A natural garden doesn't mean that a cheeky marten can dance all over you. This guide is intended for hobby gardeners who are wondering: What helps against martens in the garden? Read here well-founded tips on how to recognize the robber, chase them away successfully and prevent them effectively.

Martens can cause great damage

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Do martens dig holes?
  3. Recognizing martens - how?
  4. Useful or harmful?
  5. What to do?
  6. prevent martens
  7. frequently asked Questions

    8. the essentials in brief

    • Martens usually do not dig holes in the garden and do not dig in the bed.
    • Nocturnal martens can be recognized in the garden by their droppings, an intense smell of excrement and scent marks.
    • Catching with a live trap is only permitted for authorized hunters and certified exterminators, because martens are creatures worthy of protection and are subject to hunting law in Germany.

    Do martens dig holes in the garden?

    Different culprits cause small and large holes in the garden. Martens are not included. Mice, rats, earthworms and other underground garden dwellers are on the stone marten's menu. Of course, the predator prefers nocturnal hunting on the surface. Martens are very shy and prefer to keep an eye on their surroundings, which is not guaranteed when digging holes in the ground. You only dig when you have to break into the chicken or rabbit coop.

    When home gardeners struggle with holes in the garden, other culprits are targeted. Rabbits, rats and hedgehogs primarily dig small holes. The mole and vole pile up a mound of earth over the hole. Foxes and badgers are responsible for large pits as dangerous tripping hazards.

    How can you spot martens in the garden?

    Young martens in particular are actually quite cute, but they also cause a lot of damage

    Beech martens are nocturnal, extremely shy, responsive and agile. These characteristics make a direct encounter with a marten in the garden during the day a rare occurrence. If hobby gardeners suspect the presence of a small robber in their green kingdom, various telltale signs come to the fore. The following table lists important identification features for the presence of a marten in contrast to cats, weasels and raccoons:

    Recognize in the garden marten cat weasel racoon
    droppings (size) 1-2 cm thick, 8-10 cm long 2 cm thick, 3-4 cm long 0.5-1cm thick short
    droppings (form) sausage-shaped, twisted tip elongated, smooth twisted, long tip in heaps
    excrement smell intense, uncomfortable severe intense, uncomfortable piercing
    noises (seasonal) hiss, scream, rumble hiss, howl barely audible growl, squeak, squeak, screech
    scent marks foul-smelling glandular secretion mild, fetid when repeated Marten-like smell Musky

    The hardest part is distinguishing between martens and weasels. The animals are botanically related and share a similar lifestyle. For garden, home and car owners, the most important difference is that weasels don't rumble in attics or gnaw on car wires.

    Recognize marten excrement

    Sharp eyes and a good nose are required if you want to track down a marten in the garden. Aside from the shape and size of the droppings, beech marten droppings are distinguished by recognizable pips, feathers and hairs. Any remaining doubts are dispelled by a foul odor exuded by marten droppings. In contrast, cats bury their excrement so that an odor is rarely noticeable. Raccoon droppings are said to have a not so strong scent of musk.

    Noise as a seasonal indicator

    For most of the year, martens are solitary and do not make any noise. Only during the mating season do nocturnal territorial battles in the garden cause a tumult. When male martens fight for the lady of their heart, similar fighting noises are heard as in cats, but louder, more deafening and shrill. Thunderous rumbling in the garden house (€24.90) or barn reveals that a female is raising her offspring here, which is always associated with a row with the Marder family. There is a risk of confusion with raccoons, which brazenly break into the house at night and plunder the pantry.

    scent marks

    As territorial animals, martens are equipped with a gland that produces a secretion to mark their territory. A marten marks its territory in the garden almost all year round with the intensely smelling secretion. Both males and females use this strategy, which is unpleasant for human noses. Cat scent marks only attack the human sense of smell when a repeat offender is at work. When weasels mark their territory with scents, a faint, marten-like odor is recorded.

    Are martens useful or harmful in the garden?

    Anyone who has chickens in the garden should be afraid of martens

    Martens don't dig in the garden, don't dig holes, don't eat plants and only eat berries or fruit occasionally. On the contrary, omnivores mainly eat small mammals and rodents, such as mice, rats, frogs or moles. Insects, cockchafer larvae and earthworms are not spurned either. A number of pests fall victim to the marten, which the natural gardener appreciates and welcomes the nocturnal hunter as a beneficial creature.

