Moles - Love them or hate them?

[Plopstar]

While out working as a gardener I come across many gardens which have mole problems. Personally I do not like to trap or kill them and have tried sonic devices but with little effect.

I have only once killed an invading mole which was devastating an edge of a lawn. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and killed it with the points of the blades of a set of lawn edging shears....not the orthodox method but proved effective.

I did however feel extremely guilty afterwards, because they are such beautiful creatures.

Do you guys have any diy tips for persuading moles to leave... or unusual methods for trapping or killing?


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[Creemteez]

I love my moles! Granted they stay in the field that adjoins my property, but they provide me with the most beautiful soil from fresh mole hills. No stones, no weeds, just luvverly crumbly stuff! I find that after the "hill" has been removed and the residual soil scattered evenly it only takes a few days for the grass to come back into its own and you would hardly know there had been a mole hill there. I understand that Perfact Lawn fans would bristle, but live and let live I say.

[sewer rat]

I don't like them - sure they look cute and the soil they excavate is top stuff as creemteex says, but they cause havoc in one of the gardens I work at part time.
Sonic Deterrents are a waste of time - you can buy bait and traps but these do not always work as they have to be in the right place and this is why there are molecatchers.
One effective method is a shotgun - sounds drastic but if you see a mound being excavated and you happen to have a shotgun to hand, blast a cartridge into the mound - you won't hit the mole - the vibration of your feet will have sent him scurying, but the percussion blast will kill him if he's within three ft.

[snohare]

Those bulbs you get to deter them do work, but only for so long; and if you want a perfect lawn, well you have to keep cutting the bulbs back.
Think of an infestation this way; some day you'll have a great pair of hard wearing trousers, meantime rein in your molicidal tendencies !

[Plopstar]

I like that... molicidal tendencies...nice phrase!!

The local cemetery here has been invaded at one end by moles, so they sent their maintenance guys on a mole catching course..... they still haven`t trapped or caught one though, but levelling the mole hills gives them something to do!

They even looked at gassing them (the moles not the maintenace team) but decided it was too dangerous as the gravediggers might be at risk from traces of the poison in the ground....which I`m quite happy about as my brother and I are the gravediggers.

Perhaps the bulbs might be a possibility for them.

[vicky]

Two methods I've heard of
1. A radio on in the run will make them move on
2. Euphorbia is reckoned to be a mole detering plants - smells pretty vile to us but worse to them, plant them nearby
Can't say I've tried either but the 2nd has been recommended by a couple of different people as an old country remedy.
Good luck!

[burnie]

Ask Jasper Carrot,he's an expert on them

[poly]

Not feeling a lot of love for them at the mo, looks like they are having a huge party in my veggie patch!

I have tried a solar anti-mole thingy, it just seems to be acting like a beacon saying dig here Will try the large moth ball things next and if that does not work.... I'll haave to think of some thing else.

[lynda66]

i love moles, dead cute ..... i might think differently if they were digging my veggies up though

[terrier]

I don't mind the molehills in my lawn so much, it's when the runs cave in and leave long indentations all over my lawn, that's a much harder job to level them all off, it leaves the lawn looking like a noughts and crosses board. I've even got mole hills popping up around the midden now, crazy moles.

[greendean]

you could try this if you dont want to kill them

Buy Humane Mole Trap

i did have moles in my allotment and after much research the only answer i'm afraid is mole traps

but dont tell the kids they would disown a murderer

[poly]

Thanks for that. But I tried humane mouse traps once, caught a mousie, but poor thing died of fright over night. I was so upset I had caused more suffering than if I had used a trap in the first place!

As a last resort there is a bloke who shots them, living not far away. I've been told he has a secret method, something about the time of day!

[greengas]

I have been invaded overnight they have come up under spuds and beetroot I am fuming help! I have seen sonic mole thing in wilkos may need to get up there sharp before I lose all my hard work.

Edit: Can someone please advise if it would be safe to put mothballs in to the ground where my root veg is growing?
I do not want to poison myself for the sake of a couple of moles!

[burnie]

Those sonic moles things do not work,I have two and even shoving them in the mole holes(the ones they make in the ground!!),they just dug round them.It would seem that once they've made their network for living and food supply,they don't do much new digging,untill they start breeding and need more food.

[greengas]

Thanks Bernie well I went and bought one just been in the garden now it's making a high pitched noise! I can not see any activity it is stressing me out as I dont want to lose my crops. I may result to mothballs just going to wait for a more seasoned grape to lend some advive