Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:52 pm
If you hear suspicious noises in the attic, you might suspect that it is a marten. If you hear the activity mainly at night, you might ask yourself whether this is at all appropriate for a marten.
Is the marten nocturnal or does it prefer the daytime? Find out at what time of day the marten is active and leaves its hiding place.
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At what time of day are martens particularly active?
Martens are indeed nocturnal animals. They prefer the darkness to go hunting under its protection. The marten is known as an extremely aggressive hunter. However, it is primarily a flight animal that tries to avoid all threats.
About an hour after sunset, the marten leaves its hiding place and enters the active phase. In a period from 18 to 05 o’clock the marten is on the prowl.
He does not follow this fixed rhythm throughout the year. Depending on the season and other factors, he shifts his activity sometimes later or earlier. Basically, however, the marten is on the move at night.
The activity in the course of the year
The mating season of the marten ranges from early July to early September. With the offspring, there are other lifestyle requirements.
Marten in spring
After the mating season, the young must be raised in the spring. The female is responsible for this task. The offspring is not able to take care of itself and the female is therefore rather evenly active throughout the day. She has a resting period in the early hours and otherwise takes care of the young.
The activity of the males in spring is somewhat different. At daytime they rest for a longer period. At night, they become much more active and go hunting for prey.
Martens in summer
In summer, the young animals are already less in need of protection. They can take better care of themselves and do not need permanent care. For the females, this means that their activity adapts to the males.
During the summer, both males and females are nocturnal. They limit their activity to approximately a 6 to 5 p.m. period.
Resting time in winter
During the winter, the marten tries to save its energy. It is much less active overall. However, the marten does not hibernate.
Due to the earlier sunset, the marten is on the prowl sooner than in summer. Therefore, it is possible that you will find traces of the marten in the snow in winter.
Differences in sex
When the marten is active depends on its sex. While males are known to use only the night, females must also spend time during the day in the spring to care for their offspring. This includes the female nursing and keeping the offspring warm.
Males prove to be more independent. They do not care for the offspring, but maintain their one rhythm.
The behavior of the stone marten
Most martens prove to be shy and prefer to pursue their activity at night. An exception is the stone marten.
This marten species increasingly seeks proximity to humans. It is responsible for most damage in the engine compartment and is known as a dreaded hunter.
The stone marten is less shy towards humans. As a result, this species may forage during the day when food sources cannot be obtained at night.
How should you proceed in controlling the marten?
You now know that the marten is predominantly active at night. How does this knowledge affect the control methods to protect yourself from this animal?
First of all, you should pay attention to the fact that there is a closed season for the marten. So you are allowed to hunt the animal only at certain times of the year. The closed season is set by the respective federal state. The intention behind this is that the martens, if they have offspring, are not disturbed.
If you want to drive away the marten, you do not have to hunt it right away. There are a number of ways you can effectively keep the animal out of your own attic. For this purpose, you can, for example, use an ultrasonic device. This sounds in a frequency range that is not audible to humans. The marten feels so disturbed by this that he goes to another place.
Alternatively, a radio is also a good way to drive away the marten with sounds. This is especially effective if the noise during the day disturbs the marten while it is sleeping. With these simple methods, you will keep the animal away from the house and the attic.
The activity of the marten
If you hear suspicious noises in the attic, it may be the marten. This animal is mainly active during the night hours and leaves its hiding place in search of food. Male martens are particularly active shortly after midnight. There they are on the hunt and look for the prey under the cover of darkness. During the day, on the other hand, the marten is rarely seen. There he rests and will hardly make any sounds.