On Mon, 31 May 2004 15:37:44 +0100, "Brian"
wrote:

Heavily manured, freshly worked, ground is paradise for both worms and
moles. There is no better 'come on'! As you say, runs are difficult to
locate and collapse too readily. However traps set in a collapsed run can
get results as they are not surprised by such cave-ins.
I dislike killing moles and so manure and till some weeks before planting~
by which time they have usually moved on. Another advantage of this process
is that we can 'flame off' the surface and get at weeds just germinating. It
works well but does need the space and time available.
We tend to ask for trouble, as the manuring [horse] is at 100 tons per
acre, applied early April/ May, for planting 14th June with a pH raised to
eight. This is for Anemones De Caen 2-3cms[circum.] They take two weeks to
emerge and the soil is again 'flamed' after the first week. Moles by then
tend to be little problem.
The next year, having ploughed in the Anemones, produces flowers and
vegetables of enviable quality.
I wouldn't be too bothered~~ they tend to disturb rather than destroy.

I too thought this mole would move on, it's been kicking around over
the winter. Unfortunately it seems to have realised it's onto a
winner, with its very own gourmet restaurant right outside its front
door.

Just on the offchance, last night I dug a trench across its run in the
border of the veg patch. I infilled with good soil and trampled it
down a little, then placed a large block of wood over the earth.
This morning I noticed a pile of earth by the wood, and on lifting it
up saw two neat runs!

The plan is to dig a hole under a run and insert a plastic lemonade
bottle with the top cut off. The theory is that moley will fall into
the bottle next time he goes out foraging - and I'll have him!

I was all for setting a trap, and even went to the garden centre at
the weekend to buy one...but the kids took one look at it and
complained. So I bought a mushroom kit by way of consolation.
I did notice a bottle of 'Organic mole repellent'. Ten quid though -
and I'm inclined to feel that if it worked it would only send moley
off to the neighbour's garden.

It's a fine line really - as you say, moley is more of an
inconvenience...though as it's an organic veg patch I'm rather
attached to my colony of earthworms!
I've found extensive runs around the roots of my newly planted beans
and courgettes etc... and gawd only knows what state the spud bed is
in. I have visions of roots suspended in mid tunnel - with me upstairs
watering away like mad and getting nowhere fast!.

I'm giving the mole the benefit of the doubt - I'll try to catch it
and release it in the woods.

The irony is, I wouldn't have minded it in the 'lawn' - I could well
use the extra drainage a system of tunnels would have provided, and
I've heard it said that the soil from molehills is excellent for
potting.

Current sco Mole 1 - Me 0. Seconds away... round two!

Regards,





--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk