The fauna underground is no less diverse than above. The underground mole is another living creature among the thousands of underground inhabitants.
Mole - underground dweller
If you notice a low mound of loose earth in a field or garden, you can be sure that a mole lives under it. His entire life passes underground, only in the rarest cases does he rise to the surface. This mammal inhabits large areas of North America and Eurasia.
How a mole adapted to life underground
Wise nature made sure that the mole could live comfortably underground. The body is oval-shaped, dense, the head is connected to it by a thick neck, the muzzle with a wide forehead is elongated with a narrow stigma - all this helps the mole to move easily and freely underground.
The animal has no eyes as such, only small holes, half-covered by fur. There are underground moles in which they are generally densely overgrown. And an underground dweller does not need vision. But their hearing is well developed, despite the absence of auricles - only special leathery folds protect the ear openings from soil.
Mole - the greatest tunnel digger The mole's front paws are very similar to small shovels. With them he deftly and quickly rake the ground and dig passages. At the same time, five well-developed fingers in the hand also help in the digging process.
And even wool is a helper for the mole underground. The beautiful, shiny, brown or black coat consists of straight growing hairs. As a result, when moving through underground passages, they lie in the right direction and do not interfere with his movement.
A mole's life underground
The mole is underground all day and night and is on the move almost all the time, digging tunnels. It usually settles in places where the soil is moist and easy to dig. These are forest edges, meadow and floodplain lowlands. They do this work for a reason; they are looking for food, which is why the passages are called feeding passages.
They are located shallow, only 5–10 cm underground, but the permanent passages are at a depth of 15–20 cm. He does not have enough strength to lift such a thickness with his head; he has to push out part of the earth after a short distance. It turns out to be a so-called otnorok. It’s easy to see where it will appear: suddenly the soil begins to move slightly, then the loose part rises and grows before our eyes, becoming a mound.
Favorite food is earthworms. They even store them for the winter in their burrow. And so that the worms do not escape and remain alive, but paralyzed, the moles bite off their heads. The pointed teeth of the predator catch both pupae and larvae, as well as adult insects. And even a mouse or a shrew is too tough for him!
What does a mole eat?
Moles eat a lot, as they lose a lot of energy when digging. So it turns out to be a vicious circle: you want to eat - you have to dig the ground - while you are digging - you want to eat again. It can only live for 12 hours without food, so it has to go hunting both at night and during the day.
Contrary to popular belief that moles spoil root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes, moles do not. Mouse-like rodents are crop eaters. Because he does not eat plant foods. And this opinion appeared due to the fact that when digging tunnels, the roots of plants are undermined and disturbed, and this is why they die.
Settling in gardens and orchards, moles, with their underground passages and numerous mounds, disturb the integrity of the soil. If it is a lawn, it will be difficult to walk through it with a lawn mower, and the beauty of flower beds can be spoiled by dug-up soil.
There was a publication on our website about. However, without knowing about the habits of this animal and how it lives in Nature, one can hardly hope for such success, even if all recommendations are followed. Therefore, in our new article we decided to tell hunters about how this animal lives in Nature, what its habits are and where a mole can most often be found...
How moles live in Nature
The mole is born, lives and dies in the ground, coming to the surface only in exceptional cases. Once on the surface of the earth, the animal hobbles helplessly on its twisted paws and strives to hide underground again at the first opportunity, doing this with great speed. The activity of the mole can be observed throughout the year and this animal does not hibernate.
Mole dwellings
Moles make complex labyrinths of passages in the ground. The animal's nest, as a rule, is located under the roots of trees or under hummocks, at a depth of up to 1 meter from the surface, and consists of a round chamber lined with dry grass and moss, and ring tunnels that are connected to the chamber by radial passages. In the nest, the female mole brings the young and feeds them.
The nest has a connection with a system of permanent and feeding passages. The latter are laid at a depth of 2-5 centimeters and can often be observed in the forest. They look like furrows of slightly raised earth. It is noteworthy that the mole does not pass through these passages again.
The permanent passages of moles lie deeper, at a depth of 14-20 centimeters, and differ from the feeding passages by compacted smooth walls, which indicates that moles often pass through them. These passages can be used by several animals. Moreover, if any part of such passages is destroyed, moles begin to restore them.
In meadows, animals can make passages at greater depths than, say, in the forest. They can be detected by discarded piles of earth - molehills. Interconnected mole passages can be up to several kilometers long. In winter, animals can make passages for themselves in the very surface layer of the earth, at its border with the thickness of the snow, or even in the snow itself.
Mole movement speed
The mole moves with the help of the efforts of the front shoulder girdle. Its muscle distribution is the opposite of what can be observed in terrestrial mammals. Moles make tunnels in the ground very quickly. Experts were able to establish that
in clay soil, the movement speed of this animal is 72 meters per hour, in loam – 81 meters per hour, and in black soil – 108 meters per hour. In some cases, a speed of 2 meters per second is observed, that is, 120 meters per hour.
