[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?

--
Si

In article , $3o&m
says...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?


I have to say I had always wondered what the fuss was about (not having
moles here!) but have recently visited a cousin up near Cambridge who has
moles, heaps are no problem, but walking across her grass was like
walking on a water bed it was so undermined.
What ever you chose to do just bear in mind that as soon as one mole
moves out another will soon occupy the vacant territory, so a sonic
deterant may be worth a go, mixed views on here, from wonderfull, to,
does nothing at all.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Si wrote:
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?

Hope for a really hard winter.

"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?


If you want to get rid of the mole read this before you do anything...

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-cou...ole-review.pdf

It's written by DEFRA the government agengy. We had mole problems for years
and I wasted a lot of money on ultrasonic and other devices that simply
don't work. Then I googled for advice and found this report and other web
sites that say the same thing. Basically the only solution is trapping or
poisioning and if I remember correctly there is no currently licenced poison
for moles in the UK.

I've tried two traps...

sissor traps
http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/88/b0/c21a_1.JPG
and barrel traps.
http://i14.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/c4/8d/b209_1.JPG

I've never caught a mole with the sissor traps but the barrel traps have
been remarkably effective and have eliminated the 7 moles from our garden
and padock (sorry mr Mole but you cause too much damage). Both types are
made from wire and metal and may need adjusting/bending to adjust the
sensitivity/shape There is also a knack to setting them and getting them in
the ground without getting your fingers trapped. The main advantage of the
barrel trap is it has a metal plate that stops dirt falling into their
tunnel when you cover it over.

I got five traps from ebay for a few pounds each . I probably wasted £100 on
ultrasonics and batteries that don't work before I gave up on those. The
DEFRA report make clear why they don't work.

Good luck

"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?

--
Si

Large wooden Mallet and a deck chair, sit at night in said chair and wait
for heap to start to appear then belt with mallet.

We tried the sonic device with no luck, luckily they/it seems to have moved
on this year.

In article , Si says...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?


I've tried virtually all the remedies for getting rid of
moles from traps to poison to gassing to petrol down the
holes etc etc. Frankly the best you can hope for is the
particular mole will move on or die. However, if you are
surrounded by fields as we are, then more moles simply take
their place. They are territorial, so a vacant plot soon
gets a new resident.

I've given up trying to get rid of them now. It just means
putting up with the lawns looking unsightly and having to
walk with caution as the ground is so uneven - a twisted
ankle or a fall for the more elderly being a distinct
possibility.

On the plus side, fresh mole hills contain lots of really
fine soil - ideal for mixing with cheap potting compost
from garden centres for potting on garden plants etc.
--
David in Normandy

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...
In article , Si says...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?


I've tried virtually all the remedies for getting rid of
moles from traps to poison to gassing to petrol down the
holes etc etc. Frankly the best you can hope for is the
particular mole will move on or die. However, if you are
surrounded by fields as we are, then more moles simply take
their place. They are territorial, so a vacant plot soon
gets a new resident.

I've given up trying to get rid of them now. It just means
putting up with the lawns looking unsightly and having to
walk with caution as the ground is so uneven - a twisted
ankle or a fall for the more elderly being a distinct
possibility.

On the plus side, fresh mole hills contain lots of really
fine soil - ideal for mixing with cheap potting compost
from garden centres for potting on garden plants etc.
--
David in Normandy

Give the barrel type traps a go. I've found them very effective (in Belgim
and the UK). See my other post.

"CWatters" wrote in
:


"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared
about 10 days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago.
Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife
but hills all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly
hello from a visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have
to insert a trap in a tunnel and take it far away?


If you want to get rid of the mole read this before you do
anything...

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-cou...tes/reports/mo
le-review.pdf

... The DEFRA report make clear why they don't work.

Indeed. Trapping works, and is easy to do. The tunnels are only a few
inches below the surface and can be readily located. There is usually a
main tunnel with branches; the approx location of the main tunnel can
be seen by the line of molehills and the exact location found by
probing with a pointed stake or similar. Dig out and clear a very short
section [I found a trowel + tablespoon (for clearing the actual tunnel
you have broken into) to be useful].

