Moles Bloomin' Moles

I do sympathise, having had a year battling against badgers in my garden. It's a real problem when you see all your hard work being ruined. Is it an old wives' tale, or does holly in the mole-holes deter them?

It is so disappointing when your planting is ruined. In my neighbourhood, cats dig up newly planted flower-beds and use them as a toilet... It seems wherever you live, something will attack... moles, cats, badgers ....

There are a darn pain!
I had a client that had mole hole in her grass every day, so at least once a week she was out there with a bag of potting soil filling the holes. However, that just allows them to did again in the same place. I suggested she but something down the hole first before the soil. Something like rocks or a soda can or a soda bottle or something that they can't did through. At least that might deter them in the long run. She said it helped. Duno about the borders though. If you can did down far enough you could lay some chicken wire then put the soil back and plant. Perhaps do a little by little then as time goes by it will over lap. Other than something like that I haven't hear of anything working. Best of luck.

Thanks for the sympathy. I know moles are supposed to be haemophiliacs and won't take chances on being scratched but they don't seem to worry about briars (I've tried). I also heard that predator pee works (mine didn't).

I don't like killing anything but the spring traps are instantaneous and the alternative is the garden disappearing down a molehole.

Poisoned worms worked but are banned now (Quite rightly) The only way is the trap but you really must do it right, they have a good sense of smell. I've put dog poo in the entrance of a rabbit hole with success, maybe it would work on Moles.

Heron,
The traps work when I set them but, as I said, I'm a reluctant killer.

I keep hoping they'll go away on their own but, of course they don't. The cat kills a few but, as she won't eat them, I'm sure her heart's not in it. I tried her poo down the holes but that didn't work either. A really hard winter might cut down the population but who knows?

We had the blighters back in 2003, whilst the cats did catch one or two, we were advised to stick plastic bottles down the holes, but they always made new ones. Solution..... If you can still get it, and its a big IF, creosote, rags covered with the stuff put down the holes. Someone also suggested parrafin soaked rags.
On the up side, you cannot get better quality topsoil, nice and fresh made by Mr. Mole.
Happy hunting. :0))

we get them as well. last year they were every where this year they came up my raised beds and dug up the toms .i put the hose pipe down them .

There is only 1 sure fire way of getting rid of Moles, trapping.
I use live catch traps, scissor traps and duffus (tunnell) traps, I have been controlling pests in excess of 20 years professionally and NO old wifes tales methods work
Remeber if you use a live catch trap you have a live Mole to dispose of, Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) says you are not allowed to re-locate a wild animal.
This is not a sales pitch, but I amone of the best trappers of wildlife around !!
Owen W
www.greenpestco.com

Ozyorkshire

Thanks for that. I use french sissor traps and they do work. I, initially, bought an expensive 'expolsive' trap. The first five times I set it it worked but, afterwards, the moles triggered it but escaped.

I now set the 'springers' back-to-back in pairs in the runs and they usually kill.

why carnt u relocate them ? we are haveing probs wth stotes killing our hens they had 7 in a month

Stoats can be a problem, they killed 2 of my hens a couple of weeks ago, I got rid of them with a trap.
Regarding Moles, there is a live catch trap, I show the bugger I bury them alive when I catch one in the trap..................................think about it !
Live catch mole traps on my site

Cristina..The trouble with re-location is that you just pass the problem to someone else.
However, Ireland might be a good place to send them.

PS...I completely eradicated them from the meadow a week ago. Guess what? They're back.

Certainly glad that the indiscriminate use of poisons and gases has been either banned or many people have become concerned about its effect on other wildlife.

Yes can appreciate there are circumstances when wildlife can reach pest proportions and dont think any of us would welcome hoardes of rats around our homes.In such situations any eridication should be done humanely and whilst Ozyorkshire incorrectly quotes the Wildlife and Countryside Act ,Schedule 9 relates to non native or endangered species being relocated ( the courts would be full of small children bringing home tadpoles for their ponds otherwise ) It would also be illegal to sell humane animal traps as surely the intention is not to kill but remove ? .. he also seems to have missed the 1996 Wild Mammals Act .

Whilst it acknowledges that certain animals may be trapped under license and there may be circumstances under which legal eridication results in unintentional suffering ..it goes on to list a range of circumstances including asphyxiation with intent to inflict unnecessary suffering to ANY wild animal , as an offence.