What affects the number of moles
It is generally accepted that the number of moles in open lands is indicated by the number of molehills. However, this is not entirely true. It is also believed that moles destroy undergrowth in the forest. But the number of molehills depends not so much on the number of moles, but on the abundance of soil invertebrates and fluctuates greatly depending on weather conditions. The appearance of a larger number of molehills most likely indicates a lack of food. This is confirmed by experimental studies. Observations show that depending on the season, not only the number of molehills changes, but also their size. So,
The average weight of molehills dug in the spring is 2.65 kilograms, summer molehills - 1.89 kilograms, autumn - 6.23 kilograms, and winter - 11.7 kilograms.
It is not difficult for an experienced hunter to determine by the size and force of the earth ejection who was digging the molehill - a male or a female. So, males at one time push out a column of earth 6-7 centimeters high, 120-140 grams of earth, and females - no more than 4 centimeters, up to 80 grams. But if a young mole digs, it can be difficult to determine its gender.
Types of moles
For a long time it was generally accepted that the European mole lived in our latitudes. But later it was found that moles living in our area can be classified as 4 species, and the representative of each species differs not only in anatomical characteristics, but also in lifestyle features. The European species of mole remains the best studied.
Description of the European mole
The fur of the European mole is dark gray, almost black. In older males, a rusty-ocher tint can often be seen in the groin area and chest. The female European mole is smaller than the male, her feet are also smaller, and her tail is slightly longer. But these differences are subtle. It is also possible to make a mistake in determining sex based on external sexual characteristics, since outside the breeding season, the genital opening of the female mole becomes overgrown. It is especially difficult, without sufficient experience, without resorting to dissection, to establish the sex of young individuals.
Newly-born moles differ from adults not only in size, but also in weight. Their fur has a silvery tint. But the surest sign of how to identify a young mole is to pay attention to the color of its paws. In summer, the entire surface of the front and hind paws is black; later, in September-November, the black color remains only on the edges of the paws.
Reproduction of the European mole
The female usually brings only one litter per year. But, sometimes there are more fertile individuals that produce litters 2 times a year. A litter can have from 1 to 9 cubs, on average 4–5. The rutting period begins soon after the snow melts, in late April - early May. The timing of mating depends on the progress of spring. Approximately 6 weeks after the start of mating, by the end of May, you can already see the first females giving birth. At the end of pregnancy, females move little and therefore often end up in mole traps. About a month after the appearance of the first lactating females, young moles begin to appear, which by this time lead an independent lifestyle. Typically, reproduction proceeds smoothly, and the mass migration of young animals begins soon after the appearance of the first young individuals.
The end of June - the first 2 decades of July is usually the most productive period of the season, and the number of mole skins at this time is the highest.
European moles reach sexual maturity, regardless of whether they are female or male, by the 2nd year of life, and already in the spring following birth they are ready to reproduce.
European mole molt
Molting is distinguished by significant originality. In addition to spring and autumn molts, which are characteristic of other mammals that do not hibernate, moles also have summer and winter moults.
The spring molting of males begins, as a rule, in the first half of May and ends in the second half of June. These dates may shift somewhat, depending on the progress of spring. The height of molting, when the skins are of especially low quality (o), coincides with the time of bird cherry flowering. In the spring, females begin and finish molting earlier than males. With the onset of pregnancy, spring molting occurs rapidly and simultaneously covers the entire area of the skin. Autumn molt usually begins in the first half of September and ends by mid-November.
In summer, the first fur that replaced the winter fur is replaced in parts of the skin with the same one. On mole skins that have finished molting, you can easily distinguish areas of fresh, darker, metallic-gloss fur against the background of the faded, lighter first summer fur. Fingerlings also moult. Despite the whimsicality and variety of patterns of summer molting, a certain pattern is observed in the distribution of moulted areas; areas that are more susceptible to friction when making burrows are most often moulted. In hot and dry summers, when moles have to expend more energy searching for food and dig more and deeper, the molt covers a larger area and the flesh turns black. Summer molting is compensatory in nature. Winter molting is of the same nature, when the first winter fur on part of the skin is replaced by the same winter fur.
Enemies of European moles
Moles have few enemies. Mouse-like rodents, shrews, weasels, stoats and other animals most likely simply coexist with moles, using their passages if necessary. Finding themselves on the surface of the earth during river floods, moles often become prey to feathered predators.
Factors influencing the population of European moles
Observations over recent years show quite convincingly that changes in mole numbers are mainly related to the presence and availability of earthworms. The latter, in turn, depends on temperature, precipitation and its distribution over the seasons. These changes usually cover vast territories at the same time.
Drought also has an unfavorable effect on mole numbers, when earthworms descend into the lower horizons of the soil and become inaccessible to the animal. Drought has a particularly unfavorable effect if it coincides in time with the transition of young animals to independent life. The younger the moles, the more sensitive they are to lack of food. Those who live in open areas suffer the most. In lowlands and forests, where soil moisture is relatively higher, drought is significantly less reflected.
Winters with little snow, when severe frosts give way to thaws, are also destructive for moles. When there is ice, the number of moles, especially in open lands and in open forests, where temperature fluctuations are sharper, is greatly reduced. Such weather has a particularly detrimental effect on moles in cases where the ground freezes deeply before the snow falls. When the soil freezes deeply, the snow that melted during the thaw and re-frozen forms an ice crust, and the water frozen in the passages forms ice plugs.