I used scissor traps very succesfully but YMMV. They were of a
different design to that linked to on eBay and similar to the 'Sure
Grip' design shown he
http://www.moletraps.co.uk/mole_trap_supplies.html
I ordered them by phone from a company advertising on-line (but can't
remember who) - they are readily available in hardware stores, garden
centres etc.

Aside: despite the cuddly image, moles are nasty, vicous, solitary and
cannibalistic creatures. They even eat their own young if they hang
around too long. Indeed, one reason that poison is effective is that an
incoming mole entering a vacated tunnel network will eat the poisoned
corpse of the previous occupant. Just thought you'd like to know...

Hope this helps

--
Richard Perkin
To email me, change the AT in the address below
richard.perkinATmyrealbox.com

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it
is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's.
It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs.
-- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

CWatters wrote:
"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?


If you want to get rid of the mole read this before you do anything...

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-cou...ole-review.pdf

Good article.

Like I said, given that they eat worms, hope for a hard winter that
kills the worms.

On 26/11/07 11:26, in article , "The
Natural Philosopher" wrote:

CWatters wrote:
"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?


If you want to get rid of the mole read this before you do anything...

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-cou...ts/mole-review.
pdf

Good article.

Like I said, given that they eat worms, hope for a hard winter that
kills the worms.

And harms the soil? I don't think, so thanks!
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:03:26 +0000, Si wrote:

[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

Tough luck, been there done that got the uneven lawn. SWMBO reckoned over
thirty mole hills at the height of last summer.....

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?

Forget the sonic repellents, they don't work, and may actually work against
you, as does the old wives' tale about sticking windmills in the ground coz
they don't like the vibrations. All that does is to tend to bring the worms
up close to the surface, so the runs are closer to the surface which tends
to make the lawn more uneven.

Had a mole catcher when we had our first troubles some years ago, two or
three years with LOTS of pellets dropped down the mole hills into the runs,
no effect whatsoever. In the end they just went on their way.

The last lot we had, last summer, was a family. In the end we got them with
traps. DON'T use the so-called 'humane' traps, which are supposed to let
you catch them live and release them a long way off. Moles need to eat
continuously, and will actually starve within two or three hours if they
are confined in a trap. Use traps that actually polish them off there and
then. Much better to kill them off immediately than let them starve.

Oh, and cats don't work. Ours just sit and look at the mole hills
appearing.....

--
the dot wanderer at tesco dot net

In article , The Wanderer
wrote:

The last lot we had, last summer, was a family. In the end we got them with
traps. DON'T use the so-called 'humane' traps, which are supposed to let
you catch them live and release them a long way off. Moles need to eat
continuously, and will actually starve within two or three hours if they
are confined in a trap. Use traps that actually polish them off there and
then. Much better to kill them off immediately than let them starve.

I have had good success with the plunger type -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Northern-Too.../dp/B000VDCL4Y -
which can be set without any digging and give visual feedback when they
have been triggered.

But I also found that filling in the main run - by lifting up the turf
along its full length, filling with sand and topsoil and replacing the
turf - seemed to send the moles elsewhere. They certainly didn't
excavate the same tunnel again -- although they might just choose
another route across the lawn.

Another trick I will try if the varmits come back is to block off the
side of the lawn they usually come in (from (the field next door) with
some roof slates buried vertically along the lawn edge. They don't like
going too deep and may go somewhere else if they can't find an easy
route across your lawn.

The Wanderer wrote:
Oh, and cats don't work. Ours just sit and look at the mole hills
appearing.....

. . . and our cats reckon mole hills work great as cat-loos! Nice even
thin soil in which it is easy to make a little hole for poo or a
pee-pee! :-) We watch out cats go from mole hil to mole hill in an
adjacent field! "Nah, used that one yesterday!"

Eddy.

