What is the best way to catch a mole. Easy ways to catch a mole.

15.12.201727.05.2017

We continue on the pages of our site to tell you about the features of target hunting (not so long ago we talked about), and today we propose to talk about catching moles with a special trap device called a mole trap.

Mole trap

It is quite effective to use standard mole traps for catching moles - new ones that have not been in use before, however, such traps, as experience shows, need to be slightly tweaked to make them more effective.

So, it is recommended to expand the diameter of the entrance ring to 6 centimeters, and the gatehouse itself should be carefully adjusted - it should ideally move along the crest of the mole catcher itself and be parallel to the entrance ring, and also have a special alert in the form of a trigger, which should be no more 5 millimeters long. This alignment and correction of factory defects will allow you to avoid breakouts and significantly increase the effectiveness of such a mole trap.

Wearing a mole trap

Additional equipment for hunting a mole

The best time to catch moles

You can hunt for a mole with the help of a mole catcher already from the 20th of June, when the young animals grow up so much that you can get full-fledged skins. Thus, you can catch moles until late autumn and immediately after the snow falls.

During the entire fishing season, you can place such mole traps over a length of, for example, 25 kilometers, and conditionally divide the fished area into a number of areas, in order to use each of them for a short time and then move to another area. Thus, you will be able not only to ensure good catching results for yourself, but you will also be able to achieve the continuity of harvest and natural recovery of the mole stocks in the territories you evenly hunt.

Features of the behavior of moles in nature

It is worth knowing that

moles adore the rich earth, rich in earthworms and insect larvae.

In our places, most of the mole passages, as practice shows, can be found in alder groves. If you are looking for moles in the fields, then you should look along the border, and in the forest - on paths and along roads, as well as on the banks of forest streams. It is very important to be able to distinguish the feeding galleries of the animal from the deeper permanent passages that lead to the nesting chambers, where you will definitely find the mole.

Experience shows that

such feeding passages, as a rule, run in the surface layer of the soil, at a depth of no more than 5 centimeters, and have poorly compacted walls. They can often be found in the forest as well, and look like furrows of somewhat raised ground. It is noteworthy that moles practically never use such moves for the second time.

Constant passages run deeper - at a depth of 14-20 centimeters, and they can be easily detected by the so-called molehills - discarded piles of earth. These passages are also distinguished by smooth rammed walls, since the animals themselves often visit them. It is noteworthy that young of the year can use some of these moves at the same time - these are the so-called children's moves. note that it is the constant passages that are the most convenient places to install mole traps in them.

Choosing a place to install the mole trap

In severe drought, you can catch moles in low places - along streams and ditches, on trails that are paved by livestock and people. In rainy weather, it is best to install mole traps in elevated places, where the animals themselves move from burrows flooded with water in the lowlands.

The stern and permanent passages of moles are very often located close to each other, and in this case form a complex weave. In order to distinguish them, the hunter often has to open such passages and examine them. As we wrote above,

the permanent passages are smooth and have many animal paw prints, while the forage passages are, on the contrary, characterized by loose walls and talus. Putting mole traps in such feedways is a waste of time.

During the period when young growth begins to move, you can also find children's moves. On each of them, the hunter can catch moles for 5-6 days, while the traps themselves must be checked at least 3-4 times a day. This will give you the opportunity to catch a larger number of moles, since animals that have not been removed from there in a timely manner block the path, and other animals go around, and after that it is already difficult to catch them. Considering that the size of young moles is somewhat smaller than large adult animals, the lower edge of the lodge of the mole trap can be slightly tilted towards the entrance ring.

At the end of summer, when moles begin to multiply and for this they break up in pairs, it is worthwhile to rearrange the traps more often and set them in more... So, after catching 2 moles on one turn, the traps should be moved to another place. I would like to note that you should not put mole traps on every move encountered by moles, but skip a few, and put them in 2-3 moves, depending on their total number. It is better to trample the missed moves themselves, and in the future, if you see that they recover, find out the fact of their attendance by moles. This will make it possible to accurately rearrange the mole traps themselves and improve fishing with significant time savings.

Installing the mole catcher

To install mole traps, it is worth choosing places where the passages cross areas with denser soil - near paths, for example, which were previously laid by livestock or humans. In such places, as a rule, several animals use the move, and not one mole. The fact is that in dry weather, when there is no rain for a long time, it is difficult for moles to break through the ground compacted under the path, and therefore, often on both sides of the path, you can see several exit holes on the surface of the earth.

In order to install the mole trap to the side of the trail, the hunter needs to open the path with a knife. In this case, the piece of turf you removed should be approximately the same size so that you can conveniently set the trap. Litter from the course, lumps of earth that will get there during opening, it is better to carefully remove.