The most favorable conditions for animals are in forested areas, especially in places with rugged terrain.
The greater number of moles in forested areas compared to treeless ones is apparently associated not only with the abundance of soil fauna, but with its vertical migrations throughout the year. The forest, which mitigates sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity, creates favorable conditions for preservation in the upper horizons throughout the year. Therefore, the more continental the climate, the more pronounced the mole’s attachment to the forest.
As the climate becomes more arid, the number of mole-inhabited areas decreases.
The increased population density of moles in places with rugged terrain is explained by the fact that, moving short distances up and down slopes and from southern to northern slopes, they can find the most suitable microclimate options for themselves. Here it is easier for them to avoid a lack or excess of moisture and unfavorable temperature conditions, which is very important for animals that have a relatively limited individual area.
The different population densities of moles in different types of forests can be explained by differences in the composition of the soil fauna of invertebrates, especially earthworms, living in a given forest community, and their vertical migrations throughout the year.
The insignificant number of moles in the northern taiga can be explained by the lack of earthworms in highly podzolized soils. The largest numbers of moles in this zone are observed in meadows, forest clearings and along river valleys, which is associated with a significantly greater abundance of worms in cultivated soil varieties.
TO companies have long excited my imagination :) After all, they are so inconspicuous! It turns out that many scientific minds are still struggling with many mysteries of these animals. They are almost unstudied due to their secretive lifestyle. 1.
It turns out that moles not only hunt and immediately eat their favorite food - earthworms, but store them for a rainy day. Worms are stored in a mole closet for a very long time. And in winter, when food is scarce, the mole feasts in its underground labyrinths. Repeatedly when digging up mole tunnels, food reserves weighing more than 2 kg were discovered!
2.
Moles have absolutely amazingly developed hearing and sense of smell to the detriment of blind eyes. Thanks to some kind of sense, moles are able to return to their homes, even if they are moved to another place. Therefore, do not delude yourself that by catching a mole in your garden and throwing it to your hated neighbor, you will thus get rid of it. The moles are back! :)
3.
In 1 hour, with its shovel-shaped paws, a mole is able to dig a hole 3 m long. On average, the length of each mole’s holes is 200 meters.
4.
The fur coat of the animal is very interesting in structure - the hair on the mole's body does not grow in one direction, like most animals, but straight. This structure of the coat is very convenient when digging tunnels, because the fur does not ride up either when the mole breaks forward or when it is necessary to back away.
5.
The mole's speed through the tunnel he dug is 25 meters per minute. This is not in vain for the mole's fur - from contact with the walls of the hole, the fur coat wears off quite quickly :) and the mole walks naked. But nature has provided for this too: moles are forced to molt 3-4 times a year in order to acquire new hair again and again.
6.
Some intimate details: male moles have a bone in their reproductive organ...
7.
There is an opinion that the mole is completely blind. However, it is not. Its eyes are most often covered with a fold of skin to prevent soil from getting into them when digging. The ears are also well protected. Such a small-looking mole has as many as 44 teeth in its mouth! A predator by nature, a mole also has fangs!
8.
Moles can eat almost anything that moves. They can eat both a frog and a small animal that they can handle. Sometimes they even eat their weaker relatives.
9.
Due to the fact that the mole is a very active animal and spends a lot of energy, it needs to eat something almost constantly in order to have the strength for digging work. He eats almost as much per day as he weighs. And without food it cannot live more than 14-17 hours.
10.
Moles are so unsuited to living in captivity that attempts by scientists and biologists to create suitable conditions for them and study them have not yet been successful. Or artificial burrows in a confined space become very damp, and the moles die. Or the always available food from the hands of scientists leads to the death of moles from obesity and daily inactivity...
Who are moles?
The mole's eyes are small, almost hidden by fur, and in some species they are covered with skin. Moles see poorly
but like many underground inhabitants with poor eyesight, they have a well-developed sense of smell and touch.
The ears are small, sometimes even absent. The mole's fur coat resembles velvet.
The pile of the fur coat is short and thick, usually black, black-brown or dark gray in color and grows straight, not, like many animals, smoothed to one side.
When moving the mole underground, the pile lies freely in any direction, allowing it to easily move back and forth.
The mole feeds on earthworms, insects and their larvae.
The mole is a member of the mammal family and reproduces accordingly like all mammals.
Offspring usually appear once a year and after five to six weeks the cubs become independent.
Moles live underground, rarely coming out. When making their way (movements), moles do not recycle the earth, like earthworms, for example, passing it through themselves, but push it away with their strong front clawed paws. The mole pushes the excess soil out, forming molehills (small mounds of earth). It makes passages mainly in the upper fertile layer, exactly where various kinds of insects, worms, and larvae live, on which it feeds.
The mole is quite strong and agile. This is evidenced by the fact that these animals are capable of moving underground at speeds of up to 6 km/h. My neighbor once caught a mole in his garden and wanted to show it to his wife, but he couldn’t hold it in his hands; the mole turned out to be so strong and fast that it seemed to push his hands apart and escaped from the neighbor’s embrace. Some gardeners claim that the mole is very smart; it is even compared to such smart animals as rats. You don't get caught on the same thing twice.
