An underground mammal such as a mole rat, despite its small size, can cause a lot of trouble for summer residents.
As explained by the expert of the online publication BelNovosti, scientist-agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh, this animal causes significant damage to the garden and vegetable garden, since it destroys the roots of plants, harms the beds and disrupts the structure of the soil.
How to identify a mole rat on the site
There are several telltale signs that indicate that a mole rat has taken up residence in your property.
High mounds of earth
While moles throw out soil in small piles, mole flies form high mounds of earth (popularly called mole flies). Their height reaches 15 cm, and the diameter is 40-60 cm. There will be approximately 10 kg of soil in such a pile.
Damaged plants
Moles feed on roots and tubers of plants. If you have started to notice that the bushes growing in the garden, flowers in the flower beds, and vegetables in the beds have started to wither, most likely, the mole has used their roots as a snack.
The moles' most favorite delicacies are carrots, potatoes, beets, bulbous plants and young plants.
Large underground passages
To move underground, mole rats use complex underground tunnels up to 3 meters deep. Their passages are wider and more orderly than those of moles. The upper feeding tunnels are located at a distance of 40-50 cm from the soil surface, and the lower tiers are used by the animals to place a nesting chamber, where mole rats spend the winter. There are also summer nests and compartments for storing food in the dwellings of these animals.
For reference
The common mole rat is a mammal of the genus Mole rat of the order Rodentia, leading an underground lifestyle.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
