How to remove moles from your garden
Posted by Fiona Nevile in General care | 46 comments
I always feel a bit sad when I find a dead mole in the garden. With its soft velvet coat and long sensitive nose, the mole seems such a small loveable creature. The Min Pins catch them and then toss them aside for their human pet to collect. Clearly they are not as appetising as the guinea pig that they killed in the garden and carried into the house for an impromptu bacchanal on a pretty pale yellow button backed chair. But that’s another story.
Occasionally we get an active mole in the garden. They can be a real pest, especially if they are in the kitchen garden. Years ago, when I lived here with just one elderly Min Pin, I engaged the services of a mole catcher with good results. I was under the impression that trapping moles is a skilled countryman’s pursuit.
I am working locally at the moment in a lovely house set in a large garden bursting with wildlife, including an adventurous mole. My clients are busy people with schedules that do not include scratching around in the garden. So I was amazed when the lady of the house pulled on a smart pair of Wellingtons and announced:
“You probably won’t approve but I’m going out to kill the mole.”
Disapprove? Not wanting to get my hands dirty, I had hired an assassin in the past.
Moles do not spread disease like rats but they can wreck a lawn in a few days. Left undisturbed, the mole bongo drums must throb because coach loads soon arrive and you open your door to more hills than the Himalayas.
I watched her stalk across the lawn wearing a pair of marigolds and holding a mole trap.
When she returned she was instantly interrogated. Had she caught a mole in the past?
“Well, yes.”
I was impressed.
She sat down and explained. Moles have a finely tuned sense of smell. Basically the secret is to always wear gloves when handling a trap. Wipe a new trap and put it in the garden to get rid of all human smells. After a couple of days you can set it.
To do this you need to locate the underground run between a couple of molehills. This is easily done using a bamboo cane if the ground is soft. Then, using a slim trowel or ultra fat dibber, make a hole into the run and place the trap. The general idea is that the mole will tootle along the tunnel and into the trap. Within seconds the mole will be investigating that great mole hill in the sky.
The mole in question is clearly a relation of Einstein. She has not been caught. She spotted the trap and turned around sharpish. She is now tunnelling across the paddocks beyond the garden perimeter. The perfect outcome for those who love and those who loathe moles everywhere.
Tricks and tips:
- Mole claw traps are inexpensive. If you cannot buy them locally, scissor type mole traps
are available here. - I was advised in the past that old fashioned moth balls dropped into the runs deter moles. A reader has emailed me from New Jersey to say that it’s a bad idea to put mothballs in the soil as they kill beneficial microorganisms and earthworms.
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We have a sizeable property in Brittany which includes a large front garden, orchard and allotment. (Approx 2 acres) We are plagued with the little destructive saboteurs. I have tried giving them a good talking to, including excellent directions to more fertile land of our neighbours. I have sat out at night with a large spade, threatened them with a constant replaying of Eastenders, drowning them with Pernod and have even offered them a phone number of a good mole counsellor. They just do not listen and demonstrate a complete unreasonableness ignorance of others needs.
I have read much of the advice offered and realise that traps are the answer. Can anyone direct me to a supplier who will help me?
I have posted this on the moleternet. It is the least I can do to give them a fughting chance.
Hi Brian
This comment made me laugh out loud! Amazon sells good traps.
After 50 years, I find mole catching so easy that I have produced a website so that everybody can benefit from my research on the best way to set a trap and avoid the mole filling it up with soil. The website is on the first page of all search engines if you put in “mole catching” and look for “walcotefarm” in the web address.
I can only add to the information already supplied. The two main bodies for mole catching services are The Guild of British Mole-catchers and The British Traditional Mole-catchers Register. They have a comprehensive list of local mole catchers.Both sites are friendly and informative. I myself am a professional mole trapper operating in the East Anglian region, www.ridofmoles.co.uk Good luck with your mole problems we are here when you need us, but please remember the welfare of the mole we owe it to him to be humane. Mark Clark Master mole-catcher. Rid of Moles.
Smoke bombs do not work the mole has escape tunnels far below ground where the air is very thin. Smoke will not be able to reach it and predators will run out of air. Flooding is also not very good and very inhumane. Moles are good swimmers and once the water has dried out the mole will return. hope this helps. thesuffolkmolecatcher.co.uk
Hi Toby
Thanks for yiour great tips!
Two additional ideas have revolutionised my success rate (which was 0). Drop a handful of worms in with each trap. (thats why the tunnels are there).
Secondly having got your first mole place the trap in a different set of tunnels. The moles there will not appreciate the smell of an intruder and will hit the trap with a force that makes me wince.
Lots old wives tales on here.Just to make things a little more confusing I never wear gloves when catching moles. A top tip is people buy there trap from the local DIY store and do not tune them correctly. First of all buy a good half barrel trap and not the cheapest one then tune it so it goes off at the slightest touch.Alot of traps that people buy are not set right and once the mole hits the trap and it does not go off the mole will burrow down, avoiding the trap all together.This will look like he’s buried your trap but he’s just avoided it. hope this helps.
www.ipswichpestcontrol.co.uk
Hello Hugh
I’ll remember that next time we have an invasion. Although the Min Pins always seem to dispatch them fast.
I suppose I’m being biased but calling in the professionals is not at all expensive. The times we have being to jobs where the customer has given it a go and has wasted money on products from their local diy store. The best advice is if you think you can do it yourself get a few quotes first from a local pest control firm, then price up how much it is do go the diy route, you may be surprised by the results. Happy hunting
Ipswich Pest Control
If you are looking for a local Traditional Molecatcher look no further than “Country Moles”. Country Moles is a unique directory of Uk Molecatchers accredited by The Guild of British Molecatchers.
Listings on Country Moles are free to all members of the guild accredited to level 2 and above.