In my Soviet childhood they showed a Czech cartoon about a kind little mole who helped everyone and always laughed very cheerfully. This image has remained with me all my life and it still seems that all moles are as charming and good-natured as this little good-natured mole.
Whenever you hear or read that somewhere they caught a mole and took its life (it is often described how this was done), you feel very sorry for them. And, at the same time, one can understand that those who have dug up the entire plot, ruined the flower bed, undermined the roots, and generally deprived the harvest, feel sorry for the people. But it’s not the moles’ fault, they live like this, this is their life. Living underground, they dig tunnels for themselves, search for worms and larvae, they have entire families and communities. And we live on the earth and also build our own “movements” (streets, tunnels...), grow or get our own food, “interfering” with other, equally full-fledged inhabitants of the earth, including moles.
When the territory of interests intersects, the struggle for survival begins. The problem seems insoluble - everyone is fighting for their existence on earth and underground, let’s take it on a larger scale - on the planet. Is it possible for a relatively peaceful coexistence of man and other inhabitants of the earth, life in harmony with the nature around him?
A complex philosophical question, the answer to which will definitely not be answered in this century. Is it possible to make people more humane towards their smaller brothers, for example moles? There is still a positive answer to this question. People have invented different ways to get rid of moles in a garden plot without killing them, but by forcing them to leave or not to enter the territory at all, for example a garden plot.
A preventive measure that can be used to protect an area from moles is to take a fine, preferably galvanized metal mesh and dig it along the boundaries of the area approximately half a meter deep, and leave 20 cm on the surface. The metal mesh will serve as a good obstacle and can protect the area from the penetration of moles , but at the same time it will allow insects and worms to easily penetrate.
Instead of a metal mesh, you can place sheets of slate, roofing felt in several layers or something similar in the ground, which also does not allow moles to easily visit the territory, but in this case small insects and worms will also not be able to enter.
Some people use broken glass, but as practice shows, this will not be a good barrier for moles.
There is a more effective way. Since moles have a well-developed sense of smell and touch, as well as increased sensitivity to slight vibrations in the soil, engineers have come up with an electronic device called a mole repeller. Some gardeners make them themselves from improvised materials, but it is best to buy ready-made devices in stores.
Repellers are a long rod into which batteries are inserted. Approximately every 45-50 seconds, the repeller begins to vibrate for several seconds, spreading the signal over a radius of several meters, depending on the power of the device. This repels moles, as well as other earthen rodents. Installing it is very simple - you dig it into the ground, leave the cap about ten centimeters above the ground and that’s it.
Fighting moles with this method gives the best effect and in a short time you can completely get rid of them.
Shrew or mole how to determine
Hi all! Sometimes neighbors come to me with such strange questions that it seems as if they haven’t lived on their plots for ten years.
Last spring, a neighbor complained that after the winter there were a lot of small earthen slides all over the property.
She couldn’t understand whether moles were causing her this inconvenience or other inhabitants of the underworld. Want to know how to tell if a shrew or a mole is digging holes? What actions can be taken to prevent their activities? I will describe everything in detail in the article below.
Moles, mole rats and shrews. Similarities and differences between rodents
Information about these underground inhabitants is often contradictory, since their way of life is not fully understood and has many blank spots.
The most incredible rumors and “heartbreaking” stories are being spread about the benefits and harms of these funny animals, especially among summer residents, more like fiction and fantasies, since shrews and moles are blamed for all imaginable and unimaginable misadventures of gardeners, blaming almost all of the poor animals “ dogs."
So, how to distinguish a mole from a shrew, what is the difference between them and in fact, these little animals are so dangerous and harmful. Let's figure it out.
Few people have seen this animal in person, since it lives underground. The shrew looks like a mouse, but has a more elongated muzzle with an elongated proboscis. Her fur is soft, fluffy, velvety, gray in color. The ears on the head are practically absent, and the eyes are very small and blind.
The shrew reaches eighteen to twenty centimeters in length and has a very long tail. The baby's weight is no more than fifteen grams.
Predatory animals such as foxes, dogs and domestic cats sometimes catch and strangle shrews, mistaking them for mice, but do not eat them, because thanks to the musk gland, the animal emits a strong unpleasant odor, which discourages its pursuers from any appetite.
Only some species of birds of prey do not have an aversion to shrews, such as owls and small wild animals like ferrets and weasels, for which the unpleasant spirit emanating from the animal is not a hindrance.
Like all of its close relatives, such as hedgehogs and moles, the shrew belongs to the order of insectivores and, like most rodents, lives in burrows, feeding mainly on animal food. Scouring the ground in search of food and using passages left by mice and other rodents, shrews devour insects, worms, larvae, and other small animals.
Since the shrew has a powerful metabolism and cannot go without food for a long time (no more than seven to nine hours at a time), it has to constantly get food and eat more food during the day than it weighs.
The most common are the two types of shrews:
- Shrews (lat. Crocidura)
- Shrews (lat. Sorex)
As the names of the animals suggest, some have white tips of their teeth, while others have brown tips. In addition, shrews are usually much smaller in size.
Since the shrew is a predator, it is beneficial by destroying the larvae of harmful insects living underground. In addition, these animals excellently loosen the soil, saturating it with oxygen and thus aerating the soil.
The mole (lat. Talpa europaea) is a close relative of the shrew. It has powerful front paws, well adapted for digging the ground, a muzzle with a maneuverable trunk and a short tail. The animal reaches twenty centimeters in length.
Like the shrew, the mole is an underground dweller, building an intricate system of passages, and appears on the surface only in an emergency. The mole throws out all the excess earth that is formed during the construction of passages. These earth piles in the form of small tubercles are popularly called molehills and are a clear sign that a mole has settled in this area.
It should be noted that the mole does not inhabit vegetable gardens and personal plots, but can live in the garden if the soil is moist enough.
Like the shrew, the mole is a predatory animal, consuming large quantities of earthworms and earthworms, actively feeding on the larvae of beetles, butterflies, beetles and other harmful insects, thereby bringing invaluable help to gardeners and summer residents.
Well, finally, we have reached the true pest, since it is the mole rat that is the threat of vegetable gardens and summer cottages, rampaging and causing outrage to the fullest.
For mole rats, the animal food that its relatives feed on is strictly contraindicated.
Like all of the above-mentioned “relatives” of the mole rat, he diligently digs passages and holes and leads an exclusively underground lifestyle, leaving the shelter only once in his life - at the moment when, as a teenager, he leaves his father’s house to begin an independent adult life.
Like a mole, a mole rat can be detected on a site by the mounds formed on the surface, reminiscent of small earthen slides.
In addition to the common mole rat, there are several more species of this rodent: “sandy”, “Pontic”, “Bukovinsky” and “Podolsky”, and all these species (with the exception of the common one) are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
It is noteworthy that the habitat of the common mole rat is limited only to the left bank of Ukraine, since, apparently, the Dnieper River is an insurmountable barrier for the animal.
The mole rat, unlike its fellows, is a herbivore and feeds on underground parts of plants. In wild natural conditions, the pest consumes mainly bulbous crops, acorns and eats up seedlings of oaks, maples, and other deciduous trees, and when it gets into the garden, it becomes a real disaster, since it destroys root crops, bulbs and tubers of cultivated plants.
As mentioned above, this type of rodent, due to its secretive habitat, is still poorly studied and keeps many secrets.
In appearance, the mole rat has a rather blocky body, resembling a voluminous cylinder up to twenty-five centimeters in length. The rodent's head has a flattened shape. The main digging tool of the mole rat is the huge sharp incisors sticking out. In place of the eyes there is a wide fold of skin, completely covered with bristles. The animal's skin is yellowish-brown in color.
Attention!
It is noteworthy that the organs of touch in the mole rat are individual hard hairs protruding from the fur, thanks to the sensitivity of which the animal receives information from the outside.
An interesting fact is that the fleas living on the animal have also been successfully assimilated and, like their owner, are completely blind.
It is a well-known fact that the mole rat creates a significant supply of food, storing it for the long winter period. For example, eighteen (!) kilograms of potatoes were found in the pantry of one prudent and hardworking animal.
However, scientists have determined that the daily rate of consumption of plant food for a mole rat is equal to its own weight (which is about half a kilogram of weight), that is, with such a rate of consumption of these products, there is clearly not enough for the whole winter. It is possible that during the dry winter period the animal falls into a state of suspended animation, which is why the metabolic process slows down, and the mole rat feeds only from time to time.
The main habitat of the mole rat is located at approximately a depth of ten to twenty-five centimeters and the burrows, as a rule, are located in the soil layer in two tiers.
In the upper tier the animal feeds (since its main food supply is located at this depth), and in the lower tier the mole rat builds nests, creates its own pantries and establishes latrines. It is noteworthy that the lower “floors” can go to a depth of up to four (!) meters, but generally do not exceed eighty centimeters.
While building its tunnels, the animal loses a lot of energy, so it has adapted to overcome obstacles and heavy areas of the ground, using the technique of creating small earthquakes, for which it makes head blows and then evaluates the reflection of seismic waves.
This method allows the mole rat to break through burrows with less labor, since it was calculated that the total length of the burrows of one animal can reach three hundred and sixty (!) meters in length.
The method of tapping the head on the ceiling allows individuals of different sexes to communicate with each other during the mating season.
The mole rat is essentially a hermit, but in March it begins to look for a mate, and already in April, offspring appear in the newly-minted family, consisting of two or more (up to six) cubs, which the mother feeds with milk.
Pest control methods
Pest control methods can be divided into two main groups:
- Deterrent measures
- Exterminatory measures
It has long been noted that moles and mole rats do not like the strong odors of some plants, and in particular they do not accept the pungent scent of mint and wormwood. The imperial hazel grouse also repels these rodents well, the bulb of which emits a strong smell that repels the animals.
Practice has proven that if several rows of parsnips are planted in a rodent's habitat (you need to find a plant variety that has a long root), the mole rat will leave this area. Black elderberry and medicinal black root repel pests well.
There are also different types of repellers that make sounds and produce vibrations. For this purpose, on a personal plot, it is necessary to drive wooden stakes into the ground, into which a regular impeller is inserted on top.
When the wind blows, the impeller rotates and creates a hum and vibration, which mole rats clearly do not like. For the same purpose, specially cut tin cans of beer or cola can be placed on wooden pegs, which, when rotated, create a similar effect.
Some gardeners and gardeners bury a metal mesh (chain-link) around the perimeter of the site and thus protect themselves from uninvited guests. The only difficulty is that you have to bury the net quite deeply (up to a meter deep), taking into account the depth of possible holes in the lower tier.
But the most effective method of pest control is its physical extermination. For this purpose, either chemical or mechanical means are used.
The chemical method of control is the simplest, but it is fraught with serious consequences, since domestic animals and even people can suffer from the strongest poisons, which belong to the group of phosphites (the poison has a negative effect on all warm-blooded organisms).
Therefore, before using chemistry, it is necessary to try methods that are safer and less harmful to the environment, because the use of poisons can ultimately turn into a tragedy.
The mole rat, as a rule, leads a hidden and solitary lifestyle, therefore, having driven or exterminated the animal from the site, you can finally take a deep breath.
source: http://agrostory.com/info-centre/knowledge-lab/kroty-slep/
Moles (mole rats), shrews, mole control in the country, traps
Mole rats, shrews and moles live in large numbers in summer cottages. However, not all of them are harmful and we must fight them; we will also get acquainted with useful “underground inhabitants”.
Shrews
It is very rare to meet them and examine them - they do not like to show themselves, although they are active around the clock. Unless you go out into the yard early in the morning, and on the grass are the fruits of the night hunt of a tireless cat. Take a close look at the animal.
He doesn’t look like a mouse at all, his muzzle is elongated into a proboscis, his ears are almost invisible, his eyes are tiny, his fur is velvety. But the cat didn’t eat the animal because it smelled very bad, which was due to the musk gland, which is present in many species.
Meet the shrew, the closest relative of everyone's favorite hedgehog. Shrews, hedgehogs, and moles all belong to the order Insectivores (Sorisiformes). Just like rodents, they live in burrows, although they prefer to use passages left by rodents. The basis of their diet is animal food.
With the tirelessness of the eternally hungry, shrews search for insects, earthworms, and often attack small rodents. They have a very intense metabolism, they can live without food for only 7-9 hours, so they have to eat more food per day than they weigh and search for it around the clock. Shrews (Sorex) and shrews (Crocidura) live in our area.
In addition to other differences, the tips of the teeth of shrews are brown, while the teeth of shrews are white, the body length is 6-8 cm. These crumbs are of great benefit because they loosen and thereby saturate with oxygen (aerate) the soil, and also destroy the larvae of harmful insects .
Their close relative, the mole (Talpa europaea), has velvety black fur, powerful burrowing front paws, a short tail and the same muzzle with a movable proboscis, and its body length reaches 20 cm. The mole rat is often incorrectly called a mole.
The only thing they have in common with the mole rat is that, like the mole rat, the mole is an underground dweller and builds a complex system of underground passages, which it leaves only as a last resort. When passages have to be laid deep and in dense soil, the excess earth is thrown to the surface through temporary passages in the form of small piles, so-called molehills.
From these heaps one can understand that a mole lives here: molehills are smaller in size than mole rat emissions, and moles do not settle in vegetable gardens. But in the lowlands, in damp areas of the garden, it can settle.
Attention!
The benefits of a mole are the same as those of shrews, and although he is a big fan of earthworms, he also destroys in large quantities the larvae of click beetles, which we call “darts,” and the larvae of May beetles and other beetles. So not all the animals that dig holes on your property are pests!
The mole rat is similar to the mole only in its manner of throwing out soil when digging holes and its exclusively underground lifestyle. You can see him extremely rarely; he leaves his underground galleries once, leaving his native nest at a young age.
The appearance of the mole rat is very unusual, the body shape resembles a plump cylinder, the geometric perfection of which is not disturbed by either the ears or the tail, since they are underdeveloped. The large head of the mole rat is flattened in the shape of a wedge.
He is completely blind, in place of his eyes a thick fold of skin has formed, densely covered with bristly hair, even the fleas living on him are also blind. The body of the animal is covered with thick silky ocher-brown fur, in which there is no down and guard hairs that are familiar to us; Hard hairs protruding from the fur are organs of touch.
The mole rat's legs are short and weak; they do not take part in digging; the main digging tool is huge incisors sticking out. The lips are equipped with folds that close the mouth so that the earth does not get there during underground robots. The body length of the mole rat is 20-25 cm.
In addition to the common mole rat, there are four more species - the sand mole rat, the Pontic mole rat, the Bukovinian mole rat and the Podolsk mole rat. All of them, except the common mole rat, are listed in the Red Book.
Scientists studying these rodents note that the number of mole rats in the west and north is also declining. Let us also note that the common mole rat lives only in Left Bank Ukraine; the Dnieper is an insurmountable barrier for it.
What do they eat?
In the wild, mole rats feed on all kinds of green and underground parts of plants; on occasion, they eat sown acorns, seedlings and young seedlings of oak, maple and other deciduous trees; an important part of their diet consists of bulbous trees.
In a cultivated landscape, they are most numerous in crops of perennial grasses and vegetable gardens, where they subsist on root crops, bulbs, and tubers. The lifestyle of these animals is still poorly understood and still leaves many questions. For example, they are known to stock up for the winter.
At first glance, the mass of prepared food is impressive: 15-18 kg of potatoes in one pantry, in other pantries - up to 14 kg of tree roots and sprouted acorns.
But if in the warm season the animal eats a mass of food per day approximately equal to its body weight, and this is about 500 g, then it becomes clear that these reserves will not be enough for the whole winter; apparently, in the cold season their metabolism and food slows down. less is consumed.
Mole holes of mole rats
Mole rats have burrows in two tiers: a complex system of horizontal feeding passages is laid at a depth of 10-25 cm. It is in this soil layer that the underground organs of plants are located, which the animals feed on as they move.
From them, passages lead steeply down to the lower tier, where nesting chambers, storage chambers and latrines are located. The lower tier is located at a depth of 80 cm to almost 4 m. When digging holes through a temporarily constructed hole, the earth is pushed to the surface with the help of the head, forming a heap of impressive size.
When it becomes difficult to push out portions of the earth, the mole rat fills the hole with earth and at the end of the move makes a new one and throws out a new pile of earth. The total length of the passages of one mole rat reaches 275-360 m.
In late autumn, the second construction season begins, which is not visible to us living on the surface - mole rats expand and improve the passages and chambers of the lower tier, and the earth is not thrown to the surface, but clogs the upper feeding passages with it.
While making passages and looking for food, they lose a lot of energy; for this reason, mole rats, trying to get to the roots and overcoming obstacles in their path, use the technology of small earthquakes.
They behave underground like seismology specialists, hitting their heads on the ceilings of the corridors they have dug, creating micro-earthquakes and, assessing the strength of the reflection of seismological waves, digging tunnels that are convenient for them with less energy.
Parental worries
Continuing the topic of seismology, we will add that they communicate with each other by tapping their heads on the ceiling of the passage.
For most of the year, mole rats live as hermits; the dating period begins in early March, and already in early April, happy mothers feed milk from two to six cubs.
Just imagine - the beginning of spring, it is still cold and hungry, but not for the mole rat; apparently, the main food reserves have been saved for this time. Mole rats give birth to only one offspring per year, and they begin to reproduce at a very respectable age of two or three years, compare with mice and voles!
The importance of mole rats and moles and their digging activities
In places where there is a massive impact of mole rats, the thickness of the humus horizon increases as a result of digging, mixing plants with soil, sprinkling plant substrate, and enriching the soil with animal secretions.
Its lower boundary drops by 10-20 cm, the humus composition improves, that is, the soil formation process becomes more intense. In addition, the seeds of many plants germinate on earth emissions, which cannot germinate on undisturbed areas of the earth, and thus the species diversity of plants increases.
Not only for plants, but also for animals, the digging activity of mole rats is very useful - various rodents settle in the holes, and the passages are populated by predators: weasels, ferrets.
They are such extraordinary mole rats. But when they settle in the garden, they cause a lot of damage to our crops.
Methods of fighting moles
Methods for protecting garden plots from mole rats will be divided into repellent and exterminatory.
Deterrent measures. Among the repellent methods, the most popular are sound repellers and planting certain types of plants.
Attention!
The success of these methods depends on many components: the location of your site, the proximity of fields of perennial grasses, hay meadows to it, the composition and placement of the crops grown, whether there are abandoned vegetable gardens nearby, etc. It’s up to you to choose and check their effectiveness.
Fighting moles with folk remedies. Moles do not like the smell of mint and wormwood. Young trees of the most valuable varieties can be sprayed with mint oil. Plant imperial hazel grouse in your summer cottage. The bulbs of this plant emit a smell that repels rodents.
Near the holes you can place repellent plants of black root, branches and leaves of black elderberry. These measures help against all rodents. We can only add that the mole rat cannot tolerate the presence of parsnips. If you sow parsnips along the perimeter of the garden in 2-3 rows, namely the long-rooted varieties, the mole rat will leave this area.
Fighting moles with your own hands. There are many designs of homemade sound repellers. For example, wooden pegs are placed on the site, and a wind impeller is attached to them. The impeller is not nailed too tightly to the peg, so that at the slightest breath of wind it immediately begins to spin. This creates a hum in the ground, which mole rats really don’t like.
You can bury several champagne bottles upside down. It is necessary to bury it at an angle of 45°, with the neck protruding 2-3 cm above the surface.
It is advisable to bury the bottles taking into account the direction of the prevailing winds, so that the winds create noise in the bottles as often as possible. Empty metal beer cans are placed on wooden pegs; the effect is similar.
Collections of ornamental plants can be protected by planting bulbs, for example, in plastic bottles that have been previously punched with holes. You can also fence the flower garden with a metal mesh, which must be dug into the ground at least 80 cm, that is, it must be buried deeper than the feeding passages, taking into account the lower tier of the passages.