The Wanderer wrote:

Oh, and cats don't work. Ours just sit and look at the mole hills
appearing.....


They do with me. Very effective although they do get a lot of help from
a Jack Russell and a flock of chickens (they will kill and eat moles).

--
Howard Neil

Sacha wrote:
On 26/11/07 11:26, in article , "The
Natural Philosopher" wrote:

CWatters wrote:
"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about 10
days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but hills
all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello from a
visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a trap in a
tunnel and take it far away?

If you want to get rid of the mole read this before you do anything...

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-cou...ts/mole-review.
pdf

Good article.

Like I said, given that they eat worms, hope for a hard winter that
kills the worms.

And harms the soil? I don't think, so thanks!
They will come back.

They breed faster than the moles ;-)

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...

....

On the plus side, fresh mole hills contain lots of really
fine soil - ideal for mixing with cheap potting compost
from garden centres for potting on garden plants etc.
--
David in Normandy

And they're wonderful at bringing up archaeological debris :-)

Mary

On 26 Nov, 19:13, David in Normandy wrote:
In article 548a4fb1-9149-4742-a144-cc0d92ec7640
@j20g2000hsi.googlegroups.com, geraldthehamster says...

One of the worse aspect of moles is the unseen tunnels just
below the surface. I've had one or two jarred ankles while
pushing the mower along and the ground gives way under
foot. They sometimes bring little rocks to the surface too
which hit the mower blades.

And the little banjos they play at night. Drive you mad after a
while.

Can't you still get "mole exploders" in France?


Regards
Richard

"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...

...

On the plus side, fresh mole hills contain lots of really
fine soil - ideal for mixing with cheap potting compost
from garden centres for potting on garden plants etc.
--
David in Normandy


And they're wonderful at bringing up archaeological debris :-)


And disturbing the layers!

Well, yes, but it gives an idea of where to dig :-)

Mary

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...
In article 548a4fb1-9149-4742-a144-cc0d92ec7640
@j20g2000hsi.googlegroups.com, geraldthehamster says...
On 26 Nov, 11:07, Richard Perkin wrote:
"CWatters" wrote
:

Indeed. Trapping works, and is easy to do.

Agreed. Don't muck about with sonic repellents - ours appeared to work
for a week, then ended up in the middle of a faerie ring of new
molehills. I tried a scissor trap that I got from my dad, that he got
from an antique shop (!), and claimed to have caught a couple of moles
with. It got set off twice, but on each occasion was empty. Bought
three traps from this lot:

http://www.theflatpack.co.uk/

(with whom I have no connection, by the way), and within a couple days
we'd got a mole. If it wasn't dark and 'orrible outside I'd be going
to check whether there were any more of the blighters.

You can't pussyfoot about with moles. Either you decide you're going
to put up with them, or you have to get rid with extreme prejudice. I
took the benign attitude for a bit, then decided that if I didn't do
something, next summer they wouldn't be tunnelling so much as riding
about the lawn on little motocross bikes. I'm tripping over the ground
just walking to the shed, so obviously took too long to come to this
decision.

Regards
Richard


One of the worse aspect of moles is the unseen tunnels just
below the surface. I've had one or two jarred ankles while
pushing the mower along and the ground gives way under
foot. They sometimes bring little rocks to the surface too
which hit the mower blades.
--
David in Normandy

There's an easy solution - get rid of the lawn.

Mary

In article fdf08d7f-14e0-408d-9fad-e4c1e6005a66
@g30g2000hsb.googlegroups.com, geraldthehamster says...
On 26 Nov, 19:13, David in Normandy wrote:
In article 548a4fb1-9149-4742-a144-cc0d92ec7640
@j20g2000hsi.googlegroups.com, geraldthehamster says...

One of the worse aspect of moles is the unseen tunnels just
below the surface. I've had one or two jarred ankles while
pushing the mower along and the ground gives way under
foot. They sometimes bring little rocks to the surface too
which hit the mower blades.

And the little banjos they play at night. Drive you mad after a
while.

Can't you still get "mole exploders" in France?