Now you will need to insert a mole trap into this hole. Do this in such a way that the lead-in ring is slightly advanced and enters the undisturbed part of the mole's stroke, while the spring of the mole trap itself is facing the path. Sometimes, however, it happens that a mole undermines such a trap and bypasses it - but this is extremely rare. In addition, in order to prevent this from happening, when installing the mole trap, you can insert the inlet ring into the ground by about 1 centimeter, and, accordingly, choose the ground under the gate so that it does not cling to anything with its lower edge, and crush during the descent did not meet any obstacle. It is better to press the spring a little at once so that the crotch lays down tightly, the earth on the sides should also be crushed with the handle of the knife. The hunter must cover the open passage and the mole trap installed in it with turf. The mole trap can be installed in the same way, but on the other side of the path.

Features of installing mole traps in different conditions

On sandy soils, the passages themselves often crumble, and in such cases the moles bypass the traps. In order to avoid such a situation, it is necessary to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the stroke itself, and the trap itself must be additionally strengthened by using pegs inserted into the spring ring. At a distance of 1 meter from the mole trap and further, at the same distance from one another, the hunter will need to make 3 talus. Then, the mole, trying to carefully restore the first talus, will boldly approach the trap and will inevitably fall into it.
It is better to place mole traps on the roadways no closer than 0.5 meters from the track itself, since otherwise they may be crushed.
Pay attention to the fact that if you put a mole trap near the road on which heavy vehicles are moving - for example, a tractor - then, often, such mole traps can slam down as a result of vibration. In order to prevent this drawback, when alert, they can be poured with earth on the trigger and then such self-releases will no longer be observed.
In places where livestock are grazed, and where you plan to install mole traps, they should be laid across the path with 2-3 sticks or poles. Thus, the animals will step over them, the mole catchers will not be trampled. On pastures, where animals often push through mole passages, when installing such mole traps, hunters should bend the gatehouse back a little, since very often the animal walks along the path and pushes the ground in front of it. This is also worth considering ...

What effective and time-tested methods exist today that allow you to catch a mole in the garden, doing it quickly enough and without significant financial costs;
The principle of operation of the mole-pipe and what design options for this trap really give the desired result;
How easy it is to catch a mole in a bucket or in an ordinary glass jar;
What is important to know about the correct installation of traps on the site so that their effectiveness is as high as possible;
What to do with a mole after it is caught;
What traps and traps of lethal and crippling action are the most popular and is it really worth using them (including fishing hooks);
How can you reliably protect your garden from re-penetration of moles.

In general, catching moles can be considered a much more effective way of dealing with these pests in the garden, rather than using all kinds of deterrents, including sound and ultrasonic repellents of various designs.

First of all, if you catch a mole, then a situation typical for the use of scarers will definitely not arise, when the mole simply moves to the other end of the garden and digs there (or temporarily leaves to a neighboring area). In addition, by competently using mole traps, sometimes it is possible to literally reduce the number of the mole population to almost zero, not only in your area, but also in the adjacent territories in general.

On a note

An important point is that catching moles is a humane way to combat these pests - in comparison, for example, with methods such as using poisons, pumping car exhaust gases into underground passages or flooding them with water. When a civilized person catches a small animal in a trap, he saves his life and does not maim it, but simply releases it far from his garden.

Of course, this is true for situations where the gardener is initially going to catch a mole and not kill him at the same time. However, today there are also killing methods of catching, during the implementation of which moles are crippled and then suffer for a long time before inevitable death. We will mention some of these barbaric methods of catching moles in a garden plot below.

Now let's see what devices you can use to quickly catch all the moles in your area and how to effectively apply the corresponding structures in practice.

All ways to catch a mole

Generally speaking, today the following popular methods of catching moles in the garden and dacha are most widely used:

It is noteworthy that the effectiveness and ease of use of all these options are approximately the same (with the exception of fishing with a shovel - this method is the least effective and requires a lot of time). Any trap is simply set in the garden, catches the mole in one way or another, and the gardener only has to check the “catch” from time to time.

Accordingly, the question arises: if a live trap catches a mole as easily and quickly as a mechanism that pierces the animal with a needle or breaks its spine, then why use traps of a lethal effect at all? Unfortunately, in many cases the answer lies in the banal laziness of the gardener - it’s just too lazy to take out the caught moles a kilometer from the plot every time, because it’s much easier when the trap “delivers” a ready-made corpse that is easy to dispose of, for example, by burying it in the far corner of the garden.

