What does a mole trap look like? Homemade mole traps with your own hands (assembly of different types and types, photo)

If moles appear on a personal plot, then over time this turns into a rather serious problem. And if a couple of individuals do not cause significant harm, then as their offspring grow up, both garden crops and the lawn will begin to suffer.

Specimens with a fragile root system such as cucumbers are primarily at risk. Animal settlements are especially common in dachas with fertile and loose soil. In such a substrate there are quite a lot of insects, snails, and worms, which are actively consumed by small animals.

Simple do-it-yourself mole traps

The most convenient solution to the question of how to catch a mole is to use purchased equipment. However, in general, such devices are more aimed at scaring the animal away from the territory. This approach not only requires financial investments, but is also not always effective. From this article you will learn all the intricacies of the fight against underground inhabitants. You can make some devices yourself.

How to catch with a shovel

A fairly old method of getting rid of a pest, which only requires patience. In this case, you can go in several ways:

If you notice that the animal has begun to throw soil to the surface, with a sharp movement stick the tool across the already dug passage. As a result of the manipulations, the animal will be pushed out.
The second way to use the equipment is that they first need to crush a fresh pothole. When you find that the soil has deformed again, block the mole’s path from behind with one shovel, and the second from the front. Afterwards, all that remains is to dig up the ground from below along with the animal.

Plastic bottle: simple drawing and installation

One of the most humane ways to catch a mole is to use PET bottles. Such a homemade product will not cause damage either to the object of the hunt or to other living creatures. You will need three containers. The optimal volume of containers used is 1.5 liters. The animal simply will not fit into a smaller bottle, and your efforts will be in vain.

Creation technology:

Cut off the bottom and top of one bottle with scissors so that you end up with a cone.
For other containers, you need to separate the neck so as not to touch the soft part of the plastic. On the base, make cuts in the form of 10 petals. Turn it upside down, place it in the part with the bottom, secure with tape.
The principle of the plastic device is that once an animal gets inside, it will not get out. The reason is that it will not be able to move the “petals” apart. It is better to set the trap no later than an hour before sunset, taking into account the high activity of moles at night.

This is interesting: if you do not intend to exterminate the animal, then take it as far as possible from the location, because moles are able to return to their abode, even if you need to overcome 1 km.

Fishing with hooks

For this method you will need a pair of fish hooks, preferably three-pointed ones. They must be installed on both sides of the hole you have freshly dug. For reliability, connect the gear with a wire rope so that the mole does not drag them underground.

Complex traps

There are also more serious designs of mole traps, the manufacture of which should be approached with great diligence or purchased at a specialized store. Energy and financial costs will be fully compensated by efficiency.

Pinwheel

The use is more aimed at repelling underground pests. To create a pinwheel you will need a metal pin and one or more tin cans.

Choose reinforcement approximately two meters high. It must be firmly stuck into the ground and a makeshift weather vane placed on top. To create it, the tin is cut in three places and the plates are folded back like airplane blades.

Loop trap for mole

You can catch a mole in the garden using this homemade product. There are plenty of drawings and videos of creating a mole trap with your own hands using this principle. They reveal all the intricacies of making the device.

Plunger design

The mole will not be able to survive if such a system is used, and independent production requires certain skills.

The advantages of a purchased device include:

high power;
the trigger mechanism is triggered by the movement of the substrate during the restoration of the tunnel by the mole;
does not require adjustment before installation.

The disadvantages include difficulties during installation and operation on rocky soil, because the mechanism can jam.

How to catch moles with a wire mole trap

It consists of several parts - a guard and a frame made from a single piece of wire with a diameter of 3.2-4 mm. The pressing part is a lever that operates on the principle of a spring. A trap is set in a fresh tunnel, passing through which the mole ends up in a deadly loop. As a result, the animal is nailed to the ground with a force equal to 2 kg.

The most effective way is a tunnel trap

An excellent opportunity to catch the pest is to use a tunnel trap. This device is a pipe-type structure with a mechanism that kills the animal. It is highly effective and has many advantages:

low complexity of installing the device (it is enough to cover it with soil);
adjusting the sensitivity of the mechanism;
the ability to use at any time of the year without reducing efficiency (in the winter and autumn months it is enough to cover the device with peat or plywood);
identical effectiveness in deep and shallow passages;
minimal risk of the mechanism jamming when stones and clods of soil enter.

Such a trap is one of the most effective ways to catch a mole. The disadvantages include the fact that the trap and its operation are invisible on the surface, and therefore require the installation of landmarks.

Scissor trap

It is a completely reliable device with its pros and cons. Positive characteristics include simplicity of design, ease of installation (you just need to stick it in the ground) and the ability to observe the operation from a distance.

However, “scissors” also have significant disadvantages, including:

The mole breaker is ideal for medium-deep tunnels (deep or shallow holes reduce productivity);
inability to stand without loss of quality under unfavorable climatic conditions (in cold weather the handles jam, which prevents the mechanical part from operating);
During the rainy season, the trap becomes noticeable due to the erosion of the soil by precipitation.

This is interesting: if there is a pond or decorative reservoir on the site, then one of the animal’s passages will definitely lead to it due to the animal’s need for drinking.

How to catch a mole using a three-liter jar

The simplest do-it-yourself mole trap, which allows you to save the life of the pest.

Prepare the jar

The best option is a container with a volume of 3 liters. You need to choose it without chips, food residues or chemicals. Alternatively, you can use a small bucket or a plastic five-liter bottle with the neck cut off.

Dig a hole

Dig a hole at the site of the mole's fresh tunnel at least 30 cm deep. There is no need to worry that the animal will not return to the already dug corridor - animals periodically use them in search of food. The location of the tunnel can be determined by small piles of earth on the surface, which the mole pushes out while moving.

Place the container in the desired location

Dig the jar into the soil so that the neck is located at the base of the underground passage. Making his way through his tunnel, the mole will not notice the hole and will fall into the container. Compact the soil along the sides of the jar. Cover the top with plywood. If you intend to save the mole’s life, then throw worms to the bottom, which will also become an excellent bait.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any approach to catching a mole, using a jar has its positive and negative sides.

The advantages include:

humaneness (the animal remains unharmed provided it is not trapped for a long period without food);
efficiency;
ease of installation;
environmental friendliness;
safety.

Among the shortcomings, it can be noted that if you choose a mole hole that is too old, then instead of the expected prey, only small rodents may be caught.

Homemade mole trap made from plastic pipe

The main material for making a trap is a piece of such diameter that the animal will fit into it. Improvised doors made from tin cans are installed on both sides so that they open exclusively inward. You can attach them using thick wire.

