moles!!

moles seem to be taking over our garden. Don't have any for ages then suddenly 7 in one area and three in another. up 'til now have just cleared the (very nice!) soil away and trod them down but obviously that doesn't work in getting rid of them. Any advice appreciated before we lose all of the lawn.
is there a season for moles?

 

Oh dear... I'd be interested to know what the answer is to this too (other than blowing them up):

 

willow says find the hole that leads to the mole house and when the air pressure changes, they will come up to see whats going on. Then, grab them and keep them as pets!

 

We have had an influx this autumn. I expect they were here all Summer, but burrowed deeper and/or didn't dig up the borders and the lawn!

I trap them. Takes a while, but over the last month I've caught half a dozen or so, and am not seeing the same damage to the beds so I reckon that's all of them.

 

thanks Kristen - are all traps the same? or are some better than others? our farmer neighbour put one of his into where he thought the run was but since then the litle dears have given us another 5 heaps! so obviously it didn't catch it/them. appreciate your input.
Zigs - think you mis-spelt the last word - shouldn't the S be before the T?

 

Fingers crossed that you have resolved the problem Kristin. I'm a bit of a light-weight when it comes to trapping / killing wildlife (not saying I won't do it, but it will bother me loads). And Zigs, as for keeping them as pets (sp?)... my troublesome gsd would devour them in seconds!

 

I've used 4 approaches:

Putting Spurge (some sort of Euphorbia that grows wild) down the runs. Holly too. Waste of time ...

I got one of those noisey things - long-ish vertical spike that you ram into the ground and it is supposed to drive them away. I have a big garden, I couldn't really say if it worked, I suppose they Moles were no longer active in that area but they just popped up elsewhere - maybe they were bored of that area? or maybe the device works?

Traps:

I have used both scissor traps and "tunnel-tubes". Both have worked. I now only use scissor traps, more robust and less specific where you have to put them - the "tunnel-tubes" have to be in a tunnel ... but, having said that, that's where the normal advice is to set the traps anyway.

I have lots of traps, I find its hit & miss, so having more traps improves my strike rate - lets say I've caught about 6 Moles in the last month or two, and I've got 10 traps. So my success rate is not good (otherwise I would have caught them all in a week!), so (cost aside) I would recommend my scatter-gun approach.

I try to find a run (rather than a mole-hill). If they have pushed the ground up along an obvious run I gently push it back down (i.e. half-way back). If its back up again the following day then its in use, rather than a one-off run. I then open it up, put the trap in, and put a bucket over the top to keep the light out (actually usually I use black flower pots with gaffer tape over the drainage holes). I push the soil down along the run (again, only gently - about half-way back) for a foot either side of the trap - so the Mole is having to push the run back open and, hopefully, doesn't notice any difference when he comes to the trigger of the scissor trap.

If there are no obvious runs then its worth trying near a mole hill. Probe around a mole hill (couple of feet away) with a spike until you find where the soil "gives" with the run underneath. Make a hole with a trowel, find the direction of the run, align the trap with that, cover with bucket/pot.

The "tunnel-tubes" I have used have a wire noose and the idea is that the Mole has his head in it before he realises (where he may sense the trigger of the scissor trap before actually setting it off). On mine the springs have bust after a while, whereas the scissor traps have very simple, and substantial, springs so I think they last longer. For sure they will be pretty much instant as they snap shut with significant force, but make sure you check the traps regularly just in case not.

I think it is easier to see if the Scissor trap is "sprung" or not [compared to tunnel-trap] - the handles are either still together (set) or apart (sprung)

I don't bother to wear gloves or anysuch, although I did try to make the traps "mucky" when they were first bought. Burring them in a bucket of soil for a few days may help.

Mole Scissor trap:


Mole Tunnel Trap (also known as Duffus Mole trap)


More info here:
http://www.trapman.co.uk/old-english-scissor-mole-trap.htm

 

good advice, Kristen. I use the scissor traps when we have moles too. Usually we only get one or 2.

The reason why they are prolific this time of year is...(look away if feint of heart lol)...is that their genitals have dropped and they are looking for females.

 

IMHO there's only one way to get rid of a mole.



Well you did ask

 

Why don't we have proper comedians like this anymore.....

 

thanks so much Kristen - very helpful info - have printed it off and will keep it in my garden manual, as well as trying all those things. fingers crossed for success.

 

Thanks for that Shiney... being such a wimp, this is what I'll do .

 

I'll let you know!