Regards
Richard

You sure can, though I've not tried them a bit too
expensive. Little sticks of what looks like dynamite and an
electronic detonator. Land mines for moles! Boom!
--
David in Normandy

On 26/11/07 19:13, in article ,
"David in Normandy" wrote:

In article 548a4fb1-9149-4742-a144-cc0d92ec7640
@j20g2000hsi.googlegroups.com, geraldthehamster says...
On 26 Nov, 11:07, Richard Perkin wrote:
"CWatters" wrote
:

Indeed. Trapping works, and is easy to do.

Agreed. Don't muck about with sonic repellents - ours appeared to work
for a week, then ended up in the middle of a faerie ring of new
molehills. I tried a scissor trap that I got from my dad, that he got
from an antique shop (!), and claimed to have caught a couple of moles
with. It got set off twice, but on each occasion was empty. Bought
three traps from this lot:

http://www.theflatpack.co.uk/

(with whom I have no connection, by the way), and within a couple days
we'd got a mole. If it wasn't dark and 'orrible outside I'd be going
to check whether there were any more of the blighters.

You can't pussyfoot about with moles. Either you decide you're going
to put up with them, or you have to get rid with extreme prejudice. I
took the benign attitude for a bit, then decided that if I didn't do
something, next summer they wouldn't be tunnelling so much as riding
about the lawn on little motocross bikes. I'm tripping over the ground
just walking to the shed, so obviously took too long to come to this
decision.

Regards
Richard


One of the worse aspect of moles is the unseen tunnels just
below the surface. I've had one or two jarred ankles while
pushing the mower along and the ground gives way under
foot. They sometimes bring little rocks to the surface too
which hit the mower blades.

Might be worth a look:
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/techni...trol_owen1.asp

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Richard Perkin wrote in
:

"CWatters" wrote in
:


"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared
about 10 days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago.
Both in lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife
but hills all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly
hello from a visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have
to insert a trap in a tunnel and take it far away?


If you want to get rid of the mole read this before you do
anything...

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-cou...ates/reports/m
o le-review.pdf

... The DEFRA report make clear why they don't work.

Indeed. Trapping works, and is easy to do. The tunnels are only a
few inches below the surface and can be readily located. There is
usually a main tunnel with branches; the approx location of the
main tunnel can be seen by the line of molehills and the exact
location found by probing with a pointed stake or similar. Dig out
and clear a very short section [I found a trowel + tablespoon (for
clearing the actual tunnel you have broken into) to be useful].

I used scissor traps very succesfully but YMMV. They were of a
different design to that linked to on eBay and similar to the
'Sure Grip' design shown he
http://www.moletraps.co.uk/mole_trap_supplies.html
I ordered them by phone from a company advertising on-line (but
can't remember who) - they are readily available in hardware
stores, garden centres etc.

Aside: despite the cuddly image, moles are nasty, vicous, solitary
and cannibalistic creatures. They even eat their own young if they
hang around too long. Indeed, one reason that poison is effective
is that an incoming mole entering a vacated tunnel network will
eat the poisoned corpse of the previous occupant. Just thought
you'd like to know...

Followup to my own post with some info on molish habits:
http://www.golf-industry.com/news/yeartodate/news2000/mole.html

I'm sure I've seen the details in that article in some more official
publication, but it does offer some clues as to how to deal with the
beasts...

Kind regards

--
Richard Perkin
To email me, change the AT in the address below
richard.perkinATmyrealbox.com

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it
is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's.
It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs.
-- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...
In article fdf08d7f-14e0-408d-9fad-e4c1e6005a66



Can't you still get "mole exploders" in France?


Regards
Richard

You sure can, though I've not tried them a bit too
expensive. Little sticks of what looks like dynamite and an
electronic detonator. Land mines for moles! Boom!
--
David in Normandy

Bet they do wonders for the lawn :-)

Mary

In message , Mary Fisher
writes
"David in Normandy" wrote in message
.. .
In article 548a4fb1-9149-4742-a144-cc0d92ec7640
@j20g2000hsi.googlegroups.com, geraldthehamster says...
On 26 Nov, 11:07, Richard Perkin wrote:
"CWatters" wrote
:

Indeed. Trapping works, and is easy to do.

