The marten is not afraid of us humans. Many drivers have already experienced this. He knows he’s fine around us. The living conditions for the small, nimble hunters are ideal. It is not easy, if not to say difficult, to get rid of such a marten.
Table of Contents
There are gateways everywhere
The smallest gaps are enough for a marten to penetrate the house. He avoids rooms and levels that people regularly use, but quiet corners and especially attics do it to him. Every chance to get on board is used. To get in, the animals sometimes bite through a complete thatched roof. A crack only 5 cm wide or a hole 5 cm in diameter is enough for a stone marten to squeeze through.
The best chance of driving a marten away permanently is not to let it in in the first place. Even if you somehow got rid of your current troublemaker, the next one often comes quickly.
Legal information on marten defense
Despite all aversion to the animals, one should always remember not to harm them. Driving them away is one thing. Hurting them or even killing them is quite another. Legally, martens can only be caught and / or killed by holders of a hunting license. The official hunting season is between October 16 and February 28. However, a permit is generally required for hunting in pacified areas (residential areas). That means, with permission, traps may be set, without not! Closed season is from March 1st to October 15th, during this time only driving is allowed.
What to do with a marten in the attic?
Martens in the attic are a nuisance. They make noise, scream, nibble and trample, sometimes fight turf wars and give birth to their offspring there. Then you have a whole family of martens as sub-tenants.
Here prevention is very important. You have to prevent these shy and nocturnal animals from entering. Older roofs in particular offer ideal entry opportunities for troublemakers. They are not well insulated and sealed. That’s a problem. Now not everyone has the opportunity to bring everything up to date, i.e. to renovate it. If you do that, however, it is important to immediately make sure that everything is sealed. Where there could be a way for the animals, only a close-meshed wire mesh helps, which is built in at the same time.
It is clear that the roof must be sealed. Before that, the martens should be out. To find out where the marten is entering, flour can be sprinkled in the attic. In it you can see the tracks and follow them. The area must be sealed, of course, only when the animal is not “at home”, i.e. mainly at night.
Martens often get into the house through a tree, over branches that reach up to the roof. Sometimes it helps to saw off this branch. However, martens can jump two meters, so you have to remove a bit more.
Drive away martens
There are numerous ways to chase a marten away. They are clever little animals and what works for you doesn’t have to work for everyone. Often you have to try a lot to find a way. In any case, always remember not to harm the clever hunter!
- A hunter can safely capture the marten. That only makes sense in winter, because then the loner also lives alone. A box trap is usually used.
- A marten agent usually fulfills the same function. Experts usually just know how to help each other better than laypeople.
- I have read that generously scattered pepper or clove powder tempted the marten to return to its old territory. But you probably have to distribute fairly high doses.
- Ultrasonic jamming devices work on many martens, but by no means on all. The only way to do this is to try it out. Perhaps you can borrow a device before buying it so that you can test it first. However, many people can also hear the tones and find them annoying. Children are particularly affected.
- Martens find noise uncomfortable. If the radio resounded loudly during the day, it could cause the fellow to warp. Even loud rearrangement, quite regularly and with a lot of noise, can ensure that he donates. However, martens also get used to noise, especially if the attic is nice and cozy for them.
- The same applies to unpleasant smells. The animals get used to that too. It is also uncomfortable for our noses. I would advise against it.
- For us, human or dog hair that is laid out is less uncomfortable. Ferret hair is also recommended. But I have read several times that the martens that were fought in this way did not feel at all disturbed.
- The same applies to toilet stones, perfume or strong-smelling deodorants and perfume oils.
- Special deterrents that are available in stores, mostly against game browsing and the like (e.g. Arbin), have been helpful for a while, but the smell is really unpleasant. The funds also have to be renewed more often.
- Urinating against parts of the insulation or the like in the attic is not a good solution. If you want to try it, here you go.
- Special anti-marten spray and marten oil do not do what they promise.
- It is often recommended to lay wire mesh, like under the car, but who can lay all of their flooring with it?