The principle of operation is based on the fact that the animal gets inside, but cannot open the next door. There are often cases when several individuals end up in a mole trap.

Advice: To determine whether an animal is caught in a trap or not without digging it out of the soil, first drill several holes in the pipe. If you stick a stick into them, it will become clear whether there are living creatures inside.

Designing a crossbow

You can independently make both a regular mole trap and a full-fledged crossbow. However, this method of eliminating animals is quite sophisticated and requires considerable effort to produce.

Operating principle:

A pipe with a sealed end is placed in the path of the mole, which must be loaded with a mixture of gunpowder and shot.
A nichrome wire is supplied to the charge, which is additionally connected to a motion sensor - it is installed at a distance of 30 cm from the tunnel.
After the motion sensor is triggered, the battery instantly heats up and a shot occurs.

Lethal means

In the fight for territory, you can also resort to the use of pesticides. However, in this case, it will not be possible to exterminate the animals by poisoning the bait due to the fact that moles feed on insects and bugs.

The best option is to use substances and preparations that are distributed in the air space of the soil and act through evaporation.

Planting repellent plants

This method of pest control is not as effective when compared with the use of various traps and baits. In addition, achieving results requires patience. However, the advantages include the opportunity to further improve the garden plot.

Among the “live” mole repellents are:

Flower crops. These include marigolds, sage, calendula, chrysanthemum, irises, petunia, nasturtium, imperial hazel grouse, and Siberian scilla. It is recommended to plant them near the beds. It is also permissible to use infusions based on these plants.
Garden crops such as potatoes, tomatoes, onions (including decorative ones), garlic, parsley, caraway seeds, dill. The effectiveness of planting crops is due to the high content of phytoncides in them, which have a repellent effect on moles.
Insecticides of wild origin, some of which are harmful to humans. Among the safe ones are bird cherry, tobacco, spurge, burdock, mustard, and wormwood.

How to protect the area from repeated penetration of moles

Catching moles is usually not an easy task. Therefore, even if you win the first stage of the war with earth-moving animals, you need to take care of the subsequent protection of the site from repeated invasion.

This is interesting: Moles extremely rarely live alone. In most cases, a whole family is located on the site, which can reach several dozen in number.

To prevent the appearance of individuals, you should follow a number of recommendations:

Stretch a metal or plastic mesh along the entire perimeter of the site so that it protrudes above the ground by 20 cm and is submerged by 70. You can also use slate, PVC or polycarbonate as a barrier structure using the same principle.
A shallow ditch dug out and filled with crushed stone along the fence line helps protect the territory quite well.
A more expensive option is to build a concrete foundation and then install a fence on it.
A lawn net, which is laid 10 cm deep under the turf, will help protect the area.

Whatever method you choose to defend your territory, do not forget about humanity. Despite the considerable damage these animals cause to the garden, they also have the right to exist.

How to make a simple and effective mole trap from plastic bottles with your own hands, as well as the principle of operation of the design;
How to properly install such a trap on the site in order to reliably catch the pest;
How can you easily increase the effectiveness of a homemade mole catcher from a plastic bottle by about 2 times;
Additional ways to catch a mole alive;
What to do with a mole after it is caught and where it is better to release it so that it definitely does not return back to your site;
And what other anti-mole products can you make yourself from ordinary plastic bottles...

Even if you have already been thoroughly tortured by moles “running amok” on your property, then do not rush to poison them with poisons or set traps on them - this is simply not humane. You can fight animals very effectively with the help of special traps - it’s not difficult to make such a mole trap with your own hands from plastic bottles, and given the availability and low cost of materials for it, you can make and install several traps on the site at once, which will significantly increase the chances of catching all the pests.

A mole trap made from a plastic bottle allows you to catch animals alive, and then take them out and release them at such a distance from the site that they can no longer return. This approach is considered the most civilized and humane, because after all, a normal person without sadistic tendencies will be much calmer in preserving the life of an animal that simply by chance ended up on his property, instead of necessarily killing a mole with poison, a trap or a shovel, as is sometimes done people who are not burdened by love for animals.

It should be borne in mind that mole traps made from plastic bottles are effectively complemented by other types of traps that work on different principles. For example, a mole can be caught in a simple plastic bottle placed on its side in its passage, or you can do this with the help of a wide jar, bucket or pan buried under the passage. The best option is to use such traps together (we'll talk about this a little later).

But first, let's take a closer look at how to make a reliable mole trap from a standard plastic bottle, obtaining a truly effective catching tool. In addition, we will see how to properly install such traps on the site so that they work well.

Mole trap made from a plastic bottle

So, the first type of trap is a kind of analogue of the commercially available pipe mole trap, but the “locking” element in it works on a slightly different principle.

The photo below shows a mole trap-pipe for comparison:

The mole easily climbs into such a trap, but cannot get out of it. It is implemented as follows:

Take a plastic bottle with a capacity of 1.5 liters - it will be the basis of the design. It is not worth taking smaller or larger bottles, because a liter bottle is too narrow, and it is difficult for the animal to climb into it, and a two-liter bottle, on the contrary, is too wide, and often does not fit into the animal’s path;
Either the bottom or the neck of the bottle is cut off - it doesn’t matter. The main thing is to make a free entrance on one side, and on the other there should be a dead end;
Then take a second bottle of the same size, which, in fact, will clog the mole. The dense part of the neck is cut off (on which the cap is screwed), but a “funnel” is left, and the bottom is also cut off (you can even cut off the bottom half of the bottle);
In the second bottle, 10-12 longitudinal cuts are made on the tapering part until it becomes a flat part. The result is a kind of long “petals”;
After this, the second plastic bottle is inserted with its narrowed part into the open passage of the first, and the junction of the two bottles is secured with tape.

That's all, the mole trap is ready. If you place it in a mole passage, the animal will make its way into it along the second (entrance) bottle: under its pressure, the petals will easily bend and do not prevent it from crawling along the joint line, thereby ensuring unhindered access to the main bottle.

After the animal passes, the petals close again. Here he reaches a dead end, turns around, tries to move back, but runs into narrowed petals that he can no longer move apart. The mole is caught.

This mole trap made from plastic bottles is easy to make with your own hands in about 10-15 minutes.

On a note

The locking principle described above is called “against the grain”. While the petals “stroke” the animal, it calmly moves forward “along the fur.” But the animal can no longer get back out, because it moves “against the grain” of the valve - the petals rest against its face and do not move apart at all.