How to destroy moles. Still, the most effective method is mechanical extermination of rodents. I will not write in detail about chemical methods - I am a strong opponent of them. Since the chemicals approved for use belong to the phosphide group.
These substances are the strongest poison for all warm-blooded animals; they prevent the process of blood clotting. The use of such products in open ground can be tragic for many domestic, wild animals and even humans. I absolutely do not recommend using them!
There are several options among mechanical catching methods. If your site is located near a village, it is easier to contact its residents. As a rule, there will definitely be at least one experienced craftsman who deftly sets special traps. In addition, some summer residents are lucky - they have a tireless hunter cat or an adventurous hunting dog.
Many pets successfully catch mole rats in their areas. But if you don’t have a skillful neighbor and your pets have no desire to save the owner’s garden, you’ll have to get down to business.
So, we already know the design of a mole rat’s hole and therefore, armed with a trap and knowledge, we get down to business. First you need to find the latest release of soil, this means that the mole rat is digging somewhere nearby. By the way, a dog can help here, if you have one, it will immediately let you know whether or not it’s worth digging up what you think is a fresh mound.
Then, having thrown away a pile of earth, you should dig a hole in the hole (earth emissions form here) about 40 x 40 cm. Here you will find the main passage in which you need to clear both holes. The mole rat does not like drafts and after about 20 minutes it will block the passage from which it digs.
Well, having found the passage where the animal is digging, destroy the soil plug and, retreating about 5 cm in depth from the beginning of the passage, set a trap for the mole rat. He will return to the beginning of the move to close it and will inevitably fall into the set trap.
The mole rat is a territorial animal that leads a solitary lifestyle, therefore, having driven away or exterminated the animal on the site, you can live in peace for some time.
source: http://gardenx.ru/sad_i_ogorod/kroty_slepyshi_zemlerojki_borba_s.html
The smallest mammal on Earth
Since ancient times, farmland owners have had a bad relationship with the shrew. Previously, the epithets “dangerous”, “aggressive” and even “poisonous” were applicable to it. Over the years, people have managed to reconsider their attitude towards small animals and learn to benefit from their proximity to them.
What kind of animal?
The shrew is often identified with a mouse due to the external similarity of these far from closely related animals. After reviewing their position in the animal kingdom, scientists assigned these individuals to the order Shrews; previously they were classified as insectivores. Mice are members of the rodent order and have little in common with insectivores.
Relatives of shrews are moles and hedgehogs. With more careful observation, one can discover similarities between these animals in their methods of movement, nutrition and lifestyle.
Shrews are one of the smallest ubiquitous animals. Some of them have the honorary title of being the smallest mammal on Earth.
The giant shrew is considered a giant among shrews, reaching a length of 12 cm. You can learn more about these animals in the article about the types of shrews.
Shrews are the most common subfamily of tiny underground insectivores, including many species: common (forest), dwarf, tiny, house, water, elephant. The article on common types of shrews, in addition to interesting information, contains many photographs of our little neighbors.
Appearance and structure
The shrew looks like a mouse: a small head with tiny eyes, a short neck, a body set low on thin legs, and a long tail. The size of the animal is also “mouse” - its length rarely exceeds 10 cm. The entire body of the shrew is covered with short, thick brown hair.
The fur of the animal is constantly lubricated with the secretion of special glands that produce a fat-like substance with a repulsive odor. This is another cunning acquisition for the defenseless shrew, protecting it from the attacks of formidable predators.
During evolution, shrews lost their acute vision. They navigate by smell, using their nose, located at the end of an elongated, pointed muzzle, as a compass-navigator. Widely spaced ears pressed to the head are necessary for the animal for echolocation.
The ends of the animal's sharp teeth are covered with strong protective brown enamel, which wears off towards the end of the shrew's life. It is not surprising, because the small animal spends most of its short life eating.
You can see what a shrew looks like in the photo below:
Nutrition
Shrews eat an incredible number of insect pests: beetles, mole crickets, caterpillars, wireworms, and woodlice that live underground. In a day, the animal can destroy hundreds of grams of insects, which is 4 times the weight of the little hard worker itself.
Attention!
By eating voracious pests, shrews bring undeniable benefits to owners of summer cottages and vegetable gardens. Moreover, the underground passages along which animal shrews move provide drainage for plant roots.
The animals are not distinguished by their foresight: they often steal their food reserves for the winter during the warm season. Unable to withstand prolonged winter hunger, they die. You can find out more interesting things in the section on the nutrition of amazing animals.
Reproduction
During its short life, the shrew leaves up to 6 litters. At one time, from 3 to 10 tiny blind babies are born.
Is the shrew a mammal or not? Without a doubt, the answer is yes, because... a caring mother carefully feeds her babies with milk, gradually transferring them to an adult diet.
How long do shrews live? The animals become completely independent by the end of the 3rd week, which is not surprising, because the maximum life expectancy of shrews is only 1.5 years.
Shrews have long ceased to be unknown and mysterious to humans, but debate about the benefits and harms of small insectivores still continues.