Chased Away The Mole - Left Without Strawberries

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

How I fought moles on the site

In connection with the active propaganda for the destruction of moles, which has recently been carried out in many horticultures, I also decided to fight these mammals from the order of insectivores in my garden plot. I fought with different methods, but the mole bypassed all my traps, laying its new passages under the beds with garden strawberries.

The strawberries were planted in two rows on each bed. The bushes were between one and three years old. But the mole seemed to mock me. He laid his roads underground in all the beds between the rows of my favorite berries. On these roads, he walked in one direction and the other. At the same time, small piles of earth appeared on the beds, and when the bushes were watered, the earth collapsed. However, due to the fact that the roots of the strawberry bushes were below the path of the mole, it did not damage the roots, and this did not affect the harvest. Therefore, I collected large harvests of juicy berries every year.

× Gardener's handbook Plant nurseries Stores of goods for summer cottages Landscape design studios

Since I really love garden strawberries and value new varieties, I nevertheless decided to drive the mole out of the berry plantation. In the fall, I planted garlic in all the beds on the paths of the mole, which, as mentioned above, were between the rows of strawberry bushes. The garlic was planted at the bottom of the mole passage. The distance between the lobules was five centimeters.

The mole did not like the smell of garlic so much that the next spring it did not appear on the strawberry plantation. I was delighted with this, and began to wait for the time when the strawberries will ripen the berries, hoping for a huge harvest.

I soon noticed that some of the previously healthy strawberry bushes began to wither quickly. True, at first I thought that I did not water them enough, and therefore they wither. But soon all the bushes in the beds, from which the mole left, wilted. Having dug out one of the strawberry bushes, I saw with horror that it had almost no roots left! And the remaining root was eaten by the fatty larva of the May beetle - crustacean! There were so many crumblings in the ground that all the roots of the strawberry bushes were eaten. As a result, almost all of my berry plantation was destroyed by the beetle larvae!

Previously, when the mole walked between strawberry bushes, it did not feed on plant roots (as many gardeners think), but on larvae harmful to berry bushes. According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, moles feed on: "… mainly earthworms, as well as insects and their larvae (including scoops, click beetles and May beetles)."

Only out of ignorance or in connection with the noisy propaganda that is conducted from year to year for the destruction or scaring away of moles, many summer residents try to drive them out of their plots, not even suspecting what harm they will bring to their cultivated plants if the mole leaves their land.

After all, having chased away the mole, which, it turns out, “protected” my strawberry bushes from the crunchy, I was left not only without a harvest of berries, but also without the berry bushes themselves.

The only consolation for me was that instead of harvesting garden strawberries, I got a large harvest of garlic.

× Notice board Kittens for sale Puppies for sale Horses for sale

Now I treat the moles with respect. I do not drive them out of my garden plot, I give them the opportunity to destroy beetles and other pests that are in the ground.

And so that moles do not climb under the beds where annual crops with a small root system grow, I began to prepare these beds thoroughly: during digging, I collect May beetle larvae. If they are not collected in time, they will have time to crawl back into the ground and give good food to the moles, which will surely make moves under the beds. Thus, the roots of the plants you planted will be without soil, which will lead to their drying out and the death of the plants. If there are few or no beetles or other harmful insects that moles feed on, then the moles will not crawl under your beds with plants, but will look for food in other places where there are many different pests.