Mole and Vole - Who Causes Damage and Who to Protect

The Mole and the Vole - Who Harms and Who to Protect

The mole - is the beneficial one. The one in the black velvet coat. The European mole (lat. Talpa europaea), is a small mammal, an insectivore from the mole family. This genus includes about 13 species. The mole lives in underground tunnels, feeding on invertebrates that it locates using its sense of smell. Moles thrive in Europe and Asia, at altitudes up to 500 meters above sea level. The mole has a cylindrical body covered with dark, velvety and soft fur. It grows up to 18 cm in length. Its most distinctive feature is the front limbs with fused long fingers with strong claws. These digging limbs are pink, just like the mole's snout, which is covered with touch receptors.

The mole feeds on insects. The more familiar "molehills" in the garden, the more lively the life in the soil beneath the surface. The mole feeds only on insects and does not bite plant roots. The mole manages an extensive system of tunnels. The tunnels are divided into the nest and hunting grounds. The nest is approximately 0.5 m below the surface, in a dry location. Tunnels radiate from it like spokes. Above the nesting area there is usually a large mound. The hunting grounds, on the other hand, are under smaller mounds. The tunnels serve to search for food. The mole constantly patrols the tunnels and hunts for food. A mole eats about 100g of insects daily and a female mole 70g. Unlike other animals, the mole does not hibernate; even in freezing temperatures it traverses the network of tunnels searching for food. In case of need, the mole stores captured earthworms, biting off their heads. Mating occurs in early summer, lasting approximately 3 weeks. After mating, the female gives birth to 4-5 hairless young, which nurse for approximately 6 weeks. The mole mother carefully cares for the helpless young and moves them to another location if threatened.

The mole is not a popular prey for many animals due to its musky odor. Its natural enemy is the stork, which waits by the mound and uses its long beak to catch the passing mole, which it swallows alive. The mole also falls victim to buzzards. Occasionally it is dug up by wild boars and badgers.

The mole enjoys hunting - slugs, small mice, woodlice, beetles, spiders, mole crickets, wireworms and other larvae and worms. Slugs feed on crop plants with soft leaves. If the summer is humid and warm, they can multiply rapidly. Small mice destroy bulbs, tubers and roots. Woodlice are not pests; they participate in humus formation. Among beetles, it selects both harmful and beneficial species. From herbivorous beetles that harm plants, the mole selects weevils. The European mole cricket and wireworms of the now rare cockchafer rarely occur in gardens. Among worms, the mole gladly rids us of the dreaded nematodes.

Tip: The mole is an endangered species listed in the Red Book of Endangered Species. Definitely do not kill them. Killing moles is strictly prohibited. The mole is beneficial in controlling many species of harmful insects. It also contributes to soil aeration. If you really mind the mounds it creates in your garden soil, try to "humanely" drive it away. A simple method works well: insert several glass bottles diagonally into the soil. The wind creates sounds in the bottles that are unpleasant for the mole. The mole will therefore prefer to move elsewhere.

How to Tell the Difference Between a Vole and a Mole?

Mole mounds are higher than vole mounds and have a conical shape. Do not uncover or rake mole mounds; the mole will usually dig a replacement deeper tunnel. Moles dig tunnels with an oval cross-section (horizontal oval) about 5cm high and 6cm wide. Roots that extend into the tunnels are left intact.

Voles make flat mounds. If you uncover the tunnel under the mound, the vole will close it. Voles also have oval tunnels, but vertical ones, 6-8cm high and 5cm wide. Inside the tunnel, all roots are gnawed.

The vole - is the one that drives many gardeners to despair. The vole is a herbivore that devours any plant material. The water vole (lat. Arvicola terrestris) is a close relative of the mouse. However, it is larger in size, growing to a length of 12-20cm. The vole's head is large and broad, with a blunt snout. A vole consumes 85-100g of food per day, making it one of the most feared garden pests. If plants are disappearing from your beds, believe that you are dealing with a vole. It first bites off the roots of plants, then pulls the entire above-ground part underground. Tulips, lettuce, and many other species most commonly disappear overnight.

Protecting plants from voles - voles most threaten raised beds with loose soil where you have planted bulbs and tuberous plants. Therefore, protect plants with wire mesh. If you are establishing a bed, think about voles from the beginning and edge the raised bed with mesh; also lay mesh on the bottom of the bed. If voles occur in your garden and you know you have had bad experience with them, protect fleshy tubers and lily bulbs and other plants by placing them in wire mesh. Around the bed, you can also plant plants that repel voles, such as: crown imperial, catnip, garlic (the aromatic substances of garlic repel voles; it can also be planted near the roots of fruit trees, raspberries, roses, among vegetables. Garlic is also suitable against fungal plant diseases), henbane, spurge, black currant, elderberry (place elderberry leaves in vole tunnels), and thuja - you can also place their branches in vole tunnels.

Warning! Protect the mole - The vole creates mounds similar to mole hills. However, unlike moles, these rodents cause significant damage to garden plants. They gnaw at entire underground parts of plants, bulbs, tubers and roots. If a mound appears in your garden, don't hastily set vole traps, as you could kill a mole, which is listed in the Red Book of Endangered Species. Before taking any action, carefully determine which animal you're dealing with.

Vole baits - gel bait works simply and effectively, applied into the burrow where it sticks to the fur of passing voles. Only install vole traps and baits when you're certain a mole won't be caught! When setting vole traps, rub some soil between your hands while wearing gloves. Voles have a very sensitive sense of smell and could be deterred by human scent. If you happen to catch a mole in your traps, release it alive far away from your garden.

Author: Hana Michalíková