Moles: How To Drive The Animals From The Garden

Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:28 pm

If you do not want moles in the garden, you have only one choice: drive them away. To do this, you need to know the whims of the posh diggers.

They look cute and make themselves useful as insect exterminators. Nevertheless, moles are not welcome in your own garden. Because with their constant burrowing, the animals sometimes also cause damage. Be it that they damage the roots of plants through their tunnel systems close to the surface. Or, and this is not really damage, but annoying: Their mounds disturb the garden owner. The only solution: the mole must be convinced to voluntarily go the distance.

What does the mole look like?

Moles: How To Drive The Animals From The Garden


When we talk about moles in this country, we are talking about the species of the European mole – a member of the mole family and, as the name suggests, the only representative of this family in Europe. The cylindrical body of the plush companions grows between 10 and 17 centimeters, and the tail is another 2 to 4.5 centimeters long. Their weight is between 60 and 120 grams. The color of their soft fur is muted tones – gray, brown, black. And now to the most characteristic feature of the little diggers – their hands. They lie very close to the head, are equipped with five toes plus sickle-shaped bones and formed shovel-shaped. After all, the mole has to do its most important work with its hands, making its way through the earth. The hind legs of the mole also have five toes but are not as functionally built as his hands. The mole has few hairs on its legs. On its snout and tail, the mole has its tactile hairs, which are important for it. Its ears (without a pinna), like its eyes, are buried deep in the fur. And to clear up with the statement “blind like a mole”, the mole can see very well, but only marginally (light or dark). His way he illuminates rather by means of smell, hearing, and sense of touch, which are very well developed with the mole.

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What does the mole eat?


The mole is not interested in vegetarian food, it feeds exclusively on animals. Among other things, insects, earthworms and sometimes also smaller vertebrates end up on the mole’s plate. And it has to be constantly well-filled (it eats about its own body weight per day), because the furry boy can’t last long without food. If he doesn’t get anything between his teeth for more than a day, the mole dies. Where does he go hunting? For the most part in its underground feeding tunnels. It walks through these at regular intervals, always on the lookout for new creatures, which it stores in its larder.

How does the mole live?


The mole is not attracted to the fresh air very often; it spends most of its life underground in its elaborate system of passages, which, as mentioned above, serves as a source of food and, of course, as a habitat.

Moles: How To Drive The Animals From The Garden

How deep do moles dig?


That depends on the time of year: In winter, moles, in order to leave the frost further behind, often dig a little deeper. The underground passages can reach up to one meter deep. Elementary retreats such as feeding or nesting chambers are found at the deeper level. Their feeding tunnels, on the other hand, are located just below the surface. In length, the tunnel system can occupy up to 200 meters.

Is the garden inhabited by a vole or a mole?


They dig and dig, bringing to light a lot of soil that unintentionally decorates our lawn in the form of piles. Whether the mounds of soil are the work of a vole or a mole, you can tell by various things, such as the hole underneath. If it is directly under the mound, you are harboring a mole, if it is more to the side, a vole lives here. In addition, you can recognize molehills by the fact that they are larger than those of voles and, unlike them, are not interspersed with roots or plant debris. If you want to be absolutely sure, you should resort to the burrowing test. That is, expose the passage a little and check the next day whether it was closed again. So done, a vole has taken up residence.

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Drive out mole: How to do it?


Here, too, the most important thing right away: you are not allowed to kill, injure or catch the mole; as stated in the Federal Nature Conservation Act, it is considered a protected species. It is also forbidden to destroy its reproduction or resting places. If you feel extremely disturbed by the mounds, the only thing left to do is to get the mole to move voluntarily. What is the best way to do this? One goes in the duly on the spirit, the eyes or the ears.

Unpleasant fragrances, for example a whey-buttermilk mixture, fish heads, dog hair, garlic or commercially available preparations should help to drive the mole away. Simply spread the home remedies evenly in the mole tunnels, preferably several times in a row. For the mole annoying noises can be created, for example, by means of empty bottles. Bury them in the ground near the molehills with the neck of the bottle facing upwards.

If wind gets caught in them, the sounds are extremely unpleasant for mole ears. Wind chimes with metal parts or commercially available ultrasonic devices (mole deterrents), which use sound waves, are also designed to create a sound environment that is unattractive to the mole.

How can you prevent a mole infestation?


Mole grids help protect lawns from unwelcome visitors and the resulting molehills. Horizontal grids are best when laying a new lawn, while vertical grids can also be installed on existing lawns.

Author

  • James Jones

    Meet James Jones, a passionate gardening writer whose words bloom with the wisdom of an experienced horticulturist. With a deep-rooted love for all things green, James has dedicated his life to sharing the art and science of gardening with the world. James's words have found their way into countless publications, and his gardening insights have inspired a new generation of green thumbs. His commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship shines through in every article he crafts.

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