Mouse Weasel

Dear grapelovers,

We are making good progress with our winter tasks in the vineyards, and currently we are focusing on pulling the cut branches out of the vines. We use this wood as building material to create shelter for the small Mouse Weasel. The Mouse Weasel is an effective mouse hunter who helps us to keep the mouse population in the vines in balance. 

The Mouse Weasel is only a little bit bigger than a mouse himself, and he needs to constantly be on the lookout that he himself will not be hunted by the Milans and Bussards that hover above our vineyards. The piles of branches provide him with a temporary shelter, where he can hide until the birds have passed by.

A further benefit of these piles is that they only degrade slowly and they shelter the soil from the rays of the sun during summer. The cooler and more moist soil is then ideal for various microorganisms that live in symbiosis with the vines.  

All the best, Hoss