On a note

Some gardeners justify their actions to destroy moles in the following interesting way: they say, in wildlife it is customary to protect your site from the encroachments of strangers. Well, they say, I also protect the results of my labor (beds, crops) from the encroachments of a pest, I protect my territory.

Well, that's right - that's how it is in the animal kingdom. The question is, why compare oneself with an animal ...

Mole catchers-pipes, purchased and made by hand

The classic pipe mole trap has enough simple construction: is it plastic or metal pipe with a diameter of about 9-12 cm (average diameter of the mole's stroke), with doors on both sides on the upper hinges. The mole-tube doors open easily inward, but do not open outward.

A mole trap made on this principle is called the Solomon's trap.

In order to catch a mole, a pipe trap must be installed in the excavated passage of the animal. The mole, moving along the tunnel, stumbles upon the door, pushes it forward and crawls inside the trap. The door falls down under its weight, and the animal cannot open it from the inside.

If the second mole moves behind the first mole, it will also crawl into the trap and remain in it, and the animals can climb into the trap from different sides.

On a note

Cases are known when up to 3 moles were found at once in one live trap. Sometimes shrews are caught in the pipe trap together with the mole. During the day, some gardeners managed to catch 6 moles with such a trap.

It is quite possible to make a mole catcher-pipe with your own hands from scrap materials. In a piece of pipe, you only need to make light hinges for the doors, and also provide a stopper for opening the door outward. The easiest way is to make the door itself higher than the pipe passage (in fact, oval), and hang it on the hinge obliquely inward.

Commercially available versions of such traps cost about 200-400 rubles.

In the West, special plastic mole traps are made, from which you can get animals without digging the trap itself. The photo below shows an example of such a device:

Another version of a trap that works on the same principle is the construction of several plastic bottles inserted with their necks inside one another. The necks of the bottles are cut with scissors in several places to create easily sliding petals. A mole, crawling into such a "neck", with the weight of its body, pushes the petals inward, penetrates into the central section of the trap, and then cannot move the plastic petals apart to get out back.

Such a mole trap made of plastic bottles is exclusively a product of folk art. It is easy to do it yourself, having at hand three bottles of the same size, scissors and scotch tape.

Pit mole trap, or how to catch a mole in a bucket

Such a trap is also made from scrap materials. The main task here is to make a hole in the middle of the mole's course, into which the animal will fall and will no longer be able to get out of it.

Usually, to catch a mole in this way, they use a deep saucepan, bucket (plastic or metal), a glass jar, or a large-diameter cut-off plastic bottle.

The mole trap-pit is formed under the path of the animal in such a way that its upper edge is level with the lower edge of the underground passage. From above, the entire "excavation site" is covered with a sheet of plywood or other opaque material (so that the mole does not frighten off the sunlight). As a result, the animal, simply moving along the way, falls into the installed container.

The photos below show how a regular three-liter can is installed for this:

Such live traps are as simple as possible to manufacture and do not require investment of funds. Often, a couple of such traps allow you to catch not only all the moles in your garden, but also shrews, voles and other animals.

On a note

If a mole and a shrew fall into the pit trap at the same time, then, as practice shows, with a high probability the shrew will soon become a source of food for the mole.

How to set traps correctly?

In order to quickly catch a mole in a summer cottage or garden plot using a trap, when installing it, you need to observe several simple rules, ignoring which can significantly reduce the chances of success.

These are the rules:

The mole trap should be installed in horizontal near-surface passages between mole holes (preferably fresh). It is almost never possible to catch a mole if you set a trap in the very pile of discarded earth;
When excavating a passage, you should create as little destruction as possible. It is advisable to work with a garden shovel, not a shovel;
Having made a hole, you should try to restore the adjacent sections of the mole's course as much as possible. It is advisable to lay out the edges of the trap itself with earth, slightly crushing it flush with the walls of the container;
The place where the trap is installed must be covered on top with a material that is absolutely opaque to light, and sprinkled with earth along the edges (practice shows that even the slightest gap that allows sunlight to penetrate into the pit greatly reduces the effectiveness of the trap - although moles have poor eyesight, however, they are good at distinguishing light from darkness);
If you want to increase the efficiency of the mole-pipe or pit, then it is recommended to put several earthworms cut into pieces inside the trap - from the smell attracts moles (these animals feed mainly on earthworms).

An important point - after installing the trap, you need to check every 5-6 hours. The fact is that moles, due to a very rapid metabolism, die of hunger in the absence of a food source for about 18-24 hours. So a day without food for a caught mole is certain death, and any "live trap" without proper supervision can easily become a torture chamber, guaranteeing the animal a slow painful death.