Agreed. Don't muck about with sonic repellents - ours appeared to work
for a week, then ended up in the middle of a faerie ring of new
molehills. I tried a scissor trap that I got from my dad, that he got
from an antique shop (!), and claimed to have caught a couple of moles
with. It got set off twice, but on each occasion was empty. Bought
three traps from this lot:

http://www.theflatpack.co.uk/
(with whom I have no connection, by the way),

You can't pussyfoot about with moles. Either you decide you're going
to put up with them, or you have to get rid with extreme prejudice.

One of the worse aspect of moles is the unseen tunnels just
below the surface. I've had one or two jarred ankles while
pushing the mower along and the ground gives way under
foot. They sometimes bring little rocks to the surface too
which hit the mower blades.

There's an easy solution - get rid of the lawn.

Hmmm, that's what one of my neighbours did - covered the whole garden in
concrete.

But seriously, grass (ours is hardly a cultivated lawn) is nice to sit
on and provides space. No?

--
Si

In article ,
says...

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...
In article fdf08d7f-14e0-408d-9fad-e4c1e6005a66



Can't you still get "mole exploders" in France?


Regards
Richard

You sure can, though I've not tried them a bit too
expensive. Little sticks of what looks like dynamite and an
electronic detonator. Land mines for moles! Boom!
--
David in Normandy

Bet they do wonders for the lawn :-)

Mary



Reminds me of a gent in the 1970's, we were househunting and he was sat
with a 12 bore over his strawberries, I have wondered ever since whether
there was ever any fruit to pick!
But I think on balence I would rather put up with the moles than
explosions and craters :~)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
T...


You sure can, though I've not tried them a bit too
expensive. Little sticks of what looks like dynamite and an
electronic detonator. Land mines for moles! Boom!
--
David in Normandy

Bet they do wonders for the lawn :-)

Mary



Reminds me of a gent in the 1970's, we were househunting and he was sat
with a 12 bore over his strawberries, I have wondered ever since whether
there was ever any fruit to pick!
But I think on balence I would rather put up with the moles than
explosions and craters :~)

Me too.

Mary

"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes
"David in Normandy" wrote in message
. ..
In article 548a4fb1-9149-4742-a144-cc0d92ec7640
@j20g2000hsi.googlegroups.com, geraldthehamster says...
On 26 Nov, 11:07, Richard Perkin wrote:
"CWatters" wrote
:

Indeed. Trapping works, and is easy to do.

Agreed. Don't muck about with sonic repellents - ours appeared to work
for a week, then ended up in the middle of a faerie ring of new
molehills. I tried a scissor trap that I got from my dad, that he got
from an antique shop (!), and claimed to have caught a couple of moles
with. It got set off twice, but on each occasion was empty. Bought
three traps from this lot:

http://www.theflatpack.co.uk/
(with whom I have no connection, by the way),

You can't pussyfoot about with moles. Either you decide you're going
to put up with them, or you have to get rid with extreme prejudice.

One of the worse aspect of moles is the unseen tunnels just
below the surface. I've had one or two jarred ankles while
pushing the mower along and the ground gives way under
foot. They sometimes bring little rocks to the surface too
which hit the mower blades.

There's an easy solution - get rid of the lawn.

Hmmm, that's what one of my neighbours did - covered the whole garden in
concrete.

But seriously, grass (ours is hardly a cultivated lawn) is nice to sit on
and provides space. No?

Well, our back garden is given over to veg plots, greenhouse and chickens.
When we sit in the garden (mostly for meals) it's on the roof of the air
raid shelter, which has table and chairs on it.

Perhaps you don't have an air-raid shelter ...

The front garden is given over the the caravan :-)

Mary

--
Si

Catch it in a deadfall trap, have it stuffed and send it to a school in the
Sudan.

They could call it Molehammered.

--
LSR

In article , LSR
says...
Catch it in a deadfall trap, have it stuffed and send it to a school in the
Sudan.

They could call it Molehammered.


For that joke you are sentenced to 6 months in jail, 40
lashes and a heavy fine.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7114439.stm

--
David in Normandy

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...
In article , LSR
says...
Catch it in a deadfall trap, have it stuffed and send it to a school in
the
Sudan.

They could call it Molehammered.


For that joke you are sentenced to 6 months in jail, 40
lashes and a heavy fine.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7114439.stm

It's not a situation to laugh about :-(

Mary

--
David in Normandy

In article 474c2545$0$759$4c56ba96
@master.news.zetnet.net, Mary Fisher says...

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
...
In article , LSR
says...
Catch it in a deadfall trap, have it stuffed and send it to a school in
the
Sudan.

They could call it Molehammered.


For that joke you are sentenced to 6 months in jail, 40
lashes and a heavy fine.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7114439.stm

It's not a situation to laugh about :-(

Mary

I'm not laughing. It's black humour. If the lady in
question had been seen alone in the company of the teddy
she would probably be facing the death penalty.
I'll stop there (Islam winds me up). Grrr! :-(
--
David in Normandy

In message , Mary Fisher
writes
But seriously, grass (ours is hardly a cultivated lawn) is nice to sit on
and provides space. No?

Well, our back garden is given over to veg plots, greenhouse and
chickens. When we sit in the garden (mostly for meals) it's on the roof
of the air raid shelter, which has table and chairs on it.

Perhaps you don't have an air-raid shelter ...

Happily there wasn't much call for them in the 50's.

The front garden is given over the the caravan :-)

Thank-you to everyone who has contributed to this intense course in
human-mole relations. I've taken your advice and chosen not to waste
cash on sonic spikes. So far, taking the cheapest route, I've used the
excess of soiled clay-based cat litter our cat provides to pour into and
on top of the hills. So far, after 2 days, no further hills have
appeared but that's probably too soon to tell if it'll be effective.

--
Si

"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes
But seriously, grass (ours is hardly a cultivated lawn) is nice to sit
on
and provides space. No?

Well, our back garden is given over to veg plots, greenhouse and chickens.
When we sit in the garden (mostly for meals) it's on the roof of the air
raid shelter, which has table and chairs on it.

Perhaps you don't have an air-raid shelter ...

Happily there wasn't much call for them in the 50's.

The front garden is given over the the caravan :-)

Thank-you to everyone who has contributed to this intense course in
human-mole relations. I've taken your advice and chosen not to waste cash
on sonic spikes. So far, taking the cheapest route, I've used the excess
of soiled clay-based cat litter our cat provides to pour into and on top
of the hills. So far, after 2 days, no further hills have appeared but
that's probably too soon to tell if it'll be effective.

OPne last bit of advice.

If you're really breaking nether limbs because of the activities of these
little gentlemen in velvet weskits I suggest that you put some flags over
your lawn to step on.

Seriously.

Mary

--
Si

In article 474dc5d9$0$771$4c56ba96
@master.news.zetnet.net, Mary Fisher says...

"Si" $3o&m wrote in message
...
In message , Mary Fisher
writes
But seriously, grass (ours is hardly a cultivated lawn) is nice to sit
on
and provides space. No?

Well, our back garden is given over to veg plots, greenhouse and chickens.
When we sit in the garden (mostly for meals) it's on the roof of the air
raid shelter, which has table and chairs on it.

Perhaps you don't have an air-raid shelter ...

Happily there wasn't much call for them in the 50's.

The front garden is given over the the caravan :-)

Thank-you to everyone who has contributed to this intense course in
human-mole relations. I've taken your advice and chosen not to waste cash
on sonic spikes. So far, taking the cheapest route, I've used the excess
of soiled clay-based cat litter our cat provides to pour into and on top
of the hills. So far, after 2 days, no further hills have appeared but
that's probably too soon to tell if it'll be effective.

