What moles eat at their summer cottage and in nature

What moles eat worries all gardeners, gardeners, because it is not always clear whether animals bring benefit or harm. In some cases, the animals benefit the land, loosening the soil, eating harmful insects, in others they cause the death of young trees and root crops. In nature moles can be found everywhere in areas with soft soil, in search of food often settled on human possessions - gardens, vegetable gardens, flower beds.

Common diet

Moles are insectivorous animals.They feed in nature with the same “products” as in the gardens in the country. The main and easily accessible food source is earthworms. Moles dig new labyrinths daily at a depth of 15 cm from the soil surface or use old passages to catch them. Earthworms eagerly eat up the younger generation after a month of growing up.

What moles eat more depends on the fertility of the soil.

• The animals eat the bear, caterpillars, larvae of the May beetle, small insects.
• Moles have an aggressive disposition. Do not disdain carrion, sick rodents, amphibians.
• An underground creature can use a mouse, a shrew, a sick rat, a lizard, a snake, a snake, a frog as food.

On a note!

According to various sources, moles eat potatoes, other root crops, plant seeds, roots, seeds, and grain. These foods can be included in the diet, but not as a main course. It's all about fast metabolism and a brutal appetite. Without food, animals live only 17 hours, do not withstand hunger. In difficult times, they switch to vegetable food, but such nutrition cannot last long.

Diet

Mole Meal

Mole constantly produces food, stored for the winter.It's all about the accelerated metabolism, the food is completely digested 5 hours. The animal formed its own sleep and wakefulness mode with alternation every 4 hours. During the day the animal eats the amount of food, exceeding in volume the weight of the animal itself. During the day, the mole in search of food for good nutrition builds up to 20 new moves. The maze network covers tens of meters. During the day, the mole loosens up to 45 meters of land.

Interesting!

Labyrinths of moles use other underground animals, build their nests in them. Finding such a lodger, the mole can simply tear it.

In depth mole hole it goes up to 2 m, but the optimal location of the main passages is 100 cm. The network of intricate mazes is wide for an unlimited distance. The entrances to the exit on the surface of the earth are marked by bumps of the soil - walkers.

Feed the young

The mating season at moles begins in April, and lasts until the end of May. Pregnancy lasts about 30 days. The young generation is born in June-July. Very rarely a female gives two litters in one season. About 9 babies give birth at a time.

Crumb in the first week of its existence, weigh no more than 5 g, the blind, naked, toothless, absolutely helpless. For 3 weeks, nutrition is exclusively milk. The female carefully cares for them, cares, protects from enemies. At the end of the month, young moles begin to eat worms, larvae, and after 60 days they reach the size of an adult animal, capable of strangling a mouse, a lizard, and a snake.

Winter meals

Mole Meal

With the onset of cold weather, moles do not hibernate, do not go deep underground. The animal is not afraid of cold weather, thick, soft fur protects it from the most severe frosts. The main enemy in winter is hunger.

Zverek the entire warm season makes stocks for the winter. In most cases, these are earthworms. The animal bites its head, puts the prey in a special chamber. In the cold season, the mole continues to dig, searching for beetles, pupae, larvae. Periodically builds labyrinths under the thickness of snow.

Interesting!

The total life expectancy of a mole under favorable conditions is about 5 years.

Harm or benefit

Moles love soft, loose soil, moderately wet. In most cases, they are planted in gardens under shady trees, in nature - on the forest edge, near marshes, in the fields.In early spring, you can see the molehills in the garden.

They eat insects on the summer cottage, which helps people to fight with pests. Moles destroy the larvae of the May beetles, which are difficult to cope with; bearheads, chase away shrews and mice. However, with the intensive construction of passages and tunnels for their own food, they themselves become unwanted guests and with them begin fight on land. During construction, animals violate the root system of trees, interfere with the growth of root crops, any culture.

Although the underground animal feeds on insects in the garden, it can also reduce crop yields and cause significant damage to crops. Scare away moles special means - gas pills, folk remedies, erect trapsstretch networkuse ultrasonic repeller. These are not the pests that need to be ruthlessly destroyed, but it is worthwhile to make them move before the new planting season.