Considering that after being removed from the trap and carried out of the area, it will take some time until the mole can catch the first prey, it is desirable to keep it caught in the mole trap itself for no more than 6 hours.

On a note

Some commercially available mole catchers have special holes through which you can see if a mole is trapped or not, without digging the entire structure out of the ground each time. Therefore, when making a homemade trap from a pipe, it is advisable to provide for similar viewing holes in advance (see the example in the photo below).

What to do with a mole after being caught?

Immediately after catching the mole, you need to remove it from the trap - before that, it is advisable to wear tight construction gloves, since the animal has sharp teeth and can bite painfully.

A caught mole can be put in any high container (for example, in a bucket) and taken out of the site at a distance of at least 1 km from your summer cottage. It is this distance that guarantees that this individual will never return to your site back (in the worst case, after several seasons, the descendants of this mole may wander into you).

It is preferable to release the animal either in a field with loose soil, where it can quickly bury itself in the ground, or in a bush, where it is least noticeable to predators (mainly to birds of prey). On this, the task of catching a mole can be considered solved: the garden is free from the pest, the animal itself is not destroyed, not crippled and released into the wild, where it has a high chance of survival.

On a note

Do not be afraid that you will have to take moles out of the garden 20-30 times. As a rule, 1-2 moles live on one medium-sized garden plot (only in rare cases more - when the offspring of one female grows up in the middle of summer). Accordingly, if you manage to catch at least 10 individuals, this will already be a very significant result, which will most likely save not only you, but also all neighbors in the area from serious problems with moles.

After catching all the moles, pit traps must be dug out of the ground so that various beneficial insects do not come across and die in them (as well as shrews that bring a lot of benefits to the garden, although many struggle with these animals out of ignorance).

We catch moles with a shovel

This method of catching moles is as simple in principle as it is difficult to implement: a gardener with a bayonet shovel waits near the mole's passages when the animal passes through one of the galleries close to the surface of the earth. At this moment, the ground above him slightly rises, and the movement of the animal is clearly visible. The catcher's task is to stick a shovel's bayonet behind the mole and quickly throw the soil with the animal itself onto the surface of the earth.

The main difficulties of this method:

It usually takes a lot of time before you can notice the movement of a mole along its course. As a rule, moles inspect the tunnels every few hours, but individual branches may not be visited for days. So there is no guarantee that the person on duty in a certain part of the garden will wait for the animal to appear;
In addition, the mole needs to be dug up very quickly - the animal moves under the ground quite nimbly, and can avoid the fate of being caught if the gardener shows sluggishness.

Nevertheless, the experience of a considerable number of gardeners shows that this method is generally quite effective and widespread: many people catch moles with a shovel.

Lethal agents

Means that kill moles at the time of capture are available in various variations, and they implement different principles of action.

Let's note the most popular ones:

Any of these means allows you to catch a mole and immediately, on the spot, kill it without the direct participation of the site owner. As a rule, such devices are actively used by comrades who are not burdened with the idea of \u200b\u200bthe need for a humane attitude towards animals.

Should you catch moles with fishing hooks?

There is another flayer way to catch a mole - catching it with a fishing hook. The principle is simple: a small hole is made in the arch of the stroke, where a fishing line with several fishing hooks is lowered (usually tees are used for fidelity), the end of this fishing line is tied next to a metal pin driven into the ground or just to a solid stick lying on the ground.

The mole, passing along its course, runs on a fishing hook, and it digs into the body, piercing the skin. The animal cannot free itself, pulls the line, which is visible on the surface (sometimes a bell is tied to the pin, which at that moment begins to ring). After that, the gardener can only dig out the course with a garden scoop and pull the resting mole to the surface right behind the fishing line.

With such manipulations, the mole is sometimes literally torn apart by the side or abdomen with a hook. And it is quite obvious that the flayers who use such a means of trapping will definitely not stand on ceremony with the animal after the capture.

There is an even more sophisticated way to mock a mole - to lower the same fishhooks with earthworms pre-planted on them. The animal will try to eat such a bait, and the hook will stick into its mouth or throat.

On a note

Perhaps somewhere here is the line when cruelty to animals begins to border on sadism: if a simple gardener in the country is able to catch moles in such ways, then why are we surprised when somewhere in a foreign country a live seal is sawed off with a grinder or skinned foxes are ripped off alive at fur farms.

Let's add here only that in terms of efficiency and laboriousness, catching a mole on a hook is comparable to using live traps. But if adequate gardeners are trying to save the life of the animal and not cripple it, then sadists, of course, will be more interested in figuring out how to still catch a mole with tackle from fishing hooks.

