Emery Davis says...
On Wed, 9 Jan 2008 14:19:09 -0800 (PST)
wrote:
On 9 Jan, 21:08, David in Normandy wrote:
Thanks. I'll google on the revised spelling.
Maybe it only deters French moles?
In Normandie don't they call them 'campagnoles' instead of 'taupes'?
It's so cute ...!!
Sorry, not so. Un campagnol is what we know as a vole, I believe. Anyway
the cat catches many, and the do quite a bit of lawn damage also although
not the same sort. In Normandie as elsewhere, "il y a de la taupe mais pas
que de taupe."
David, a solution for finding a "taupier" (if you're willing to pay, as I would be)
has just occurred. La Poste. They've got a program, I think called "Genius"
that fills small jobs locally. Every farmer's kid knows how to trap moles, I'm
sure there are many out of work who would be happy to spend a few afternoons
ridding you of them for SMIC wages. The Poste will put you in touch with the
right characters.
As for plants, sound etc, I think that may work in an area without major mole
overpopulation, but in most of Normandy there is just no where for the moles to
go, all the local territories are inhabited. The downside is of course that you will
always be invaded, so the problem can only be controlled not eliminated.
As I've mentioned our fellow (who works for the occasional bottle of wine, although
he doesn't drink himself) does a fine job of keeping them in check. When he was
ill last year I had a young guy between jobs helping out in the garden (hedge cutting
and ivy removal mostly) who did some trapping. He was successful having learned
from his farmer uncle.
Good luck,
-E
Thanks Emery, I'll bear that in mind. The thing I've found
with traps is that without the accompanying expertise in
exactly where and how to set them, they just sit in the
ground and rust. My scissor trap has been tried on half a
dozen occasions and has never triggered, despite setting it
like a hairpin trigger.
What baffles me is the seeming lack of moles in all the
surrounding fields. There is pasture land below our garden
and not a sign of any mole hills. On the other side is a
cultivated field. Presumably the annual deep ploughing
deters the moles from that area.
Our lawns look like some WWI trench battle is been fought
on them.
I will certainly give the plants a go, mixed in with the
flower beds. At least if it deters them from that area it
would be something.
The Mrs tried the technique of inserting a short stick into
the ground with an upturned plastic bottle on top. The
theory being that the wind rattles the stick and the noise
deters the moles. I don't know where she heard of this
method but it didn't work. A mole hill even appeared under
one of the sticks tipping it over, so clearly the moles
couldn't care less.
I'm a little hesitant to get someone in to lay traps at the
moment due to the potential cost, even if it is smic wages.
Due to the number of moles it could still prove expensive.
However, if all else fails I may need to pay an expert mole
catcher. Perhaps the best thing would be to learn from them
exactly what they do so I can do it myself. There is
clearly more skill involved than just finding a run and
inserting a trap.
--
David in Normandy