Not everyone takes into account that this mole trap can be easily improved, increasing its efficiency by approximately 2 times, if both the bottom and the top of the main bottle are cut off, and then “valves” are installed on both sides, allowing the animal to only pass inside. In this case, you won’t have to guess from which side the mole will approach the mole trap in its underground passage. Moreover, as practice shows, if there are several animals on the site, a “double” trap can catch two moles at once.

The video at the end of the article shows the process of making a mole trap with your own hands. However, it is important not only to make the mole trap correctly, but also to install it correctly on the site, since the final result of its work also largely depends on this.

How to catch a mole with such a trap?

A mole trap made of plastic bottles should be installed inside the mole passage, located between fresh earth emissions. Such passages are sometimes (but not always) clearly visible on the surface of the site, since their arch is slightly raised by the animal when moving, as a result of which a long earthen ridge is formed above the passage.

It is this roller that needs to be carefully excavated (the passage itself is located at a depth of about 10-15 cm). Then the passage needs to be slightly cleared of the ground and slightly deepened in the place where the trap will be installed.

It is better to dig out the mole's underground passage with a garden trowel. It is undesirable to use a shovel, since it severely damages the passage itself, and the mole may not “want” to move along it and climb into the trap in the future.

You should not install a mole trap made from a plastic bottle at the entrance to a tunnel or in a pile of soil spilled out by a mole. The animal may no longer use such a molehill, but the underground passage itself will be inspected regularly. Therefore, the mole trap is placed precisely in the passage between the animal’s exits to the surface.

Before installation, it is advisable to pour a little soil into the mole trap so that the animal does not notice the sudden transition of normal soil into slippery plastic.

It can also be useful to put several earthworms in the main bottle - the mole smells them well and can ignore suspicions when touching the plastic if it smells food.

The trap itself is placed in motion, its valve is directed in the direction from which the animal is supposed to approach it. If the trap is double-sided, then its orientation does not matter.

The top of the mole trap should be sprinkled with earth (but so as not to cover the entrances to it!) and covered with a wooden shield or a very thick opaque cloth. The main task in this case is to eliminate the light in the trap so that it is as dark in it as in the rest of the passage (although it is believed that moles are blind, this is not entirely true - they are able to distinguish between light and darkness, and also see outlines items).

After this, the trap should be checked two to three times a day. Most often, a mole is caught at night or in the evening.

On a note

Keep in mind that due to the accelerated metabolism, the mole cannot fast for a long time. It may not survive even 24 hours in a mole trap, and therefore the trap should be checked at least twice a day, and immediately after finding the animal, take it out of the area as quickly as possible and release it into the wild.

Of course, the more traps are installed on the site, the faster it will be possible to catch all the moles (often only one mole lives in a small area, since these animals are very jealous of protecting their territory). If the mole trap is made in a single copy, then with a certain probability it will have to be moved from one move to another if it remains empty for more than 4-5 days.

How to catch a mole in a jar?

There is another method that has been tested many times in practice to catch a mole: in a jar, pan, bucket or plastic bottle with the top cut off. This kind of mole trap can also be easily done with your own hands - for this you will need to make a kind of trap pit.

Let's look at the procedure for making this mole trap:

You can take a large five-liter plastic drinking water bottle; you need to cut off the tapered top. Some gardeners successfully use three-liter glass jars - their width is quite sufficient for a mole to be caught in them (the animal is comparable in size to a rat). You can also use a suitable size pan or bucket; it is only important that the height of the trap is at least 25-30 cm, otherwise there is a chance that the mole will get out of it;
Then the mole's passage is excavated and a hole is dug, identical in diameter and height to the trap;
A prepared mole trap (container) is inserted into the hole;
After this, the cracks along the edges of the trap are filled with earth, the earth here is compacted a little. As a result, the edges of the container should be hidden with a compacted earthen roller so that the mole does not feel them;
The top of the trap is covered with a wooden shield or thick fabric so that light does not penetrate into the trap and does not scare away the animal.

Such a mole trap, installed in a gap in the underground passage of the mole, works even simpler than the one described above from two plastic bottles. The animal simply falls into the jar (or other deep container), moving along its course.

You also need to check the trap at least twice a day so as not to starve the caught animal.

About the effectiveness of traps made from plastic bottles

As practice shows, hand-made mole traps made from plastic bottles work no less effectively than various flayer crushes, traps and crossbows. Moles get caught in bottles just as often, and the overall reliability of the structure is determined not so much by its performance as by the correct installation of the trap in the garden plot.

In particular, the choice of the mole's course in which the trap will be set plays an important role. If the passage is old and rarely visited by the animal, then the mole trap may stand in vain for several days, and the disappointed gardener will eventually reject the product, deeming it ineffective.

In addition, a horizontal trap with one trap entrance may not work simply because the mole will each time approach it from the other side - from the side of the dead end. Thus, the animal will not fall into the trap itself, and if it finds an obstacle, it may also try to make a detour.

Practice shows that trapping pits made from cans and pots dug under passages generally work more effectively than “against the grain” traps. The mole does not have time to notice them, and cannot avoid falling into such a mole trap.

What to do with a caught animal?

A mole caught in a mole trap must be taken out of the area, carried away to a distance of about 1 km and released.

When freeing a captive, you need to be careful: moles have very sharp, albeit small, teeth, with which they can bite quite painfully (after all, moles are, first of all, predators). The epidemiological danger of moles has been poorly studied, and it is never possible to guarantee for sure that when an animal bites it it will not give a person some kind of bacterial “joy”.

The smartest thing to do is to take the mole out of the area directly in the mole trap, and at the place of release, simply open it and carefully shake the animal onto the ground. It is better to release the mole among thick grass or in the forest, where it has a better chance of remaining unnoticed by predators.

The release operation itself should be carried out immediately after discovery of the capture. As noted above, an extra few hours of hunger can be fatal for a mole.

Do moles return to their areas and how to prevent their reappearance?

The mole is an active animal, but it cannot move long distances. Young animals, leaving the maternal area in search of unoccupied land, can move 1.5-2 km away from the place of birth, but adult moles, who have already settled somewhere, are constantly in their territory of about a hectare.

This means that if a caught mole is released a kilometer from the place of capture, then it will not return to its original area. If you release it right behind the fence, and the fence itself does not have a foundation, then with a high probability the same mole will have to be caught again.

In general, it is useful to keep in mind that preventing moles from entering an area is easier than fighting these animals later. Even if the animals are already in the garden and causing harm, they can and should be caught and taken away, but in parallel, measures should be taken to reliably protect the area: fence it off with an impenetrable foundation, even if not a powerful one, or simply dig in around the perimeter to a depth of 70-80 cm durable fine-mesh plastic mesh (with a cell size of no more than 1 cm).

Such measures will guarantee that after catching and removing all moles from the area, other animals will not enter it again. Otherwise, you will have to constantly catch moles.

As for various mole repellers, they also sometimes give good results, although they do not provide absolute protection of the area. By the way, you can also make them yourself from plastic bottles...

Repellers made from plastic bottles: do they help?

There are two ways to scare off moles with plastic bottles:

Make pinwheels out of bottles that spin in the wind, make noise and scare the animals (moles hear well);
Or you can simply lay out large quantities of closed plastic bottles throughout the area. With constant changes in temperature in the morning, afternoon, evening and night, they make cracking noises, which presumably also scare away animals.

Many gardeners and gardeners note that such homemade repellers are really effective and help get rid of moles on the site. However, at the same time, many reviews indicate the lack of effect from the use of these funds.

Apparently, the truth is somewhere in the middle: moles can actually be frightened by the noise created by these devices and leave the area in search of more comfortable territory. But repellers can also be ignored, especially if there is a problem of survival due to lack of food. Therefore, the use of such repellers is a kind of lottery: it may help, or it may not give any visible result.

Other types of traps, humane and inhumane

A pipe trap works on the same principle as homemade traps made from plastic bottles. Only in it the animal pushes the door that easily opens inward and slams behind it, penetrates the pipe, but cannot open the same door from the inside.

There are also inhumane traps for moles that simply kill the animals:

Spring traps;
Loop traps;
Scissor traps;
Harpoon-type traps (crossbows).

Some people make them with their own hands, or buy them ready-made. However, before using them, think: why mercilessly kill warm-blooded animals just because for some reason they bother you. And even more so, you shouldn’t kill animals just because you’re too lazy to catch them alive and take them out of the area.

The effectiveness of all these lethal traps is approximately the same and does not differ from the effectiveness of homemade live traps. You shouldn’t expect that if you didn’t catch a mole with a properly made structure from a plastic bottle, then the trap will certainly kill it. It makes more sense to figure out why the trap turned out to be ineffective (wrong choice of move, errors in placement or manufacturing), correct the flaws and catch the pest alive.

In any case, no matter what mole traps are used, without effective measures to protect the site, the results of their use will be temporary, and you will have to constantly catch animals, worrying about a damaged harvest. Therefore, you should first take care of protecting the area from the penetration of moles, and only then catch the animals. Read about how to effectively protect your area from moles in other articles on our website.

If you have personal experience using homemade mole traps, be sure to leave your feedback in the comments field at the bottom of this page.

A clear example of repelling moles using ordinary plastic bottles

Interesting video: making a mole trap-pipe with your own hands

On the pages of our website we continue to tell you about the features of target hunting (not so long ago we talked about), and today we invite you to talk about catching moles using a special trap called a mole trap.

Mole trap for mole hunting

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

Thus, it is recommended to expand the diameter of the entrance ring to 6 centimeters, and carefully check the guard itself - it should ideally move along the ridge of the mole trap itself and be parallel to the entrance ring, and also have a special guard in the form of a trigger, which should not be larger than 5 millimeters in length. Such verification and correction of manufacturing defects will allow you to avoid catching and significantly increase the efficiency of such a mole trap.

Wearing a mole trap

Additional equipment for mole hunting

The best time to catch moles

You can hunt for moles using a mole trap already from the 20th of June, when the young animals have grown so much that you can get full-fledged skins. In this way, moles can be caught until late autumn and immediately after 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 sections, in order to use each of them for a short time and then move on to another section. In this way, you will not only be able to ensure good catching results, but you will also be able to achieve continuity of production and natural restoration of mole stocks in the areas you regularly harvest.

Features of the behavior of moles in nature

It's worth knowing that

moles adore rich soil, rich in earthworms and insect larvae.

In our area, the majority of molehills, as practice shows, can be found in alder forests. If you are looking for moles in the fields, then you should look along the boundaries, 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 animal’s feeding galleries from the deeper permanent passages that lead to the nesting chambers, where you will definitely find the mole.

As experience shows,

Such feeding passages, as a rule, lie in the surface layer of soil, at a depth of no more than 5 centimeters, and have poorly compacted walls. They can also often be found in the forest, and they look like furrows of slightly raised earth. It is noteworthy that moles almost never use such passages again.

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

Choosing a place to install a mole trap

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

The feeding and permanent passages of moles are very often located close to one another, and in this case form a complex interweaving. In order to distinguish them, the hunter often has to open such passages and inspect them. As we already wrote above,

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

During the period when young animals begin to move, you can also find baby tunnels. On each of them, a 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 caught in mole traps and not removed from them in a timely manner block the path, and other animals go around, and after that it can be difficult to catch them. Considering that the size of young moles is somewhat smaller than large adult animals, the lower edge of the mole trap guard can be slightly tilted towards the entrance ring.

At the end of summer, when moles begin to reproduce and split into pairs for this purpose, it is worth rearranging traps more often and installing them in larger numbers. So, after catching 2 moles in one turn, the traps should be moved to another place. I would like to note that mole traps should not be placed at every move of moles encountered, but to let several through, and place them after 2-3 moves, depending on their total number. It is better to trample down the missed moves themselves, and in the future, if you see that they are restored, find out the fact that they were visited by moles. This will make it possible to accurately rearrange the mole traps themselves and improve fishing with significant time savings.

Installing a mole trap

To install mole traps, you should choose places where passages intersect areas with denser soil - near paths, for example, that were previously made by livestock or humans. In such places, as a rule, several animals use the passage, and not just 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 soil compacted under the path, and therefore, several exit holes to the surface of the earth can often be observed on both sides of the path.

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

Now you will need to insert a mole trap into this hole. Do this in such a way that the introductory ring is slightly advanced and enters the undisturbed part of the mole's stroke, while the spring of the mole trap itself faces 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 entrance ring into the ground approximately 1 centimeter, and accordingly, select the ground under the guard in such a way that its lower edge does not cling to anything, but crushes During the descent I did not encounter any obstacles. It is better to immediately press the spring a little so that the mole catcher fits tightly; you should also press down the ground on the sides with the handle of a knife. The hunter must cover the exposed passage and the mole trap installed in it with turf. In the same way, it will be possible to install a mole trap, 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 move itself, and the trap itself must be further strengthened 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 screes. Then the mole, trying to carefully restore the first scree, will boldly approach the trap and inevitably fall into it.
On roadways, it is better to place mole traps no closer than 0.5 meters from the track itself, as otherwise they may be crushed.
Please also note that if you place a mole trap near a road along which heavy vehicles are moving - for example, a tractor - then such mole traps can often slam shut as a result of vibration. In order to prevent this drawback, when alert, they can be sprinkled with earth on the trigger and then such self-releases will no longer be observed.
In places where livestock is grazed and where you plan to install mole traps, they should be placed across the path in 2-3 sticks or poles. Thus, animals will step over them, and the mole traps will not be trampled. On pastures, where animals often push down mole passages, when installing such mole traps, hunters should bend the guard slightly back, since very often the animal follows the path and pushes the earth in front of it. This is also worth considering...

