The marten, considered a harmful animal, can destroy crops and flowers in the garden.
Chicken owners fear it for its ravages in henhouses.
To discover
What to plant, sow or harvest in March?
How to recognize a marten?
The marten
(Martes foina
) belongs to the mustelid family, like the ferret, the otter and the weasel.
It is distinguished from the marten, its close cousin, by brown-gray fur, a white plastron which goes down to the front legs, shorter ears with a less marked light border and also shorter legs.
She lives in the countryside, in the forests, but also in the city.
The animal does not hesitate to come into gardens, homes, garages, attics or attics, stables, to feed, protect itself from the cold, or hide.
Finally, unlike other pests, the marten is active only during the night.
Head and body length |
Tail length |
Weight |
Habitat |
40-52cm |
23-26cm |
1.3-2.3 kg |
All types of environments, often close to homes |
What damage can a weasel do?
If the marten is feared, it is because this pest can cause damage outside the house, as well as inside.
The marten is opportunistic, its food is varied.
This animal is carnivorous (rodents, birds) but also omnivorous (insects, berries, household waste, etc.).
It attacks the roots of garden vegetables (green beans) and those of plant bulbs.
In the orchard the marten is also fond of fruit.
She particularly likes apples, cherries but also raspberries, blackberries, sloes and blueberries.
Finally, the henhouse is a very popular place for the marten.
She can easily slip through the fence and enter to eat the eggs laid.
Know that the weasel is an animal that will look, with great patience, for a way to get into the henhouse.
She is able to enter through a hole 5 cm in diameter!
She does not hesitate to kill the chickens when they become agitated, frightened by her presence.
Did you know ?
The weasel has the annoying habit of chewing electrical circuits, ventilation ducts and even the mechanical elements of cars.
How do I know if there is a marten in my garden?
Several visual, audible and olfactory clues allow you to spot the passage of a marten in just a few minutes.
First of all, the animal makes many noises during its activity period.
Then, the marten generally gives off a bad, stubborn odor.
The latter can be reinforced when it marks its territory by urinating.
In the garden, the marten can leave behind droppings that are generally long, twisted and ending in a point.
Finally, the visual clues are the most obvious: animal corpses bleeding and sometimes dragged to their hiding place, chewed cables, vegetables out of the ground, scratch marks in the flower beds...
Good to know
If the marten is installed in the house, it may also scratch or scream.
You will also spot it by its nocturnal runs and its droppings.
Without forgetting its devastation: damaged insulation, displaced objects, etc.
How to get rid of a marten?
This wild animal is on the list of “species likely to cause damage” in the Environmental Code but it is not possible to kill it.
The marten is in fact a protected species.
Also, the only way to get rid of it is to move it away from the garden.
For this, several techniques, without danger for the marten, exist.
Annoying him with an odor
The first solution consists of spraying several places in the garden with a mixture of water and white vinegar, which will disturb the marten and make it leave.
You can also use natural repellents, such as essential oils:
eucalyptus
peppermint
lemongrass
Among the odors that the weasel cannot tolerate is also coffee grounds.
Spread on the ground, it constitutes an effective natural alternative, which is also beneficial for plants and the garden.
Good to know
Mothballs or strong perfumes (eau de Cologne) are also effective in repelling a weasel.
Use unwanted lights
You can also scare the marten away from your garden by using lights and motion detectors, which will scare it away.
You can also use ultrasound to repel it.
Protect sensitive areas such as a chicken coop (or
aviary
)
Here are some simple actions:
A fence with very tight mesh and buried deeply
Sealing gaps in the fence
Plug the slightest hole spotted in the henhouse
Collect eggs from your chickens
Bringing the chickens in at night
Trap the weasel
Finally, you can also capture the animal with a cage trap, which you place near your chicken coop.
To lure the weasel, place an egg in the middle of a bit of straw, this will give it the illusion of being in the presence of a nest.
Once a prisoner, you can then release her into nature, a wood, a forest...
Good to know
Some animal protection associations can lend you a cage trap.