How to protect the site from re-entry of moles

It should be understood that catching a mole and taking it out of the site does not mean at all to protect your garden from these animals forever. If one mole somehow got into the territory, then in the future other individuals will be able to get here, it's only a matter of time.

Therefore, even if you managed to catch, it would seem, all the moles in the garden, immediately after that it is useful to take measures to protect the site from them:

Dig a plastic or metal mesh into the ground along the perimeter (to a depth of 70-80 cm and protruding 15-20 cm above the ground). Sometimes, instead of a grid, slate or roofing material is inserted;
A narrow, not very deep trench along the perimeter of the site also helps to protect against moles - it is covered with rubble or broken brick;
A more expensive option is to pour a concrete foundation around the perimeter of the site with the subsequent installation of a fence;
Laying on the area of \u200b\u200bthe lawn mesh also helps - for this, the top layer of the lawn (5-10 cm) is removed, the mesh is laid, after which the top layer is put back.

Such measures will guarantee that moles will no longer appear on the site.

if you have personal experience catching moles in one way or another - be sure to share it by leaving a review at the bottom of this page. Perhaps this will help someone who is in the same situation.

An interesting video with an example of using a mole-pipe

This is how wire mole traps are used.

To catch moles, I use ordinary standard mole traps, new ones that have not yet been used, I always tweak the traps a little. I expand the diameter of the inlet ring to 6 centimeters, carefully calibrate the gatehouse - it should move freely along the crest of the mole trap, be parallel to the inlet ring, and have a guard (trigger) no longer than 5 millimeters. Such alignment and correction of existing defects eliminate gaps, significantly increasing the efficiency of the mole traps.

I wear mole traps on a thick wire bent in a ring. This is more convenient than using a bag where they cling to each other. This way of wearing mole catchers frees your hands, which allows you not only to prepare the next trap on the go, but even to remove the skin from the captured animal.

To install the mole catchers I use a knife, it should be long enough, with a wide rounded end and a wooden handle. It is convenient to cut out pieces of turf with such a knife and use it as a spatula when sampling crumbling earth from the wormhole, with a wooden handle it is also convenient to press the ground around the installed mole trap.

I start to hunt from the twentieth of June, when the young growth is already so much that it gives full-fledged skins. I catch moles until late autumn and even after snow falls.
During the fishing season, I place mole traps for up to 25 kilometers, I divide the fished area into a number of sections and use each of them for a relatively short time, observing a certain sequence. This ensures not only good results of catching, but also its continuity, as well as natural recovery of mole stocks in a uniformly harvested area.

Moles love fatty soil rich in earthworms and insect larvae.

In our area, most of the mole passages are found in alder forests. In the fields, I look for mole passages along the border, in the forest - on roads and paths, as well as along the banks of streams. It is necessary to be able to distinguish the feeding galleries of moles from the deeper permanent passages leading to their nesting chambers.

Mole Moves

Moles feeding passages lie in the surface layer of the soil at a depth of 1 - 5 centimeters, have poorly compacted walls. They can often be seen in the forest as furrows of somewhat elevated ground. For the second time, moles, as a rule, rarely use these moves.

Constant moves of moles lie at a depth of 14-20 centimeters. It is easy to find these passages by discarded heaps of earth - molehills. These passages are distinguished by smooth rammed walls, since the animals often visit them, the young of the year use some of these moves at the same time, these are the so-called children's passages. Constant passes are the most convenient places for installing mole traps.

In severe drought, I catch moles in low places:

along streams and ditches,
on trails laid by people or livestock,
in rainy ones - in high places, where animals move from burrows flooded in the lowlands.

Forage and permanent moles very often they are located close to each other, forming a complex weave. To distinguish them, you often have to open the moves and look. The constant course, as mentioned above, is smooth and has many paw prints, while the stern one is characterized by loose walls and debris. It does not make sense to put mole traps on the latter.

Installation of mole traps

During the period of movement of young animals, I try to find children's moves. On each of them, you can catch moles for 5-6 days, and you need to check the traps at least 3-4 times a day. This makes it possible to catch a larger number of animals, since moles that have not been taken out in a timely manner block the path, while others go around, after which it becomes difficult to catch them. Considering that young moles are somewhat smaller than adults, I tilt the lower edge of the gatehouse towards the entrance ring.

At the end of summer, when the moles are divided into pairs, I begin to rearrange the traps more often and set them in larger numbers. After catching two moles on one move, I move the traps to another place.

I must say that I do not put mole traps on every move I meet in a row, but after 2-3, depending on their number. I trample the missed moves and later, after restoration, find out the attendance of their moles. This makes it possible to move the mole traps accurately, which improves fishing with significant time savings.