Fighting moles. Folk methods. We find the first mention of the fight against moles quite a long time ago. This is a decree of the Roman ruler Palladius, issued in 350 AD, according to which it was prescribed to use cats to combat moles and field mice in vineyards and artichoke fields.

One of the first ways to combat the “underground pest” in Russia may be a description in a book published during the reign of Catherine II. It, in particular, said: “Take garlic and onions, also camphor and powder all together, stick them into the wells where they come out, and shut them up tightly, then all underground animals will disappear.” “Take a bunch of green hemp, stick it into the wells and cover it well with earth... When the hemp rots, it creates a great stench, from which every reptile dies or runs away. You can also put a herring head in the discovered hole, which the mole also really doesn’t like, preferring to move to another place (though, when the herring spirit disappears, it will soon return back). A piece of tow moistened with kerosene or tar can repel a mole longer.”

Let's divide all the folk methods of fighting moles into groups:

Protective or preventive (humane) methods of mole control.

1. Fight against moles. Folk methods. Protective or preventive (humane) methods of mole control. They are aimed at peacefully expelling the enemy from the site, as well as preventing him from entering the territory. They include the use of petroleum and chemical products, as well as other foul-smelling substances, the installation of homemade repellent devices, flooding, fencing the area, and the most humane one - planting natural repellents. And now about each method in more detail:

Use of odorous substances and liquids.

Along the path of the mole, in each more or less fresh mole hole, make a hole with a drill or a stick up to the horizontal gallery and pour in a glass of a mixture of 2 parts fuel oil and one part kerosene, after which the hole is filled with earth and trampled with feet or into the horizontal passages of the mole, as well as and in molehills, they put pieces of mothballs, rotten fish, bleach, tobacco and shag, rags and tow, soaked in oil or tar. The mole goes away from the bad smell. By this measure, it can be removed, however, only temporarily, because the animal will subsequently return again from the places of exile.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. Installation of repellent devices.

One of the simplest devices for fighting moles and shrews is a spinner made from a plastic bottle. To make it you will need
a piece of ordinary water pipe and a plastic bottle. Pieces of pipes are driven into the ground so that their lower end is deeper than the level of the animal’s passages. A pin with a diameter of 8-10 mm is driven into the upper part of the pipe, strengthening it in the center of the pipe with a wooden plug. Using a hot nail or metal pin, burn a hole in the bottom of the bottle with a diameter larger than the diameter of the pin. Slots are made on the bottle along a solid line, and the plastic is bent along a dotted line. There should be 4 such bends. At the slightest breath of wind, the bottle rotates, the hollow pipe resonates and creates a noise that animals are afraid of. On

Rice. Pinwheel made from a plastic bottle

a plot of 20 - 30 acres is enough for 10 “rattles”.

Or place several noisy weather vanes with a propeller, putting a tin can of stones on the axis of each of them. Insert a pin (2 m) into the ground. The wind blows, the propeller rotates, the pebbles in the tin jar rattle, and their sound is transmitted along the pin into the ground.

It's a good idea to use bottle trills. To do this, an empty champagne bottle is dug into the ground in an open, ventilated place at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the soil surface. The howling of the wind in empty bottles scares away these animals.

An old-fashioned method of expelling moles from the garden: break a reed 1.5-2.0 meters long and insert a reed into each hole facing the soil surface, so that 60-80 centimeters remain on the surface. Moles cannot see, but they hear well. In windy weather, reeds create the effect of “the howling of the wind in a chimney” and in some inexplicable way affect moles. The effect is unexpected. The moles disappear within a week. Old people say that this method is already 200 years old.

Fighting moles with poisonous gases.

Poisonous gases, known in the market as “gas bombs,” are effective in controlling moles. However, it is not recommended to use these gases for an extensive network of tunnels, since the mole usually quickly and tightly closes the gassed section and continues on its way to new territories, expanding the tunnels

Another humane advice is to “smoke out” the mole. It turns out that the mole cannot stand bad smells. But not rotten fish, as is sometimes written, but the smell of sulfur smoke.

My husband and I tried this method on our parents’ property, and it worked great. After we carried out such fumigation, we discovered that a fresh passage had been laid from the vegetable garden to the neighbor’s land and then through his entire plot to the forest. The passage was made hastily, almost on the surface of the earth and without any turns. The moles left the site forever.

So, we take a sulfur bomb “FAS” (the one that is usually used to disinfect the cellar). We tear up the wormhole a little, put a checker there, set it on fire and cover it with an old plastic bucket. When a bomb is burned, a very unpleasant odor is released, which spreads along the mole tunnels and drives out these cute, but overly proactive rodents for a long time.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. Fighting moles using flooding.

Flooding holes with water from a garden hose is rarely effective. Unless you quickly flood the entire burrow system, which is rarely possible, you may only stimulate the activity of the mole, which will begin to dig tunnels in other parts of the site.

Installing fencing and plowing the area.

To protect any small area (seed beds, areas with cuttings, garden, vegetable garden, flower beds, etc.) from the invasion of moles from a neighboring area inhabited by them, odorous substances similar to the above are suitable, and it is possible to follow along the border of the protected area often make holes with a stick, pour a small amount of tar, tar, kerosene, oil, etc. into them. The moles do not go beyond the line of these holes.

The protected area can also be surrounded by a ditch 8-10 cm wide and 70 cm deep and filled with shards of broken glass, shards of broken dishes, pieces of prickly rose hips, thistles and other prickly objects mixed with small crushed stone, gravel or earth. Digging in the ground and reaching an obstacle, the mole can injure its delicate trunk, which causes it to die; at best, he turns back without going inside the fenced area. But the mole can make its way under the protective groove, or, coming to the surface of the earth, cross the groove and thus penetrate into the fenced area. Therefore, it seems to me that this measure deserves little attention.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. A fairly reliable means is to surround the entire site with a kind of “fence” of sheets of slate, tin, linoleum and other “molecular-transparent” materials vertically dug into the ground to a depth of 1 - 1.5 meters. You understand that this will “eat up” a lot of time and human resources.