    The flip side of the coin is a big appetite for chickens, ducks and pigeons. Many people blame the marten for their fondness for poultry of all kinds and regard the predator as a pest. Serious damage caused by martens in the garden is always to be lamented when livestock is kept in addition to the cultivation of plants.

    digression

    Make your car marten-proof

    While martens are actually useful in the garden, the little robbers cause millions of dollars in damage to vehicles every year. To prevent the nocturnal predators from attacking your car, the NABU (Nature Conservation Union) recommends placing a wooden frame with wire mesh (€14.99) under the parked vehicle. Close-meshed wire mesh causes painful torment for small marten paws. Regular car and engine washes remove the scent marks that martens use to mark their territory and remember the way to the vehicle. A special deterrent spray, which protects cables and hoses from bites for six to eight weeks and then has to be refreshed, promises help against engine damage caused by a car marten.

    Marten in the garden - what to do?

    Martens are creatures worthy of protection. The Federal Nature Conservation Act confirms what animal-friendly hobby gardeners have been doing for a long time. Chasing away and keeping away is allowed, harming health or killing is taboo. Various non-toxic options and home remedies are available to forcefully compliment those naughty little critters from the garden. This is what to do if you want to get rid of martens:

    fragrances and bitter substances

    • chili powder: Scatter where excrement was found and renew regularly
    • Fighter: Distribute leaves and whole shoots in the garden
    • vinegar: wet the garden soil with a spray bottle (avoid contact with plants)
    • essential oils: Spray tea tree oil and similar fragrances or let them flow out of open bowls

    home remedies

    • toilet blocks or mothballs: lay out in the garden, on the terrace or balcony
    • human or cat hair: collect when combing and distribute at suspect marten locations
    • urine: spraying human urine in the garden

    A panacea against martens in the garden has no home remedy to offer. The use can achieve short-term success, but is of course associated with various disadvantages. Above all, the cost factor should not be underestimated, because the duration of effectiveness is limited.

    Manual methods

    Live traps are a very humane way of catching martens

    The local hunter promises effective help against martens in the garden. As an expert, he knows how to catch wild animals with a live trap as gently as possible. Furthermore, professional exterminators are permitted to capture martens and release them into the wild at a suitable location. There is a strict closed season, which extends from March 1st to October 15th.

    The water bottle method for chasing martens out of the garden or car is controversial. Since the remedy costs little and works without chemicals, a try can be worthwhile. Fill some PET bottles two-thirds full with water. Hang and place the water bottles in suspicious locations. Why martens flee from bottled water has not yet been clarified.

    tips

    If you chase a marten out of the garden, the house should not offer the fugitive any hiding places. In the attic or in the basement, the night owl makes itself unpopular as a poltergeist. Seal all openings larger than 5 cm in diameter with wire mesh, plaster or concrete. Wrap a marten defense belt around tree trunks near the house to block the climbers' way into the house.

    Preventing martens in the garden - tips & tricks

    The piss off plant also keeps martens away

    Martens are cunning predators, skilled climbers and can jump up to 2 meters high. When beech martens invade a garden, they make short work of ducks and chickens. It is advisable to secure the site from stone martens before the poultry move in. The following preventive measures offer protection against a marten in the garden:

    • Fence the garden with a close-meshed wire fence up to a height of 250 cm and a depth of 80 cm
    • Enclose site with a mixed hedge of thorny barberry (Berberis julianae), holly (Illex), hawthorn (Crataegus) and dog rose (Rosa rugosa)
    • Set deterrent plants, such as the legendary piss-off plant (Plectranthus ornatus)
    • Bring livestock to a burglar-proof barn every evening

    Martens are not only shy, but also resentful. Place motion detectors with water sprayers in the garden. The device locates the robber and shoots a short, powerful jet of water in his direction. Her uninvited nocturnal guest does not forget this horror and henceforth avoids the premises.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are martens dangerous in the garden?

    If a marten has chosen your garden as its new home, its presence does not pose any immediate danger to humans. Unlike cats or raccoons, neither the animal nor its droppings transmit dangerous diseases. However, the presence of the predator does not end well for chickens, ducks, rabbits and birds. If you can tell from the evidence that a marten is in the garden, you should protect cages and enclosures and chase the intruder away. Trapping is an option under the direction of a hunter or certified exterminator only during winter.

    We have a dead marten in our garden. What has to be done now?

    If a marten dies in your garden, please contact the nearest rendering plant. Neither the public order office nor the police or hunters are responsible for stray, dead small animals. Instead of having the carcass picked up at your own expense, most local authorities allow it to be disposed of in the dustbin.

    tips

    Ultrasonic devices only achieve short-term success if you want to get rid of martens, mice and other uninvited guests in the garden. In practice it has been found that the clever fur wearers wait at a safe distance for the noise to end and then return. In the worst case, the animals become deaf as a result of the ultrasonic noise, which is a high price to pay for the nocturnal disturbance.

Category:

Animals in the garden