OPne last bit of advice.

If you're really breaking nether limbs because of the activities of these
little gentlemen in velvet weskits I suggest that you put some flags over
your lawn to step on.

Seriously.

Mary

--
Si



We did that, laid a row of flags across the top lawn to the
washing line. All neatly set into a bed of sand so they
were level with the lawn so the lawn mower could go
straight over them. A few days later the furry little
blighters had gone under and along the edge of the flags
destabilising them so they rocked under foot leaving hills
along the edge of the new path :-(

The only solution would be to dig a deep trench and pre-
fill it with hardcore and concrete first before laying the
flags.
--
David in Normandy

Si wrote:
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about
10 days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in
lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but
hills all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello
from a visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a
trap in a tunnel and take it far away?

Try these techniques it might amuse the neighbours!

http://www.dtep.com/mole-in-the-hole.htm

A further Google might bring up the original?

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:46:21 GMT, "clot" wrote:

Try these techniques it might amuse the neighbours!

http://www.dtep.com/mole-in-the-hole.htm

A further Google might bring up the original?

Or try this:

http://www.rodenator.com/

Also in video:

http://www.rodenator.com/videos.htm


You'll have to see just how smooth the lawn is afterwards, though.


Thomas Prufer

"clot" wrote in message
...
Si wrote:
[note x-post to uk.d-i-y & uk.rec.gardening]

I have a mole at the top of my garden. The first hill appeared about
10 days ago and the second, nearby, a couple of days ago. Both in
lawn.

What should I do? Our garden is intended to encourage wildlife but
hills all over the grass doesn't seem to me to be a friendly hello
from a visitor. Do the sonic repellents work or do I have to insert a
trap in a tunnel and take it far away?

Try these techniques it might amuse the neighbours!

http://www.dtep.com/mole-in-the-hole.htm

A further Google might bring up the original?

Was on youtube awhile back.

Late to this thread but thought I should mention the method my father
adopted when we moved into a newly built house in 1954.

IIRC the procedure worked like this.

A tunnel was exposed by taking out a sod. A small amount of carbide was
introduced into the tunnel followed by water. After the carbide stopped
fizzing a lighted match was introduced and the clod quickly replaced.

The procedure was repeated across the garden and several times in the
following weeks but the moles did disappear eventually.

FWIW I have tried tunnel traps in my present garden without success -
the moles just dig round them, and connecting my car exhaust up to a
tunnel for a considerable time didn't seem to have an appreciable
effect.

I also still have some poison somewhere but I suspect that is the stuff
that has now been banned. That had no appreciable effect either. I did
manage to catch a live mole while dismantling a ruined stone wall on a
neighbours farm but he persuaded me to set it free.

--
Roger Chapman

On 26 Nov, 22:51, Sacha wrote:
On 26/11/07 19:13, in article ,

Might be worth a look:http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/techni...en_control_owe...

Note though that that bloke is selling stuff, and he's not going to
admit that any of the things he sells don't work. He's wrong about
sonic devices (which don't work) , but right about mothballs (which
don't work either - expect a new molehill the next day, with a
mothball on top of it ;-)

Regards
Richard

On 28 Nov, 16:34, Si $3o&m wrote:


Thank-you to everyone who has contributed to this intense course in
human-mole relations. I've taken your advice and chosen not to waste
cash on sonic spikes. So far, taking the cheapest route, I've used the
excess of soiled clay-based cat litter our cat provides to pour into and
on top of the hills. So far, after 2 days, no further hills have
appeared but that's probably too soon to tell if it'll be effective.

Won't work. The hills are just where they've pushed to spoil from
their tunnels. Operating on the same theory I shoved a headless rat
left by one of the cats down one of the mole hill holes. Having read
up a bit more since on the eating habits of dear talpa, I think I was
just giving him a meal. That's dear departed talpa, because a barrel
trap got him, straight out of the box.

With apologies for intorducing headless rats into the conversation.

Regards
Richard