Periodically plowing the area to a sufficient depth (at least 70 cm). Effective, very expensive and not always suitable - after all, something on the site should grow and please the eye.

Natural Pest Control – Planting “Living Repellents”

Many success stories in mole control are based on planting certain plants whose smell moles cannot stand. Of course, this alternative method is less reliable than using traps, pesticides or repellents, but it is also more fun. The advantage is that they are attractive plants that are worth growing on their own. Therefore, if you want to get rid of moles, but do not expect quick results, using plants as a natural remedy is just for you.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. Some bulbous plants are believed to repel moles. One of them is well-known narcissus. The other two are also classic spring flowering plants, although not as well known as the daffodil. Siberian scilla(Scilla siberica) and imperial hazel grouse (Fritillaria imperialis).

Scilla has drooping bell-shaped flowers in lavender, blue, white or pink. Over the years, the woodland spreads and covers the area.

Imperial yellow hazel grouse, Fritillaria imperialis ‘Lutea’, has 6 to 8 drooping yellow flowers. The smell of the bulbs is said to be reminiscent of a fox, which is certainly not a pleasant smell for moles. These plants are up to 8 cm in height.

The Allium family consists not only of garlic, onions, leeks, chives and shallots, but also contains ornamental flowering onions. The latter is often simply called Allium. It is an unusual flowering plant with a height of 15 to 150 cm. Garlic is also considered a repellent plant, but from an aesthetic point of view, Allium may be a better choice for you.

Allium giganteum is one of the tall ornamental allium plants, reaching a height of 90-150 cm. The flowers are purple and form round racemes 10-15 cm wide. Since its leaves die back in early summer, you will probably want to cover it with another plant. To make up for this deficiency, simply plant other plants of the onion family. Bulbs can be planted in autumn or spring. To a depth of 15 cm.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. Planting milkweed and castor beans to repel moles

Marigold(Tagetes minuta) is a plant with a pungent odor and is widely used for joint plantings due to its ability to repel pests. The use of companion plants is an example of organic control methods. Gardeners who prefer organic methods of control should not stop at all with ordinary marigolds. You can name a couple of plants that have an exotic touch, for example, caper spurge and castor bean.

One of them gained its fame as a living repellent, and is often called the “mole plant.” This spurge caper(Euphorbia lathyris) is an annual plant. But it readily reproduces by self-sowing. The mole plant has an impressive structure and is often grown as an ornamental plant, erect with lanceolate leaves. Its leaves are marked with graceful white veins. When the stem is cut, white sap will flow. Most likely, the smell of this poisonous, pungent juice repels moles.

And finally castor bean(Ricinus communis). Also known as castor oil plant. As previously mentioned, commercial preparations contain castor oil. In the past, castor oil was used as a laxative and as such its repellent properties can be attested to by a large number of people. And it seems that moles don’t like it as much as people do. Attention: Castor bean fruits, like spurge, are poisonous. None of these plants should be grown where there are small children.

In temperate zones, castor bean is considered an annual plant. It grows quickly and can reach 4.5 m in height, suggesting another use for this plant, namely as a screening (hedge) for those who do not have time to wait years for the shrubs to grow to the desired size. Castor beans have large, star-shaped leaves that make them a very attractive plant.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. The most humane way to combat moles is to plant ordinary Russian beans on the plot. The mole dislikes them so much that he avoids the plantings.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. Extermination measures.

Mole poisoning.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. It is known that the mole always keeps his galleries in good order and the damaged ones are always put in order; he begins this, however, only when he feels in danger; This characteristic feature of the mole is used when fighting it.

To poison moles in the soil, they resort to the following means: dig up and collect ordinary earthworms, place them in a clean wooden bowl, sprinkle with poisonous powder such as arsenic, cut
into not particularly small pieces and then immediately spread out with wide tweezers in small portions into the ground in horizontal galleries and molehills, and the holes made with a stick are carefully clogged with earth or, for control, covered with a turf plate. Poisoned worms do not lose signs of life for 15-20 minutes. and the moles, guided by their excellent sense of smell, search for and soon eat the live bait and die.

Of course, the use of strong poisons to kill moles, if done carelessly, is not safe, because there is always the possibility that some of the poisoned worms may be dropped during work and, not falling into the ground, but remaining on its surface, will cause poisoning of livestock and birds and other animals found in the area. Poisons, therefore, are not very convenient, especially in relatively large areas heavily populated by moles, and therefore in such places mechanical methods of exterminating the animal should be preferred.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. Advice from the Internet. Poison a mole using regular rat poison.

In practice, we had to make sure that ordinary poison on poisoned grain is not suitable: moles do not eat grain. But minced meat stuffed with poisonous gel is exactly what you need. I bought a plastic tube with transparent “Efa” gel at a hardware store, mixed the gel in a 1:9 ratio with minced meat, rolled it into balls and laid it out in holes. After about a week, the moles completely disappeared.

Folk traps and other methods of catching moles.

“Silent hunting” method.

This method was also used by workers in the Gatchina menagerie of the Imperial hunt. If you don’t have mole traps at your disposal, then the simplest way to destroy a small number of moles, for example, in flower beds, nurseries, etc. small spaces, consists in the fact that a worker, armed with an iron shovel, stands at the place where the mole forms its molehills and watches for the animal: at the moment when the latter throws the earth out, this worker quickly thrusts the shovel into the ground across the path near the molehill , throws the mole out and kills it. Now this method has been improved by adding another shovel.

Two shovel method.

You dig up a fresh pile and wait for the mole to crawl in to close the passage (he doesn’t like drafts). With the first shovel you block his escape routes, and with the second you actually do your job.

“Pan” or “jar” trap

The most effective simple “home” traps are the “pot” or “jar” method. It is as follows: in the middle of the mole’s active move, below its level, a saucepan or a three-liter jar bursts in (with or without water); It is convenient to use a garden auger for this purpose. After this, I cover the hole with a layer of turf, supported by two sticks placed crosswise directly on the ground above the hole. The mole, usually moving very quickly along its underground passage, not suspecting any danger to itself, ends up in a jar, from which it is no longer able to get out.

Solomon's trap.

Then the moles are also caught using a very simple Salomon trap.

Rice. Salomon's mole trap, set to work.