To install the mole traps, I choose places where passages cross areas with more compacted soil - near paths paved by humans or livestock. In such places, not one, but several animals usually use the move. In a drought, it is difficult for moles to dig the ground compacted under the path, so there are often outlets on both sides of it to the surface.

To put the mole trap on the side of the path, I open the course with a knife. The piece of turf removed should be sized to fit the trap. I carefully remove the lumps of earth or litter that have fallen into the course. I insert a mole trap into the hole. I do this in such a way that the entrance ring is somewhat advanced into the undisturbed part of the mole's stroke, and its spring is directed towards the path. It happens that the mole undermines the trap and bypasses it. To prevent this from happening, when installing the mole trap, it is necessary to press the inlet ring into the ground by one centimeter and, accordingly, select the ground under the gate so that it does not catch on with its lower edge, and does not encounter obstacles during descent. I press the spring so that the mole trap lies tightly, I press the earth on the sides with the handle of the knife. I cover the open passage with the installed mole trap with turf, in the same way I install the mole trap on the other side of the path.

On sandy soils, the passages often crumble, and in such cases the moles pass by the traps. To avoid this, you need to especially carefully monitor the cleanliness of the stroke, and the trap must be strengthened with a peg by inserting it into the spring ring. At a distance of a meter from the mole trap and further, at the same distance from one another, I make three talus. Then the mole, carefully restoring the first talus, boldly approaches the trap and falls into it.

I put mole catchers on the road no closer than half a meter from the track, otherwise they can easily be crushed. Near the roads along which the tractor passes, mole traps often slam down due to vibration. To prevent this from happening, when I alert them, I pour earth on the trigger and then self-release does not occur.

Where cattle graze, it is necessary to lay across the path two or three sticks or poles... Animals step over them and the mole traps remain unpatched.

On pastures, where animals often push through mole passages, when setting traps, I bend the gatehouse back a little, since the mole here often walks along the course, pushing the ground in front of it.

In late autumn, when the ground is already beginning to freeze, when installing mole traps, you need to make a one centimeter deepening for them in the form of a tray. It is impossible to close the passage with sod, as it will freeze and the mole traps will have to be cut down. You need to cover only with straw flagella. In order not to lose the place of setting traps after a snowfall, it is necessary to mark them with poles.

Mole skin

The skin of the caught mole should be removed as soon as possible. This is especially important in hot weather. I often take off the skins on the go, while inspecting the traps. With skill, this takes no more than 1 - 2 minutes. First of all, I cut off all the legs and tail. Then, putting the animal on the palm of my left hand, belly up, I make a small longitudinal incision on the throat. Into the hole made, I insert the tip of the knife with the tip up and, pushing it to the base of the tail, I cut the skin in the middle of the chest and abdomen. Then I begin to remove the skin from the carcass, carefully peeling it off with my hands to the right and left. When making an incision, care must be taken not to damage the muscles of the abdomen and viscera and not to stain the skin.

I pin the removed skin to the board to dry, with the skin outside, with six thin carnations or pins. The skins of young moles should be 10 centimeters long and 8 centimeters wide. The skins of old moles are 12 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide.

Moles can take a liking to anyone country cottage area, digging up well-groomed beds and thereby destroying the root system of cultivated crops. Getting rid of an uninvited guest is a difficult task. To solve it, most often you have to try several proven ways to destroy pests.

Especially many moles in summer cottages can be found at the beginning of summer. This is due to the fact that in the forest and in the meadows the topsoil is noticeably dried up and the food reserves there become scarce. And in the garden in the loose earth there is a lot of delicious food. That is why moles migrate here.

There are many ways to get rid of these pests, but they help some summer residents well, while for others they turn out to be completely useless. What are handy gardeners ready to offer today in order to successfully get rid of a mole on the site?

One of the most popular and well-known methods is an iron stick stuck into the ground, at the end of which a metal can sways, emitting a clang when the wind blows (as an option, a propeller-type spinner made from a plastic bottle). For some, this method helps drive moles out of the garden.

