# Moles - of the garden variety



## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

We have at least one very active little visitor to our garden. You'd think that 2 hunting type (lurchers) dogs, with all their accompanying deposits, might put off the mole(s), but no. We are liked and a home(s) is being made.

Rob has tried flooding the tunnels, but our ground is very soft and it seems to just be soaking away.

So, over to the combined wisdom and many years experience of the good MHF folks. Any ideas on what might be a successful solution?

Lesley


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## claypigeon (May 9, 2005)

a couple of smoke bombs should get rid of it( them)


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

I use traps - the ones that kill them as I've tried the humane ones and I think they are actually quite inhumane as the mole can get caught without escape and panic and die. I've had that happen. About half the time I catch the mole and the rest of the time they clear off as presumably they get fed up with someone interfering with their runs. If you look online you will see instructions about how to lay the traps - I always wear mucky gloves to avoid leaving a scent and I make sure that I remove all loose soil from the run where I've laid the trap. I cover it up so that no light can get in. There are two sorts of traps I use - a semi-circular tunnel shaped one and a scissors type one. Probably had more success with the latter although not so easy to cover it once laid as it sticks out.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Mole traps! Any rural hardware or farming store. Set them properly and you will have a dead mole in 24 hrs. Don't fall for any mumbo jumbo about their sense of smell meaning that they can detect traps etc.

Years ago I came across a website with step by step instructions. Let me know if you want to go down the trap route. Unfortunately strychnine is illegal now.

Dick


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

"Only one way of getting rid of a mole..."






Graham :smile2:


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## iandsm (May 18, 2007)

An old country gent where I live said I should put dog turds down the holes, I worked for me for a good while


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Can't help you at the moment but some years ago we had moles making a right old mess in the garden.

At that time we had about 2 acres and the little beggers seemed as if they were going to put molehills up throughout the whole garden.

We rang a local man, advertised as a *mole catcher*, and he came round.

He took one look at the problem, said to us put the kettle on, he disappeared up the garden and returned about ten minutes later.

"That's the last you'll see of them" he said and drank the newly brewed mug of tea.

Well, he certainly hadn't caught any moles but he was right - we never did see any moles or molehills again.

And he hadn't used any traps, because he didn't bring any, so I'll never know what he actually did - but it was probably illegal.

:wav: :wav::wav:


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

After 20 years of using everything to combat moles, I have come to the conclusion only three things work.
I have had great success with a 16g. shotgun and derived much pleasure when I get one. But if time is short then diesel works very well and they don't come back for 18 months.
A cup of diesel poured into the run or gallery with a funnel and when they surface next, repeat. You gradually move them off your plot.

I do know traps can be effective but it's a skilled art.

Ray.


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

It used to cost me £50/70 every year, until I found out that a neighbour two houses away was a pro mole catcher, now it's free :grin2:


tony


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

KeithChesterfield said:


> Can't help you at the moment but some years ago we had moles making a right old mess in the garden.
> 
> At that time we had about 2 acres and the little beggers seemed as if they were going to put molehills up throughout the whole garden.
> 
> ...


Strychnine!


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## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

Many thanks for the interesting and varied comments. I'm passing it all over to Rob as I feel it's more his domain. Not sure I'd trust him with a shotgun, but I reckon he could handle setting traps - how any do you need to set?

As to dog turds - well, we have plenty of those with 2 hounds running about the garden. I reckon it's the bucket loads of proverbial that Rob has buried that's decomposed and delivered a grub ridden soil that the mole(s) is feasting on.

Will look for smoke thingy too in the hardware shop.

Lesley


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

I think if you're good at it you can probably just put down a single trap so long as you know which the active run is. I tend to put down a couple as I'm not that good! Some people say don't put the trap where the molehill is but find the run and dig into that - that's what I do using a thin stick. I prod the ground around the molehill until I detect where the run is - often it's not a straight line between the molehills. I've also read that it's suggested you leave the dead mole in the run as it deters other moles moving in - no idea if that's true or not.

I've got three separate moles at the moment in various parts of the garden - they are reasonably inactive and I keep hoping they're going to clear off but doesn't look like it. Sun has just come out so I might have a go at them!


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

When the pro catcher called, she laid 6 traps and put upturned plant pots over the exposed metalwork to protect our animals. They certainly worked.


tony


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Traps here too  . Chris keeps an eye for the latest mole hill and targets that. It can sometimes take several attempts.


In the back of my brain there is something about using some kind of urine but I cannot remember any more than that, sorry.


We, too, have a hound. He will take off on a hunt after any living thing, spend hours chasing some poor rabbit round a wood heap, but is a bit of a woos when it comes to digging our a mole. He does, sometimes indicate where one is lurking though  We did have a cat, years ago, that caught the odd mole. Come to think of it we did not have moles until the last cat went! I wonder if that is the answer? I seem to remember that the cat did not eat moles.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

peribro said:


> I've also read that it's suggested you leave the dead mole in the run as it deters other moles moving in - no idea if that's true or not.


Didn't work for me Peter.
I have pushed dead moles down other mole holes and within a day or so they get pushed back onto the surface.
But there is nothing so satisfying as blowing them to pieces after waiting beside fresh spoil for hours.

Ray.


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## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

Right - shopping for a couple of traps tomorrow. We had 3 more molehills today & Rob tried flooding them again, but it won't have an effect with our very soft soil. Why, oh why, does he keep trying something that isn't working? Is that a man thing?

I'll let you know as soon as the little beggar stops tunnelling.

Lesley


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## emmbeedee (Oct 31, 2008)

patp said:


> Traps here too  We did have a cat, years ago, that caught the odd mole. Come to think of it we did not have moles until the last cat went! I wonder if that is the answer? I seem to remember that the cat did not eat moles.


Many years ago we had a country cottage, with a very small garden, so I bought a piece of the adjacent field to enlarge it. Unfortunately moles moved in shortly afterwards.
At the time we had a cat who was a very active hunter. She obviously noticed the mole activity & would go & sit by a molehill, not apparently moving a muscle, for hours on end. Next morning, we would have a present of a dead mole outside the back door. She never attempted to eat the moles - unlike the other small mammals she caught - but she was very effective in deterring them. They never came back whilst we lived there or after the new owner bought the cottage. (The cat stayed with the cottage, as we were moving abroad).
So the answer may be to get yourself a good cat!


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## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

A cat is not an option as we have 2 lurchers who would not like that! There are lots of cats round here, some I think are stray, but moley is not to their taste and there's plenty of other wildlife for them in the fields here.

Lesley


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