This trap is a cylinder 35-40 cm long and of such a diameter that it fits freely in the horizontal gallery of the mole; a mole can freely pass through the cylinder and also fit into it among several specimens; the ends of the cylinder are open and hanging doors d’ are attached to them, opening only into it; they cannot open outwards, being delayed by the curved lower edge of the cylinder. The Salomon trap is inserted into one of the horizontal passages of the mole, after which it is covered with earth from above and the installation site is marked. A mole, moving along its course, can fall into a trap at both ends, no matter whether it goes in the direction of the arrow, from the right or from the left side of the course, for in both cases it pushes inward the hanging doors d', which, after its entry, themselves close immediately, making it impossible for him to escape the trap. Salomon's mole trap, like the above-mentioned jar, can be used with great benefit during the second half of summer, when the female mole leads her almost grown cubs to hunt for earthworms; in such cases, as already mentioned above, not only whole broods of moles, but also several families can fall into traps in a short time without rearranging the trap.

Fighting moles. Folk methods. The Salomon trap is so simple in design that it can be made using home remedies, and the material for its construction can be wood, tin or light galvanized iron.

Hooks.

Advice from the Internet. We catch moles with hooks. The principle is this: I dug up a hole and put two fishing hooks in both directions into the tunnel (it’s better to take three-pointed hooks). I tied the hooks with wire to the fittings so that they wouldn’t be dragged away. The mole crawls and clings to the hook and cannot escape anywhere.

Curious methods of struggle (or what they write on the Internet)

Among the oddities, the following methods of struggle can be cited:

1. Shooting from a gun at the newly appeared “holes” (it’s better to immediately throw a bomb on the site! You don’t have to wait for the slides to appear and a random shootout with frightened neighbors won’t start either...) and hitting the same fresh molehills with a shovel (“jamming” the moles) . If you are a risky person and have absolutely nothing to do, these methods are for you.

2. You need to throw dog poop (fresh) into the holes, and the moles go off to dig in the neighborhood. You can get rid of them in about a week.

3. “Not for publication.” The essence of the method is very simple - write in wormholes. Pour the “night vase” into it. An acquaintance had been saving up “reserves” all week and bringing a plastic 5-liter bottle to the site. She claims that she has no more moles.

4. Sometimes firecrackers are thrown into wormholes. I must admit, this helps scare away the animals, but only for a short time. In addition, failure to comply with safety precautions can lead to undesirable consequences, including serious injuries. One small BUT - you need to throw firecrackers into all the holes at once and at the same time, maybe then there will be an effect, and even then it’s more for fun!!!

5. Humor on the forum. In the mole's tunnels, bury stones and mustard: a mole will crawl, get into the mustard, get scared and crawl out of there, hit a stone and die.

If you have time and desire, you can hunt this animal. You can catch a mole alive: as soon as you see a fresh passage, open it several meters long and leave it open on both sides. The mole does not like fresh air and closes the entrance after 15-30 minutes. Now you know where it is. Bring a sharp shovel with a bucket, and from time to time approach the opened passage very carefully. The Mole will try to restore it for night hunting. Now don't yawn. You can clearly see how the mole digs. You need to carefully approach one meter from the entrance and not worry so that your heart does not beat too much, since the mole detects such vibrations, and stand ready with a raised shovel. When the mole is convinced that there is no danger, it will resume its work. Then you need to forcefully thrust the shovel 30-50 cm behind it and quickly open the passage to the shovel with your hand. The animal will rush around and try to return through a ready move, but it will not be able to overcome the steel. You need to take it between the head and body (otherwise it will bite). Place the caught mole in a bucket and take it away from the garden - to a meadow, to the forest.

Recently, they have begun to sell mole traps of a new design - a piece of plastic pipe, at the ends of which there are two valves made of tin. The valves are secured so that the mole can get inside the pipe, but cannot get out. If a caught mole stays in such a mole trap for several hours, it will die of fear and exhaustion.

What are the nuances when catching a mole with such mole traps?

1. There is no point in installing mole traps during a long drought, since it is useless due to the inactivity of earthworms - at this time the mole slowly walks through its burrows, and there is a possibility that it will bypass such a mole trap. During this period, the mole does not dig much.

2. As soon as you notice sudden activity of moles, which happens before the rain, mole traps need to be installed in the most dense soil (usually paths), where it is difficult for moles to dig, which is why many individuals use such passages.

3. It is necessary to carefully open only such part of the mole's passage where a mole trap could be inserted. The lower edge of the pipe should be buried in the ground, and it is advisable to pour even a little earth up to the valve so that the mole does not notice the slippery walls of the polymer tube. But you can’t sprinkle a lot of soil, as excess soil can prevent the valve from closing behind the mole. This needs to be done on both sides of the mole trap - after all, we don’t know where exactly the mole (or moles) are located. When installing the mole trap, your hands must be clean and you should not smoke during this time.

4. If moles dig in the turf, then it is better to find one path to the last discarded pile and install a mole trap in it. In any case, the mole trap needs to be covered with something on top.

Don't waste time is the main conclusion that follows from the second part of the book. Perhaps, like many, you have heard a lot of advice on how to drive away moles. You might believe that some of them are worth trying. However, in fact, many home remedies and repellents are not effective when dealing with moles; moreover, this gives them time to establish and establish themselves in your garden and then moles become a real problem. Moles can quickly colonize new areas and spread through neighboring areas if prompt action is not taken. Since moles create a well-developed network of passages (tunnels) for their needs, it is difficult to fight them, and the more difficult it is, the longer the passages of their home.

Moles can quickly move their activity from one part of the lawn (or garden) to another. It depends on the climate and soil moisture. Moles respond to changes in the food supply, depending on what insects are available in different areas of the garden at different times of the year. If moles are disturbed, they may leave this area of the garden temporarily, but will usually return when you least expect it. Even if the moles are not disturbed, their activity can only last 1-2 weeks in this part of the garden. This “here today, there tomorrow” behavior is possible and is the root of most misconceptions, which is what gives some home advice the appearance of effectiveness. Therefore, do not waste time, do not try to negotiate peacefully with the recently appeared moles - they will dig long passages and it will become very difficult to get rid of them

We can recommend the following tactics for fighting moles without using poisons: Year-round operation of several electronic repellers, more in summer, less in winter, but the “scarecrowers” should still work in winter. “Scarecrows” should be installed in dense soil, through which sound travels better;

The use of mole traps to control and catch those individuals that have settled and become accustomed;

The use of earthen paths with compacted soil around the perimeter of the garden, in the flower garden and in the vegetable garden around the beds. Compacted and dry soil is a boundary, a barrier for moles; they do not like compacted and dry soil. However, under tiled paths, moles dig well - there is no compacted soil there;

On the contrary, dug up, loose or wet soil or a bed is a potential danger - moles simply love to build many tunnels in the loose soil, as if they were frolicking and playing. As a result, the planted plants end up with their roots up or mixed with the ground. To avoid this, install an electronic repeller near the new planting.