How to catch a mole in the garden: ways

Catching moles and keeping them out of the area can be done in different ways. Well, for example, in order to prevent the animal from entering the site, in the spring, along its entire perimeter, a fine-mesh galvanized or plastic mesh is vertically dug into the ground. However, the depth of its incorporation into the soil is not less than 1.2 m downward. This is a rather laborious process, but the result is almost one hundred percent. But here in no case should you miss with a shovel and accidentally damage the net somewhere, the mole will definitely find this move and penetrate through it to the site.
You can, of course, try to dig in something else, for example, slate or tin. But do not forget about the minimum depth: if you are not ready for such complex work, then you should not do it with simplification. Obstacles dug in at least 60-70 cm will not do any weather for you - just waste your time.
Avid fishermen came up with the idea of \u200b\u200bcatching moles like a fish - on a hook. For this, it is safer to use three-pointed hooks tied to a heavy stick so that the pest cannot escape with it. A fresh hole is dug up, and a hook is laid on both sides of the discovered dark tunnel. The mole will definitely come here to close the open hole with earth and catch on the hook.
Standard wire mole traps also help well, only they must be made of durable material and be located in the mole tunnels constantly.

DIY mole scarer: how to make?

More humane ways of catching moles are the use of special scarers. Summer residents-craftsmen invented a device with a sonorous name - solomon's trap... It is made from tin or galvanized iron. It is a cylinder about 40 cm long and of such a diameter that it can easily fit into any mole tunnel. Hanging doors are made at the ends of this cylinder, opening only inward; specially bent edges of the cylinder do not allow opening outward.

Solomon's trap is carefully placed in a tunnel, covered with soil and this place is marked for themselves. The mole will go around its labyrinths and from either end will fall into the Solomon trap, the door will slam shut, and the pest will be in captivity. Then you can release the mole in the nearest forest or meadow.

Moles often interfere with gardeners in growing crops. These pests are quite cunning, so it is not so easy to catch them. To get rid of moles, you can use various traps and repellents. It is enough to choose a method or device that will help you catch the animal without harming it. After this, the animal can be released into the wild without fear that it will come back.

The appearance of a mole on an area where various ornamental plantings and vegetables grow can cause a lot of trouble for the owners. This animal annoys by tearing apart the earth. In this case, the mole can significantly damage the roots of plants. It is natural that in this way the amount of the crop can be significantly reduced. In order to prevent this, you should know how to catch a mole in the area.

General information

In fact, the mole is a harmless animal. Its appearance is slightly similar to that of a rat. Moles live exclusively underground. It should be borne in mind that they do not go into hibernation. Young moles, in search of new housing and food, can move quite long distances - several kilometers underground. Animals eat:

The appearance of a pest

If the animal digs its moves on the site, then its owner should not be upset. In fact, nothing terrible happened. And you don't have to set up mole traps right away. There are even positive aspects in the appearance of the animal. For example, the drainage capacity of the soil and its aeration are improved. In addition, plants are known to thrive much better in soft soil. However, such moves can give summer residents a lot of trouble. This is due to the fact that moles accidentally damage the roots of plants: trees, flowers and many other garden crops. Naturally, none of the summer residents like this situation. For this reason, gardeners are wondering: how to catch a mole? Although in reality, in small numbers, animals benefit plants and soil.

Fighting moles: some methods

It is recommended to choose only humane methods. Their main goal is the peaceful expulsion of the animal from the site. Before exploring how to catch a mole, you should try the methods below. These methods help prevent the mole from entering the area again. The essence of such methods is the use of foul-smelling substances. For example, chemical or oil products. Self-made deterrent devices are also often installed. Fencing or flooding of the site is possible. The most humane way is to plant natural repellents. Further in the article, the most effective ways will be discussed in more detail.

Odorous liquids and substances

First of all, it is necessary to determine the path of the animal. In each fresh mole, you need to make a small hole. For this, you can use a stick or drill. You need to get to the horizontal gallery. One glass of a special mixture should be poured there. It is prepared from kerosene and fuel oil in the following ratio: 1 to 2. After that, the hole must be covered with earth, then stamped with your feet. You can also put the following in the molehills:

Makhorka.
Tobacco.
Chlorine lime.
Rotten fish.
Pieces of naphthalene.
Tow soaked in tar or oil.

Because of the bad smell, moles leave the territory. At first, these measures will surprise the animal, and it will leave for a while. However, this does not exclude the possibility of the animal returning to its former areas.

Scarer devices

Since it is not always possible to catch a mole, various devices can be used to help drive it out of the territory. There are many deterrent devices. They help fight shrews and moles. The simplest deterrent device is a spinner made from a plastic bottle. In order to make this device, you need a piece water pipe... You also need to prepare a plastic bottle. Pieces of pipes must be driven into the ground. In this case, you need to make sure that the lower end is below the moves of the mole. A pin is inserted into the top of the pipe. Its optimum diameter is 8-10 mm. The pin is fixed in the center of the pipe. To do this, use a wooden cork. A hole is burned at the bottom of the bottle. This is done with a metal pin. It is necessary to make slots on the bottle. They should be in a solid line. The plastic is bent along the contour. There should be exactly four folds. The bottle will rotate from any wind. At the same time, resonance of the hollow pipe is noted, which will create noise. It has been established that moles are very afraid of him. About 10 such devices will be enough for an area of \u200b\u200bup to 30 acres.