His website also claims to trap Corvid birds such as magpies but it is illegal to kill them so surely these must be relocated ?Larsen traps are recommended but for those who may wish to read an alternate view please see www.againstcorvidtraps.co.uk .More old wives tales ?

I have thought about it and catching a mole in live trap then burying it would certainly qualify regardless of your views on them someone was recently prosecuted by RSPCA for drowning a grey squirrel.Doesnt matter what your personal views are these are not some harebrained ( no pun intended ) ideas concocted by groups of treehuggers , they are legislative procedures to prevent cruelty.Ozyorkshire seems to be picking out the bits he feels suit his particular occupation ..none of it justifies further mistreatment whatever he traps and catches.

Yes Expats they have been shot gassed poisoned trapped and yet they still march on ..and none of the old wives tales work either ?

I worked on large country house hotel surrounded by farmland and the old 9 hole golf course was almost abandoned due to mole damage.The farmers had tried every legal and most illegal ways of eradication , to no avail.

One autumn / winter I removed over 600 hills and placed holly deep inside the run you have to trace inside with a broom handle and locate the direction they are tunnelling from its quite easy to follow round till the broom handle slides freely when pushed indicating the tunnel - then push holly into the run itself , placing inside the hill or their exit hole will not work.This effectively created a barbed wire barrier around the grounds as you said they will avoid any risk to cutting their noses as the excessive amount of blood vessles in it prevents clotting.A nose bleed is quite literally fatal to them .

My experience they didnt push past but reversed and tried to dig in another straight line.There was no evidence of hills being created beyond where I had stopped them or to the left or right in an attempt to go round corners.The hills re appeared as starts of fresh runs back at the border not suddenly in middle of lawns it seemed fairly straight forward to detect the direction from which they were coming from and insert barriers each time a hill appeared.Perhaps it was me but could sense them retreating and certainly felt I had restricted their progress successfully.

They are good swimmers and often build their nests close to streams any streams or lakes near you ? but higher above the water table in a mound .
Damp areas and those prone to flooding are a favourite they are territorial and defend areas aggressively against others but areas overlap so if one eridacted another quickly knows that area is free to use.

I found a mole fortress ( nest ) dug a trench all around it buried the holly and ensured their only means of escape was over the stream and to farmland beyond.Yes this may be moving the problem elsewhere but worked on the theory thats that where they were coming from so please have them back !

My father worked for the Forestry commission during 50s and 60s when almost every toxin available was used on them ..this was his preferred method as he realised eridication futile and unsafe.It didnt stop them of course but did protect cultivated areas .

Obviously fresh hills appeared but as this was repeated they seemed to give up and move on to easier areas to dig.Its quite OK if you think this an old wives tale but has killing them worked ?

Bonkersbon's ...I read your posting with interest; holly obviously worked for you; however, as I said in an earlier post, I have tried stuffing the runs with briars, to no avail. I do kill them, but reluctantly, and the 'springers' are as humane as any method.

I don't wish to get drawn into any discussion of the rights, and wrongs, of my actions so let us 'agree to differ'.

I don't believe Ozyorkshire's remarks about, "Burying them alive," should be taken literally. A 'Brer Rabbit' plea of, "Please don't throw me in the briar patch," comes to mind.

OK Expats you asked for ideas but have obviously drawn your own conclusions prior to posting .I m not naive I began my reply by acknowledging there are circumstances under which pest controllers could be called upon.

Its not a method I would choose in these circumstances but having done so it should be conducted humanely .. my objections were clearly aimed at the suggestion Ozyorkshire was not undertaking this.Also the misquoting of information ie that all animals must be disposed of if trapped as illegal to relocate them.

His web site also advocates the use of bird traps cruel in the extreme , sorry but to post such contentious issues is always likely to have unfavourable responses.So forgive me if I seem to have had a sense of humour by pass .

You yourself stated that following trapping they have returned and that was the point I was trying to make .I tried to give a balanced reply based upon my own personal experiences.

Happy to agree to differ did you not think someone might prior to posting this ?
You ve had the pest controllers opinion which seems to satisfy you but there are alternate views and I was expressing one of them.

Bonkersbon ... There have been several alternate suggestions put forward; most of which I have tried, without success, over several years. Thankyou for yours.

Bonkersbon has an opinion, dont we all, I have been a pest controller 20 plus years, but I will always listen, as for Corvid traps they are, in my opinion , the best and most humane method of getting rid of Corvids, we shall agree to differ
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