Rodents destroy stored or sown seeds, seedlings, dig up and tear cuttings, damage roots when digging burrows and pavements, nibble and eat buds and young shoots, eat up the bark, and damage lawns. The real threat from their side is evidenced by many features that always favor really dangerous pests: the rapid rate of reproduction and the common occurrence. Rodents are very fertile and sexually mature quickly, and many species periodically breed massively. Most of our rodents "work" under the cover of the night, some lead a daily lifestyle, others are equally active around the clock. They live above-ground, underground and often above-water life, and many of them like to choose man-made buildings as a hiding place.
Contents:
- Rodent life
- Rodent Control
- Mole
- Field mouse
- Field Vole
- Migratory rat
- Amphibious grubber
- Bush mouse
Rodent life
The extraordinary vigilance of rodents and the existence conducted mostly at night make it difficult to observe them, so we do not know the pests themselves exactly in appearance, and we often attribute the damage they cause to other perpetrators. The greatest damage is caused by specific, constantly repeating species. In the Rodentia row, they belong to two subfamilies, namely the Murinae mouse and Microtinae voles subfamilies. As part of plant protection, moles are also combated, but only in closed gardens, nurseries and airports - apart from them, it is a protected species.The most common pests in gardens and orchards are rats, mice, and voles, voles and voles. Body proportions are a useful hint. In voles, the length of the tail does not exceed 3 lengths of the head and body, and in mice, the tail is always longer than 3 lengths of the head and body. Other characteristics of each species are the structure of the burrow, the type of food, the type of habitat they inhabit, and the manner in which plants are damaged. Important information is also whether a given species falls asleep for the winter, or whether it can harm our plants throughout its period. Voles do not fall asleep in the winter and when looking for food, they build long sidewalks on the border of the ground and snow. In spring, after the snow has cleared, long paths remain on the litter or lawns.
Rodent Control
Rodents are troublesome and difficult to eradicate pests. Combating them without comprehensive and systematic actions brings poor results.It is worth placing great emphasis on combining the entire group of methods and means of combating, and not giving up preventive measures. Due to the vigilance and timidity of rodents, the fight against them should be well prepared and thought out, supported by knowledge about the life of rodents. We must remember not to unintentionally create favorable living conditions for them. Plant residues should therefore be cleaned up and placed in composters, as well as weeding the garden area and mowing the grass in the vicinity. Rodent control can be carried out on several levels.
• Mechanical methods are based on the use of catch traps: catch traps or traps. They are used in open areas, but give the greatest effects when fighting rodents indoors.
• Physical methods are intended to scare away rodents by, for example, the use of electrical devices generating ultrasound. Other acoustic noises may also be emitted, which is supposed to keep rodents under stress and discourage them from being around.
• Chemical methods. We have quite a large assortment of resources at our disposal in this form of combat. Preparations killing rodents, the so-called Rodenticides are available in the form of poisonous pastes, creams, granules, briquettes, poisoned grain or candles used to gass rodent burrows. These preparations, often poisonous to humans, need to be placed in the right places, e.g. on paths along which rodents move. The poison is also placed near the burrows or poured into the burrows. To reduce the consumption of resources, we check which burrows are open. For this purpose, we tread the burrows and check which ones are open the next day. After pouring in the poison, the holes of the burrows should not be stepped on, but covered with a board, tiles or plant remnants. Each time, remember not to touch the preparations with your bare hands: we will avoid any danger and will not leave a "human smell" on them. We lay out the preparations so that they do not become a source of poisoning for birds and other animals. The best for this purpose are special feeders, which additionally protect the preparation from rain and are marked to inform people about the content.
Mole Talpa europaea
It is a small animal that, apart from velvety black fur, has characteristic spade-shaped forelimbs, an elongated snout and a short tail. The mole burrow consists of a nest, pantries, living, running and feeding corridors. The nest is usually located under the roots of a tree or under stones. The mole is carnivorous and its food is mostly earthworms. The most bothersome symptom of the presence of a mole in the garden are mounds of soil pushed out of the tunnels, called molehills. It is best to sprinkle mounds on lawns evenly over the nearby area, which does not deform the surface as much as if it is stepped on.
Field mouse Apodemus agrarius
The body length of this rodent varies from 8.5 to 11 cm. The field mouse has a reddish color with a characteristic black stripe on its back. It lives in vegetable gardens, orchards, meadows, fields, edges of forests and shrubs.It is omnivorous; its diet includes insects, vegetables, fruits, onions and tubers of ornamental plants, grain and tree bark. Builds simple, long burrows located shallow below the ground.
Field Vole Microtus arvalis
It has a stocky body, a short head and a blunt muzzle. It appears in large numbers on sandy loam soils. He builds his burrows in sunny places, and around the exit holes of the burrows, the plants are gnawed squarely. It is a dangerous pest of fruit trees, causing the greatest damage in autumn and winter. Voles eat the shoots, rhizomes and bulbs of many ornamental plants. They accumulate large supplies of food in their burrows.
Brown rat Rattus norvegicus
It is a relatively large animal, up to 30 cm long, and almost twice as long, over 20 cm, is the tail. Outside the buildings, the rats build deep burrows, in front of which there are no mounds of earth. The rat adapts to any food, depending on the habitat.
Amphibious grub Arvicola terrestris
It is a large, massive rodent, up to 20 cm long. It leads an underground lifestyle in long and branched burrows. The grubs build burrows in moist, compact soil. They avoid swampy and heavily sandy soils. By pushing soil out of the dug corridors outside, the rodent forms irregular, flattened mounds (smaller than molehills). It goes to orchards and gardens by the water. In winter, the grubber feeds on the roots of fruit trees, causing great damage. In summer, it eats the roots and tubers of ornamental plants and root vegetables.
Bush mouse Apodemus sylvaticus
Its body size is similar to that of a field mouse. It has a yellow-brown coloration with a gray tinge on the back. It digs deep burrows with 2-3 exit holes in front of which you can find mounds of earth. This rodent is active at dusk and at night. It prefers thickets on the edge of forests, parks and fields.In winter, he moves to buildings. The brush mouse moves with jumps of 30-80 cm. Its food is dominated by seeds of grasses, herbs and trees; in the gardens he eats bulbs of tulips, hyacinths, crocuses and lilies. In winter, it uses its food supplies and supplements its diet with plant shoots and tree bark.