Spinner

It is also made using a plastic bottle. You can also put noisy wind vane equipped with propellers. Tin cans are put on their axis, in which pebbles are placed. The pin must be inserted into the ground. When the wind blows, the propeller will move. As a result, the stones begin to rumble. The sound is transmitted through the pin to the ground.

Bottle trills

Their use is considered to be very effective. An empty bottle must be prepared. Best of all, if it comes from the champagne. The bottle must be dug into the ground. An open, ventilated place should be chosen for this. It is necessary to dig in the bottle strictly at an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the soil surface. When the wind penetrates there, "howls" will occur. These sounds scare the animals very much.

The old way

It can be called the "old-fashioned" method. It perfectly helps in expelling moles from the site. You need to get reeds. The recommended length is up to 2 meters. Reeds need to be inserted into every burrow that comes to the surface of the soil. At the top, about 80 cm should remain. It is known that moles are blind animals. However, their hearing is well developed. When the wind rises, the reeds will begin to create sounds similar to the "walking" of air in a pipe. It is not yet clear how, but it does affect animals. The effect can be quite unexpected. The animals leave the site after about a week. Some elderly people say that this method is already about two centuries old.

Planting repellents

This method can be classified as a natural remedy for fighting moles. It is considered to be quite effective. This method is based on planting a specific type of plant. The animals cannot bear their smell. It should be noted that this method cannot guarantee one hundred percent success. It is less reliable than mole traps or pesticides. However, this method is quite popular. Probably because it brings a lot of pleasure. The point is that you need to grow plants that are quite attractive. This option is suitable for those who do not expect to get rid of the animals instantly. It is worth taking into account the fact that the results will not be obtained very soon. It has been established that moles are able to scare away some bulbous plants... For example, one of them is the narcissist. Other classic spring-flowering plants are also widely used. We are talking about the imperial hazel grouse and the Siberian beetle.

Popular types of crops

Marigolds are a plant that has a rather pungent odor. It is widely used for joint plantings. The essence of this lies in their ability to repel pests. Companions are also widely used. This is a prime example of the organic method of dealing with animals. Many gardeners choose this method. In addition, it is not necessary to be limited to conventional marigolds. You can also use some exotic plants for this purpose. For example, castor oil plant or euphorbia caper. One of these plants has long been known as a live repellent. It is also called "mole". We are talking about caper milkweed. This plant is annual. Moreover, it successfully multiplies through self-seeding. The plant boasts a pungent sap, which is likely to deter animals. It is very often grown as an ornamental plant. Castor oil plant is an oil plant. It used to be used as a laxative. For some reason, moles really don't like castor oil plants. The fact is that its fruits are quite poisonous. It is not recommended to grow this plant in an area where small children are often.

How to make a mole trap?

There are many different ways to capture animals. Consider how to hook a mole. First of all, you need to unearth the mink. In the wormhole, you need to put two hooks. This must be done on both sides. It is recommended to take three-pointed hooks. They need to be tied up with some kind of wire. Otherwise, the animal can drag them away. The animal crawls into the hole and clings to the hook.

"Silent Hunt"

This method has been used for a very long time. The workers of the Gatchina menagerie resorted to him. Mole traps were not always at their disposal. As a rule, a small number of moles live in nurseries and flower gardens. Therefore, the workers used the simplest method: they armed themselves with iron shovels. It was necessary to watch for the animal in the place where molehills were formed. Then they waited until the animal began to throw the earth out. Since it was difficult to catch a mole, it was necessary to act quickly. The workers, when signs of movement in the burrow appeared, sharply thrust the shovel into the ground. It was necessary to do it across the course. Thus, the animal was thrown out. This method has now been improved.

Do-it-yourself "pot" mole trap

This method is one of the most effective. Its principle of operation is very simple. It is necessary to find the middle of the fresh move of the mole. Dig in a small saucepan below its level. A three-liter jar is also great. You can do without water, this is at the discretion of the owner. A special garden drill is best suited for these purposes. After the hole is ready, it must be covered with a layer of turf. It must be supported by two sticks. They fold crosswise on the ground under the hole. As a rule, animals move very quickly on their own. Animals do not notice the danger and fall into mole traps. They are not able to get out of there on their own.

Finally

The above are basic recommendations on how to catch a mole in the country. However, it should be said that it is desirable to use humane methods. A self-made mole trap should not harm the animal. After capturing, the animal can be carried away from the site.