We must not allow moles to get comfortable and build an extensive system of passages. Once they have dug a passage, many generations of moles will use and restore it from year to year (probably by smell), even if it is filled up, along this passage new moles will enter the area instead of those caught. Adding spicy herbs and odorous substances to the passage will help discourage moles from using the passage.

Therefore, it is most reasonable to use electronic repellent devices and traps together to control and catch individual individuals.

Many summer residents are forced to wage a desperate fight against moles. By creating an extensive network of their burrows, the animals damage the root system of plants. First of all, moisture-loving vegetables in well-fertilized beds suffer: cucumbers in greenhouses, cabbage and zucchini planted in holes with humus. In these places, earthworms gather - the main delicacy of moles. Subsequently, mice penetrate into the mole holes and gnaw all types of root crops. Moles also cause great damage to lawns and lawns on which they build their waste heaps.

Means of combating these animals are divided into mechanical (traps, barriers in the form of mesh, slate), hydraulic (filling holes with water), sound (various repellers), chemical (poisonous baits, odorous substances), biological (planting plants that are unpleasant to moles), and the use of cats and dogs.

At my summer cottage, I use combined means to fight moles. The entire territory can be roughly divided into arable land (40%) and green zone (60%). Methods of fighting moles vary here.

On the arable land

To cultivate the land, I use a gas-powered cultivator Fermer FM-633M. It provides a processing depth of about 30 cm. Since the feeding burrows of moles are located at a depth of up to 16 cm, the process

plowing, they are all naturally destroyed. At the same time, a side effect, as if free of charge, is the scaring away of moles. The fact is that a gas-powered cultivator, loaded with heavy work, creates significant noise: up to 96 decibels. As the cultivator moves as a source of noise, the moles run away in horror from the entire arable land.

Here we need to compare the effectiveness of a noisy cultivator with advertised ultrasonic repellers powered by batteries or sunlight. The range of such devices does not exceed 10 m. There would have to be a lot of them installed at my summer cottage.

Of course, after finishing plowing, moles can return to the site. On their way, I dug protective ditches along the perimeter of the arable land. To be honest, I needed them primarily to control weeds and to drain excess water in the spring and during the heavy rainy season, so their use against moles can again be considered a side effect.

Barrier grooves

At a summer cottage, a green zone surrounds the entire arable land and constantly encroaches on it. From here, grass and weeds, especially wheatgrass, send their roots into the arable land, and this has to be fought every year. The simplest and cheapest way to prevent weeds from encroaching on arable land is to install a barrier ditch along the perimeter of the arable land.

A multifunctional barrier ditch along the perimeter of the arable land is dug to a depth of approximately 20-25 cm and the same width. Digging it in loose soil (after plowing) is not difficult.

How do such grooves fight moles? Let's imagine that the animal makes its nest in a green area, somewhere under bushes or trees. Feeding burrows diverge from this “den” at a depth of approximately 10 cm. Through such a hole, the mole ends up in my ditch and, frightened by the open space, returns back to its hole. Why?

It is known that moles see poorly, therefore, in open space, which they feel, so to speak, with their bodies, they lose a sense of security, realizing that great dangers await them here: predatory animals (cats, dogs), birds, and even summer residents armed with shovels , flat cutters or pitchforks! The mole will not risk his life; he will turn around and hide in the hole.

I am convinced of this every time by examining the grooves along the entire perimeter of the arable land and noticing traces of “attacks” on the “border” I created. This is shown in Fig. 1. A round hole (hole) is visible in the wall of the groove, and at the bottom there is a small pile of loose earth.

DIY mole trap

In such places I install mole traps, which I make on the basis of a plastic tube with a diameter of 75 mm and a length of 200-300 mm. I install doors at both ends of the tube that can only open inward. In the upper part I drill a group of holes with a diameter of 10 mm. These holes are needed to observe the caught prey.

The end of the mole trap is shown in Fig. 2 (position a). The door is made of tin. In the upper part it has ears with holes for installing an axis (nail). The door has an oblong shape; when installed in the tube, it is in an inclined position, and its lower end rests on the floor (position b), which does not allow it to open outward.

Before installing a mole trap, it should be freed from odors that may frighten a sensitive mole. To do this, rinse the pipe in lye (in a solution of stove ash), and then bathe it in a solution of soil from the arable land (in liquid mud).

The mole trap is installed in our groove opposite the hole and covered on top with a thick black rag (the holes in the upper wall of the tube are covered). The rag should not have any foreign odors; it should also be dirty with dirt.

To remove a caught mole from the trap, the nail (Fig. 2a) is pulled out and the door opens outward.

During daily walks to observe the prey, it is enough to lift the rags without removing the mole trap from the ground. If prey is discovered, it is recommended to injure it through the mentioned holes using an awl or screwdriver. Without this, a strong mole released from the trap can scratch your hands and run away.

In the green zone

The green zone is the main habitat of moles, where their family nest is located at a depth of 0.5 to 1 m. To protect the area along the perimeter of the green zone (near the fence), it is necessary to dig protective ditches. Here this work is more labor-intensive than on arable land. But this is a one-time thing. The grooves will last for many years to protect against new mole infestations.

After this, it’s worth working as a cultivator. But there is no need to plow deeply. It is enough to carry the unit around the green zone in the transport position. The wheels of the cultivator do not have a motor drive; the transmission only rotates the cutters, due to which the cultivator moves itself; it only needs to be supported. As a result, only shallow marks are left on the green zone from the impacts of the cutter blades. But if there are a lot of mole “volcanoes” somewhere, then it will be useful to use a cultivator to level the area.

In general, you need to develop a scheme to bypass the green zone, identify places where you should make noise longer, etc. Gasoline consumption by the Fermer FM-633M cultivator during plowing is approximately 1.4 liters per hour, and at idle it will be significantly less . Please note that driving around the green zone with a cultivator in transport mode takes a little time.

After completing the one-time noise procedure, you need to bypass the traps installed in the grooves around the arable land. Is there any loot in them?

Then it is worth inspecting the new grooves on the outer border of the green zone. If traces of moles are found here, then additional traps must be installed. Then, the next day, the noise detour of the green zone must be repeated and the traps must be inspected again. This way you will be able to completely get rid of moles on the site.

DIY mole trap - drawing

A gas-powered mower can also be used as a mole repeller. In this case, you will use gasoline, as usual, to mow the grass, and get rid of moles as a by-product, as if for free. But the effect may be less than with a cultivator.