How to get rid of a mole in a greenhouse

Having found mounds of dug earth on the territory of a greenhouse or a summer cottage, the owners understand that there were moles here and something must be done. How to get rid of the animals and which method is more effective and safer is discussed below.

Harm from moles in the greenhouse

A cute animal - a mole, settling in the greenhouse of garden and summer cottages, can be beneficial and harmful at the same time. Since it belongs to carnivores, eating various larvae of plant pests, it brings invaluable benefits to summer residents.

But, making his underground tunnels, he inadvertently damages the roots of young seedlings. Heaps of earth that appear on the surface of the soil as a result of the vigorous activity of a mole spoil the appearance. In addition, feeding on earthworms, the animal reduces their numbers. This leads to a decrease in soil fertility.

Mole in the greenhouse

How to get rid of a mole in a greenhouse

Since the mole is a danger for greenhouse plants, gardeners are trying to get rid of it in different ways. It is a pity to destroy him, but it is quite possible to drive him out or prevent his appearance on his territory. What methods are not used for this:

• folk;
• mechanical;
• chemical;
• vegetable;
• ultrasonic.

Plants against moles

The vegetable method is very simple and quite affordable. Repellent plants are used for this, scaring away moles with their bright aroma. These are:

• bow;
• garlic;
• peas;
• daffodils;
• elder;
• gooseberry;
• tansy and other plants.

Mechanical method

There are several mechanical ways to get rid of moles:

• Shop traps that are set at the entrances of underground burrows. The animal will not be able to bypass such a device and will definitely fall into it. After that, it will only be necessary to carry the mole to a distant forest and release it.
• A homemade trap can be a three-liter glass jar. It is installed in a dug hole on one of the moves made by the moles. The top is covered with a light sheet of paper and sprinkled with earth. Once in such a trap, the animal cannot get out of it.
• Effectively used against moles. They can be purchased at a specialty store or made yourself. Moles are very sensitive to odors, so it is necessary to rid the device of characteristic aromas. To do this, it is recommended to boil the cooked devices in water with juniper twigs. Having caught an unfamiliar scent, the animal can bypass the trap, digging a new path in the ground. After installing the structure in the hole, it must be thoroughly fixed with metal rods. The animal is very strong - a continuous set of muscles, so such a prudent step is necessary. As a result of reliable fixation of the trap, the animal will not be able to move it from its place if it falls into it.
  Then a cardboard or any board is placed on the dug channel and sprinkled with earth on top. This should be done so that sunlight does not fall on the structure, otherwise the mole will not use its own power.
• Propellers or turntables are supplied with battery-powered motors. It is known that moles are frightened by soil vibrations.The use of such devices is based on this. After installing the pole and fixing the turntable with the motor on it, turn on the mechanism. The result will not be long in coming - the mole has no choice but to escape the vibrations in the greenhouse to another, calm place.
• A conventional radio can easily replace propellers. To do this, a small battery-powered or mains-powered radio is attached to the installed pole. It remains only to bring a wire to the radio and turn it on. Vibration signals in the soil will create unbearable conditions for the small animal and it will escape from the greenhouse.

An ultrasonic mole repeller is the most effective method in the fight against animals. The Antidote device will allow you to get rid of them for a long time or forever. A person will not feel ultrasonic vibrations in a greenhouse, and the animal will have to leave this place.

Chemicals

Using the chemical method of removing moles from the greenhouse, it will not work to destroy the animal, and this is good. Modern means are not aimed at aggressive action on the part of a person on an animal, because the mole brings benefits.

To remove moles from the greenhouse, they use the simplest folk chemical remedy - tar. Moles do not tolerate its specific aroma and will try to quickly leave such a "fragrant" area. Small pieces of cloth are soaked in tar, laid out in the entrances of the minks and lightly sprinkled with earth (this way the smell lasts longer).

Tar from moles

The store-bought chemical agent Anticrot allows you to get rid of animals due to an unpleasant odor. This environmentally friendly supplement contains diatomaceous earth and vegetable oils. When the drug soaks into the soil in a greenhouse or vegetable garden, the resulting aroma repels the mole. He will not come to such a site again. And greenhouse plants only benefit from Anti-mole, because it is natural and allows them to develop better.

The method of using Anticroth is as follows: scatter powder in the amount of 1 scoop per square meter. m in places where traces of animals and their holes are seen and water these places.

Folk remedies

Of the folk methods of fighting the mole, fish is used. To do this, a “fragrant” herring head or the skin of any smoked fish is placed in the hole as deeply as possible. After which the entrance is laid with stones and covered with earth. Such a technique will allow you to remove the mole family forever.

There is a method of smoking moles out of their labyrinths. It consists in the following:

1. A piece of metal pipe with a diameter of about 50 mm and a length of 40-50 cm is welded from one end with a penny with a small fitting extending outward.
2. They stuff the pipe with pine branches and hold it over the fire until enough smoke accumulates in it.
3. Then, taking it out of the fire, the pipe is brought into the entrance of the mink with its open end.
4. A supply hose from the compressor is thrown onto the fitting and the mink is blown through. Moles have to scatter.

An alarm clock is one of the loyal and safe ways to get rid of moles both in the greenhouse and throughout the garden area. Purchase several (2-4 pcs.) Small alarm clocks (no bells and whistles). Signals are placed on them at different time intervals. Place each alarm clock in a glass jar with a screw cap and close them.

Mole alarm clock

In several places the greenhouses dig small holes and set prepared banks with alarm clocks in them. It remains only to dig in such "sound mines" with earth and change the batteries if necessary. The number of set alarm clocks for moles depends on the area of ​​the greenhouse (summer cottage).

It is undesirable to use toxic chemicals against moles because it can harm the seedlings in the greenhouse.Experienced gardeners recommend taking the animals out of their territory with safer methods.

And of course, one should abandon ineffective methods of dealing with underground animals:

• Dispose of by hand, which is time consuming and not humane.
• Use gasoline or another similar liquid, from the smell of which the animal will leave for a short while and not far.
• It is useless to attract a dog or a cat to catch him, because the animal often digs minks not in the singular.
• Fill the holes with water indefinitely. This procedure will only strongly nourish the soil in the greenhouse.
• It is not effective to put red pepper, razor blades, or naphthalene into animal minks. As a result, the mole will dig new holes, but will not leave the greenhouse.

Prevention

The most effective way - prevention - will finally resolve the issue of how to get rid of moles in the greenhouse! But it is also the most time consuming. As a preventive measure, they use a kind of physical barriers in the path of moles. For this purpose, create an underground fence. A groove 500-700 cm deep is dug along the perimeter of the greenhouse or vegetable garden and an old roofing felt or a mesh with small cells is placed in it.

It is unpleasant when, as a result of the vigorous activity of the moles in the greenhouse, the roots of the cucumbers are spoiled, the strawberries are undermined. But he was not to blame, because he was simply feasting on the larvae of the May beetle in the roots of strawberries or other worms wandering around the cucumbers. If moles are annoying, use humane methods to scare them away.