does a compost bin attract moles?
I started a compost bin about 12 months ago, all of a sudden a big mole mound came up right by the side of the bin, is this due to the bin or just coincidence? I’ve never had moles in the garden before.
In fact, it does attract the moles (amongst other critters). A compost bin uses worms to break down waste into useful dirt/or/ attracts worms which help to break down your waste. Moles primarily feed on these sorts of creatures (worms, grubs, etc) so naturally, when an area has a large concentration (larger than you would find tunneling through the dirt coming across one here and one there) of these creatures you become drawn to it.
One great way to stop this is to put hardware cloth or chicken wire on the bottom of your compost bin and anchor it well with the sides of your bin. From my experience, this is a sure fire mole/rascal deterent as darling hubby and I run a worm farm with outdoor bins where stopping these creatures is a neccesity.
Another good thing to do is to put gravel 6" beneath the hardware cloth/chicken wire and 3"-6" above. These acts as a deterent to moles and helps to keep your worms from escaping. The gravel is abrasive to the tender skin of the mole and likewise for the worms. Worms will crawl out during a rain or tunnel down during the day for cooler soil and generally you want to keep them in your compost bin or it takes a very long time for your waste to decompose naturally.
Hope this helps! Happy composting!!
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October 4th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Moles are predators, "swimming" through the soil searching for insects, worms, and other prey. Mole mounds are like miniature volcanoes, with dirt pushed up from a hole in the center of the mound. Gophers, which eat vegetation, tend to have their hole to the side of the mound.
Most compost piles seem to have a lot of worms in them, so an increase in the worm population around the compost pile may have attracted the attention of a hungry mole. Since you have never had moles before, and after creating the compost pile they showed up, it sure sounds like they are connected.
References :
October 4th, 2009 at 9:28 am
In fact, it does attract the moles (amongst other critters). A compost bin uses worms to break down waste into useful dirt/or/ attracts worms which help to break down your waste. Moles primarily feed on these sorts of creatures (worms, grubs, etc) so naturally, when an area has a large concentration (larger than you would find tunneling through the dirt coming across one here and one there) of these creatures you become drawn to it.
One great way to stop this is to put hardware cloth or chicken wire on the bottom of your compost bin and anchor it well with the sides of your bin. From my experience, this is a sure fire mole/rascal deterent as darling hubby and I run a worm farm with outdoor bins where stopping these creatures is a neccesity.
Another good thing to do is to put gravel 6" beneath the hardware cloth/chicken wire and 3"-6" above. These acts as a deterent to moles and helps to keep your worms from escaping. The gravel is abrasive to the tender skin of the mole and likewise for the worms. Worms will crawl out during a rain or tunnel down during the day for cooler soil and generally you want to keep them in your compost bin or it takes a very long time for your waste to decompose naturally.
Hope this helps! Happy composting!!
References :
Personal Experience; Homegrown Organics Worm Farm