole crawls its corridors like highways. Within an hour, it can dig up to 15 meters.He is the master of underground structures. Complicated tunnels arranged radially and connected by ring roads are a piece of cake for him. The unnecessary soil is thrown outside, creating the so-called mounds or moles.In the underground labyrinths, traps are created into which insect larvae, snails, ants and his favorite delicacy - earthworms fall.He patrols his area every day and enlarges it at the same time. You can then observe the moving earth. This makes it easier to hunt the animal.
The mole does not fall asleep for the winter. He is also careful and collects fresh earthworms in pantries. He bites the head of his victims. It thus cuts their nerve plexuses. The worm does not die, but neither can it escape. He is completely paralyzed. Thanks to this, the mole always has fresh food throughout the winter.And how to fight such a cunning opponent?
I scare you away without killing
I developed my mole fighting strategy in 2001.The proximity of the ditch and the neighbor's rich garbage can meant that there was a base for these pests for my flower beds. For two weeks I watched the formation of corridors. This was mostly in the early morning and late afternoon.I carefully marked the roads leading to the mounds, and then started setting two traps. Mole-catchers are 20 cm long tubes with catches at the inlet and outlet.
Both can be tilted inwards, but not outwards - the mole can go in, but not come out. The success of the project depends on the correct positioning of the mole-trap.Break the corridor by the length of the trap and install it at the depth that the mole walks. The tube must be weighted so that the animal does not miss it.
I waited two days for my first success. Loud noises from the trap announced that the intruder had been hunted. I release captured moles and take them away.I leave the corridors marked so that it is easier to control the invasion in the next year. Over the years, I noticed that moles must have family ties. When one is captured, the next one sets out to look for it. This is evidenced by the fact that on one day as many as 4 individuals fell into the same trap.
It should be mentioned that one day there were 2 moles in it.I explain it to myself that it could have been the mating season and the male was blindly following his chosen one. You might like the mole, but you have to protect your garden by not killing it, only by scaring it away. It is in its nature to rite and that will not be changed. That is why I allow these animals to roam the very ditch, keeping watch with molehills so that they do not enter my beds. I even received a certificate from the ROD board for ecological and humane mole control.
