Does anyone have any experience with trying to entice stone martens away from your loft so that you can then seal up any access? Would also love to know of any pest control experts in the Vienne (86) that might be able to assist.
I've heard that they are protected in France but would like to get them out of the loft as safely as possible.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can assist!
A sonic device is usually one note so it might be annoying (effective) to beasts for a period of time but eventually they ignore it, whereas white noise is constantly changing pitches so it will be annoying (effective for longer.
With regard to sonic devices, it might prove more effective if you use it for a week or so, then switch it off for a week or so, their stress levels will hit the roof as they never know when it will start or stop.
There is a professional device available "Black Terrier" but it's expensive at 400€+VAT.
The BLACK TERRIER diffuser is a transducer emitting acoustic vibrations at a frequency of 15,6 KHz (within the human audibility limit). Two versions are available: either 84 dB(A) or 90 dB(A) acoustic pressure.
BLACK TERRIER drives away and prevents the return of mice, rats, bats and dormice inside electrical panels, electrical cabins, false ceilings, under floors, cable pits and tunnels.
BLACK TERRIER is composed of a flameproof plastic box - containing the electronics – and a cylindrical water-resistant brass bell which generates the vibrations.
BLACK TERRIER is designed in compliance with:
Designed and entirely manufactured in Italy, the BLACK TERRIER system is PATENTED.
This forums pest expert corrected my radio Inter suggestion, by saying de-tuned (white noise) may be more effective - but it was interesting to read someone elses comment which led me to believe that the sonic thingies really seem to work... I'll give it a try in a barn one day
They have to get into and out of the roof every day for food and water unless the source is in your attic. We had great success in getting them out of our loft with identifying their access / exit point. They were running along the top of a garden fence then shimmying up a creeper to the roof then along the roof / a gutter then squeezing under an attic dormer and into the attic. Luckily our house was very tall, the walls were relatively smooth and there were no trees near enough for them to continue to launch themselves from so we had the creeper cut well back so there was a very big gap between the top of the creeper and the roof and that solved the problem. They couldn’t go directly up a vertical wall to get to the roof over the new bigger distance between the top of the creeper and the roof. However if your roof is low to the ground or handy for walls / trees and / or fences that you can’t remove then you don’t have that option.
They are protected but you can call in a person approved by the Department to trap them if they are deemed to be a nuisance. (Ours turned up with a cage of fox cubs in his van)!
Ah - my France Bleu Périgord was obviously not untuned enough.
The music one made me laugh. We had fouines in the loft of our gites so, living far enough from the neighbours I was able to put the radio on, turn up the volume and leave it that way on a timer 24/7. I think the fouines just hunkered a little more under the duvet (sorry insulation). Perhaps I should have had my current dog on the job.
At one stage we had about 15 of them when we went down one Easter i am afraid this was the only solution to reduce their numbers and it is a very humane way of killing them as opposed to poisoning.
If all methods for safe removal have been attempted and they are causing a problem/risk to one's well-being, then one has no choice but to take more drastic steps.
The same rule applies to most wild animals, and bees [in chimneys].
The law is perfectly grey!
Thank you! I had a look and found it.
I understood that they are protected and you should not kill them. Is this not true?
don,t bother with the mothballs we took hundreds of the things down to our house and put them in all the lofts and they did not do a thing just made the house smell.We tried the sonic route and that did not work either,we have found the best way to kill them is electronic rat traps,but having said that the martins are supposed to kill mice and snakes so we have decided to put up with a few of them for now.
"like"
Firstly if you do manage to catch it, please contact me asap, I have a film crew waiting to get hold of one so they can film it...it will be "trained" to make a nest in a car. In a humane environment.
You can trap it by finding it's point of entry and placing a fox trap, using nutella, eggs, lardons, apples, dead chicks (any of the above) as bait, leave water in the cage as well. The trap must by law be inspected at least once a day. If you have the trap on the ground, watch out of hedgehogs.
Traps can be bought from agro shops for about 30€
With regard to the radio trick, white noise, so un-tune the radio.
Bonne chance
Rob
"If they throw them back, run!" - brilliant. That made my morning. Thank you Jan. Rod Stewart had them moving out? Pft, no taste these pesky rodents.
We had pine martens in our attic in Lassay ,Mayenne. The house had been completely plasterboarded upstairs so they got in the roof then were running around . We put in the sonic rodent repellers and they seemed to work for a while. Also the moth balls. I got my very tall brother in law to ascend a taller ladder to reach our very small unusable loft .When he got to the top he asked what to do with the mothballs. 'Throw them all over the space 'said I, "And if they throw them back -Run!" As I stated previously the sonic repellent worked to keep them in my neighbours side for quite a while until one day it was left unplugged (for vacuuming purposes) . That night my husband and I heard the pitter patter of not so tiny feet from the attic above. . He jumped out of bed and plugged the device back in , What ensued was the terrified creatures started running up and down the length of the loft ,under the floor and round and round the walls in an effort to escape the noise , Making a terrific racket . Two equally terrified humans did the same ,running down stairs and cowering on the landing. Any moment I expect a creature to come bursting through the wall leaving a giant pine marten shaped hole a la Tom & Jerry!
Needless to say peace ensued for another year or so until the sonic device conked out. The martens returned and I resorted to playing Rod Stewarts greatest hits very loudly on repeat before we went to bed (very thick walls and a very deaf neighbour made sure no one else was disturbed !) until a new device was purchased.That did the trick . So it seems noise is the answer. (The story of how we identified the martens and purchasing mothballs is another story,)
Good luck
Mothballs have worked for me...but BEWARE two years later I still had the repulsive smell of mothballs in the car.
Not advisable.............:)
You are very, very welcome. Good luck and let us know the result.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I appreciate the assistance.
Hopefully these ideas will work for us!!
You can get the anti-fouine spray on Amazon, I've just checked - they even have different sorts. Lots of them are called Marter or anti-Marter because Marter are martens, in German. Mothballs are good but you might need lots, I don't know how big the grenier is, they wouldn't be worth it in mine, for instance.