How wonderful when there is a reservoir near the house or the dacha. In the hot summer days - this is an undoubted advantage. But even such a harmless good can cause certain problems. For example, a water rat may appear in the garden, let's see how to deal with it.
Description and photos of the pest
Water rat is the largest representative of voles, we suggest to get acquainted with its photo and to consider its description. Belongs to the family of hamsters.
The rodent has a small muzzle and a massive body, its length reaches 25 cm, and the tail - 15 cm. The body is covered with thick hair, and the tail has bristles. Color - gray, red or almost black. 
Features of the life cycle and habitat
It dwells on the banks of rivers, ponds and lakes, and during the flood it overlooks fields, meadows and vegetable gardens. When the water level drops to normal, returns home.
Dwelling water rat settles in the reeds, in the old stumps and on coastal hummocks. This pest can cause significant damage to your garden and garden.
The rat destroys the bark of trees, feeds on vegetable crops, destroys the fertile soil layer with its underground passages. The rodent comes to the surface only in secluded, cluttered places.
Important! Water rats multiply very quickly, over the summer they can produce litter (4-7 pieces each) several times.
What is the harm?
The worst thing about these rodents is that they are incredibly omnivorous. They destroy both the harvest and rhizomes and tubers that grow on the site.
In the autumn period, they are selected closer to people and vegetable gardens in order to obtain easy food. A rodent breaks through shallow underground passages, damaging the soil and plants that occur along its path.
Learn how to get rid of mice, vipers and mole rat from your site.
Voles are often confused with moles, but moles do not eat vegetables, such as carrots, beets and potatoes, and a voracious water rat can destroy the entire crop.
At the same time, thoughtful animals eat up not all at once, but make preparations from small vegetables for the winter, but those that cannot be dragged through their underground passages are destroyed on the spot. 
They are capable of harming plants not only by eating them, but also by plowing the ground and disrupting the growth of the root system of flowers, shrubs and trees.
It’s not so easy to find a place from which a water rat goes to hunt for a harvest, as the animal most often makes outlets in secluded places, it can be heaps of garbage, compost pits, garden plots, on which heaps of branches or stones are located.
How to fight?
A rat that settled on your site can cause enormous harm, and we will try to deal with it. The main thing is not to delay, otherwise you can lose the harvest.
Did you know? The water rat has many enemies, such as ermines, large birds of prey and even pike.
Humane methods
One of such methods is considered to scare away rats with special devices emitting ultrasound. An unpleasant sound irritates the pest's hearing organs, it leaves its home. 
It is believed that rats are able to get used to this sound and return to their homes, so when choosing such a device you should pay attention to the repellents, which automatically change the range and frequency of the sound.
There are popular methods of dealing with these dangerous rodents. Due to the fact that the animal has a very well developed sense of smell, the effect on rats using odors is considered to be quite effective.
In order to take advantage of this option, you will need a rabbit (or other) skin, you need to roll it up, put it in a hole and set it on fire. Because of the strong stink, the rats either choke or leave their homes forever.
You can prepare a mixture of water and ash, pour it into the underground tunnels. On the one hand, this will block the movement of the pest, and on the other, the unpleasant smell will also play its role.
Radical ways
Water vole is quite a cunning animal, therefore methods of dealing with it must be carefully thought out. Radical methods include all kinds of poisons.
Chemicals are best used in the fall or spring, during the breeding season of rodents. It is not enough to simply decompose the poisonous substance in the garden plot, but it is necessary to carefully disguise it.
In the autumn, it is best to add poison to the grain and spread it out before entering the burrows. In the spring of bait is best to make grated potatoes, carrots and pumpkins. Also suitable for masking oatmeal and peas.
Important! Poisonous bait - very toxic, do not resort to this method, if you have pets that move freely around the site.
You can make baits with your own hands, for this you need to take an alibaster or plaster, sunflower oil and flour, mix with a wooden stick until a thick mass is formed and place a container with it at the exit of the hole.
Then observe the integrity of the poison, if traces of the rodent are noticeable, you can fill the paths with soil, while the bait should be left for some time to make sure that all rodents are exterminated.
When using radical methods, it is necessary to consider that the corpses of poisoned animals can be scattered throughout the garden. They must be detected and burned as early as possible so that toxic substances do not penetrate the soil.
How to prevent rats on the site?
The water rat is a cunning and intelligent animal, there are effective methods of how to get rid of it, but it is always much better to prevent a problem than to look for ways to solve it.
It is necessary to always maintain order in your area, as thickets and littered places are excellent for masking the moves of these pests, this is where they develop exits to the surface, which can go unnoticed for a long time.
Surround your plot with a hedge of prickly plants, roses and rosehips are suitable for this purpose.
Did you know? Water rat can be a carrier of the disease tularemia.
Water vole, though not terrible, if you look at the photo, but a very harmful animal, as evidenced by its way of life and description. If you are lucky enough to be the owner of a plot near the reservoir, always keep your finger on the pulse, so as not to give the pest any chance to spoil your garden, flower garden and vegetable garden.