It really only helps to seal the roof. Everything else usually only brings short-term help.
Martens in the car – what to do?
If the car doesn’t work out the way it should, it could be because a marten has been up to mischief. Axle sleeve, ignition cable, vacuum hoses, nothing is safe from them. Martens are most active and aggressive in May, when their turf wars start, but damage to the car occurs year round. The marten doesn’t want to break anything. He’s just very playful and likes to nibble on everything and is terribly curious. A marten rarely causes harm. The problem is his scent brands, which he sells everywhere, including in the car. If another marten smells this smell, it will freak out. Competition in one’s own territory, something like that is not tolerated. In the absence of the rival, the car is attacked. The marten scratches and bites everything that is not nailed down. He’s causing the damage.
Often you have a “house marten” and it doesn’t break anything. At least that’s how it is for us. We only know about him because we have found a dead mouse or other body parts of animals in the engine compartment several times. They can’t get there alone. We haven’t had any damage yet.
Home remedies
There are dozens of anti-martens remedies available. Some also help, at least for a while, but none of them offer 100% protection. Some are also quite time-consuming. Whether dog, ferret or human hair, whether sprays, oils, mothballs, or toilet stones, none of these agents really work. They also cause pain to our human noses. Which helps quite well, at least that’s what some of the neighbors claim that they are pushing a small-meshed grille (wire netting) under the car. Martens don’t step on them and so they don’t get under and thus into the car. However, this is cumbersome. It works at home, but not when the car is parked anywhere else. Driving around with the grille is one option, but it’s a hassle. But if the marten learns that the part is harmless,
Electric shock eviction
Electric shocks can drive the marten away from the car permanently. The system works in a similar way to a pasture fence. There are also such facilities to drive away other animals. The marten gets a little jolt of electricity on the nose if he pulls it cheekily to see what it is. It hurts less, but he gets frightened. He remembers that. It disappears on the second attempt at the latest. However, it is also the case here that not all martens react that way. There are also masochists among the animals, they don’t mind the electric shocks. However, they are rare.
Such devices are offered by K&K, for example, the entry-level model with ultrasound and power surge for around 85 euros. Similar, but more expensive devices can be found at www.mardersicher.de/prod_mobil.html. They are metal plates that are screwed under the car. When touched, there is a blow. You can of course do handicrafts yourself if you are skilled enough. Plastic pipes from the hardware store into which cables and hoses are laid work as well if done correctly. This is the cheaper option, albeit cumbersome and impossible to implement by the absolute layman.
With brush curtains against intruders
Volkswagen also has a solution on offer for its models. In collaboration with wildlife biologists, they have developed a slightly different defense strategy. Brush curtains ensure that the marten cannot penetrate the engine compartment. They are mounted vertically and horizontally in the area of the steering linkage and the drive shafts in the front wheelhouses. The two and a perforated plate for the front exhaust pipe tunnel area block the martens from entering. According to the manufacturer, the system is reliable and requires little effort to install. It is a perfect fit, purely mechanical, robust, durable, maintenance-free and very animal-friendly. The purchase and installation are often even cheaper than an insurance participation. The brush system is available for most Volkswagen models. The cost is around 150 euros,
Conclusion
As cute as martens are, you don’t want them in the house, even if they “only” live in the attic. The damage that martens can cause to a car is also not a nice thing. The marten has to go. It is important that he is not hurt, he should and may only be scared away. In the case of a car, this is still quite easy with the means and systems listed above. It does cost a bit of money, but in the end it becomes more expensive if you need new hoses etc. every time and there may be repair costs.
Marten repellent with small electrical surges is safe for most of the animals. If you have a marten in the attic, it is usually more difficult and often more expensive. You have to prevent him from entering, nothing else will bring you success. First you have to find out where the animal goes in and out and then everything has to be sealed. Otherwise you won’t get any peace and quiet. Even if you drive away a marten, the next one will be there soon.
