6
A rather charming folk remedy
involves sinking empty bottles
into the ground in the tunnel
area, with the necks sticking up
a few inches. The wind whistling
in the bottles is reported to
disturb the moles enough to
cause them to leave.
Because they create visible
mounds, moles are sometimes
unfairly blamed for plant
damage which is actually done
by voles or shrews, or one of
the other small creatures that
uses the mole tunnels for easy
access to the roots and
tubers on which they feed.
They can also harm above-
ground shrubs and other
plants. Wire mesh around trees,
embedded about 3" into the soil
and rising above normal snow
depth, will prevent some of the
potential damage.
Since they prefer tall grasses
as their habitat, keep unmowed
areas at a distance from
cultivated gardens. When using
mulch, keep it no deeper than 1"-
3". You may have a few more
weeds, but it will make a less
attractive habitat for voles.
Voles make up the largest
part of the diet of many
predators, including owls, foxes,
and snakes. If you provide
habitat that these predators
favor, they will help to keep the
rodent population under
control.
Some people even provide
perches for hawks, using an 8'-
10' pole with a 2'-3' crossbar, to
encourage them to hunt in a
desired area.
Another potential threat to
garden plants is the
woodchuck. You may become
aware of the presence of one
of these “ground hogs" when
you come out one morning to
enjoy your flower bed and find
the blossoms neatly removed
from each plant, leaving a
garden of stems.
Sometimes their underground
burrows can also cause
problems. Fences can help keep
them out of cultivated areas,
but they need to be heavy, at
least 3' tall, and buried a
minimum of 12" under the
ground.
Who doesn’t love a sweet,
furry rabbit. Well, gardeners
trying to save their crops are
often not too fond of them.
Fencing is usually effective.
Planting things that they
don’t like, such as onions and
foxglove, will sometimes keep
them out, assuming that there
are alternate food sources
available.
Providing good food and
habitat away from your garden
plot is the easiest way to save
your plants. They love dill, so a
nice plot of those herbs will
attract them to another part
of the yard.
Brush piles or thickets
should be at least 20 ft. wide
if they are to provide
protection from predators.
Planting something like
blackberry bushes will give them
cover and will give you a
delicious crop. Leaving an
unmowed strip of land along the
edge of the thicket will provide
the rabbits with a healthy food
supply.
This can become a transition
zone between your property
edges (where you plant native
trees and shrubs and
wildflowers, and where you put
brush piles, snags and rock
piles) and your cultivated yard
(including your lawn and garden
plots).
Rabbits don’t like to cross
large, unprotected areas, so
having nice rabbit habitat on
one side of your lawn and your
garden on the other side should
keep the two nicely separated.
Foxes are primarily a threat
to poultry, waterfowl, and
small animals. They will be
noticed especially in the
spring, when the parents are
hunting food for their young.
Exclusion fences like the one
for woodchucks are generally
effective if topped with electric
or net wire.
