Moles are on the rampage across the allotments and they're becoming a PITA.
There's a very effective remedy called SORK, which are organic bulbs, grown
in Sweden, the smell of which, deters the pests.
They're hellish expensive at £13 for 10 bulbs. They do last for 2 years,
which suggests that they are sterilised before sale. It would also
discourage folk from raising there own seed.
Does anyone know what's the plants name? I'd like to get hold of some seed,
but googling hasn't helped.

On Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:40:12 -0000, "Bertie Doe"
wrote:

Moles are on the rampage across the allotments and they're becoming a PITA.
There's a very effective remedy called SORK, which are organic bulbs, grown
in Sweden, the smell of which, deters the pests.
They're hellish expensive at £13 for 10 bulbs. They do last for 2 years,
which suggests that they are sterilised before sale. It would also
discourage folk from raising there own seed.
Does anyone know what's the plants name? I'd like to get hold of some seed,
but googling hasn't helped.

Never seen seed but tried the bulbs. They didn't work. You probably
don't have that many moles. Buy a couple of traps and bury them in the
runs. Once bought you have them for years and can easily relocate them
if either you don't catch one in a particular tunnel or you do!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.

"Janet" wrote in message
...

According to RHS

"Bulbs of Allium moly are also sold as a mole deterrent but are of
doubtful value."

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/...e.aspx?pid=203

You can buy allium moly dirt cheap in sheds, so I'd try those first.

Thanks Janet, I'll look out for the Allium seeds. I like the RHS comment
"captured moles should be released at least one mile away"

"The Original Jake" wrote in message
...

Never seen seed but tried the bulbs. They didn't work. You probably
don't have that many moles. Buy a couple of traps and bury them in the
runs. Once bought you have them for years and can easily relocate them
if either you don't catch one in a particular tunnel or you do!

Normally there's just one or two encroachments from adjoining farmland. But
I recently counted about 50 molehills.
Out of the 18 allotments, the guy that's using the bulbs, suffers no
problems. He has used those battery driven sound repellents in the past,
with no luck.

"Janet" wrote in message
...


If you were a gardener.. or had a mole invasion.. you'd try anything.
Allium moly are one of the cheapest commonly available bulbs on the
market, so no reason not to give it a go.

Does seem a bit daft to buy Sork bulbs @ £13 for 10 when you can buy 100
'mixed Allium' from T & M for £15.

On the allotment for the last couple of years, I grew Nasturtium as an
accompanying plant, to keep the butterflies off the brassicas and it's
worked quite well. They do self-seed, but as you know, the leaves are quite
distinctive, so easy to weed them out.

Rather than go for the mixed Allium, google revealed these from C Plants:-
http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/bul...id.2000017390/
I may start a couple of dozen in the cold-frame and transfer some to the
garden. Hmm suddenly the mixed are sounding more attractive

In article ,
The Original Jake wrote:

Never seen seed but tried the bulbs. They didn't work. You probably
don't have that many moles. Buy a couple of traps and bury them in the
runs. Once bought you have them for years and can easily relocate them
if either you don't catch one in a particular tunnel or you do!

Further to this: is there any particular art to using a trap?

I bought one last winter, but never used it, partly because the mole
problem reduced somewhat when i started to cut the grass again (it's a
large rough area, not a lawn, and gets cut with a ride-on).

Looking at the trap, it seemed it would be difficult to cut into a
tunnel without collapsing it, thus deterring a mole from coming up it.

The mole problem is back with a great vengeance in my patch, and I need
to do *something*. I'm very much against killing animals, but there are
occasions -- i.e. infestation by pests (rabbits, rats, or moles) --
when I'm very much *in favour* of killing them!

John

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:54:56 +0000, Another John
wrote:

In article ,
The Original Jake wrote:

Never seen seed but tried the bulbs. They didn't work. You probably
don't have that many moles. Buy a couple of traps and bury them in the
runs. Once bought you have them for years and can easily relocate them
if either you don't catch one in a particular tunnel or you do!

Further to this: is there any particular art to using a trap?

I bought one last winter, but never used it, partly because the mole
problem reduced somewhat when i started to cut the grass again (it's a
large rough area, not a lawn, and gets cut with a ride-on).

Looking at the trap, it seemed it would be difficult to cut into a
tunnel without collapsing it, thus deterring a mole from coming up it.

The mole problem is back with a great vengeance in my patch, and I need
to do *something*. I'm very much against killing animals, but there are
occasions -- i.e. infestation by pests (rabbits, rats, or moles) --
when I'm very much *in favour* of killing them!

John

I used this type of trap which kills rather than traps live.

http://www.primrose.co.uk/mole-claw-...ml?src=cat_box

The page has a link to instructions showing where and how to place the
trap. The handles will indicate if it has been sprung.

A lot of people equate a lot of mole hills to a lot of moles! But
apart from the mating season, they tend to be territorial and an
invader will often end up in a fight to the death between it and the
resident! Anything around 10 mole hills is likely to represent a
single mole.

If it's feasible, lowering the soil pH can help - the lower pH tends
to discourage earthworms which, in turn, discourages moles who find no
food. Of course, all the organic matter dug into veg patches and
allotments encourages worms.

You may well find, as I did, that catching 1 or 2 moles is the end of
your problem.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.

In article ,
The Original Jake wrote:

I used this type of trap which kills rather than traps live.

http://www.primrose.co.uk/mole-claw-...ml?src=cat_box

The page has a link to instructions showing where and how to place the
trap. The handles will indicate if it has been sprung.

A lot of people equate a lot of mole hills to a lot of moles! But
apart from the mating season, they tend to be territorial and an
invader will often end up in a fight to the death between it and the
resident! Anything around 10 mole hills is likely to represent a
single mole.

If it's feasible, lowering the soil pH can help - the lower pH tends
to discourage earthworms which, in turn, discourages moles who find no
food. Of course, all the organic matter dug into veg patches and
allotments encourages worms.

You may well find, as I did, that catching 1 or 2 moles is the end of
your problem.

Thanks very much Jake - v. useful; and - as you say - a good guide to
setting the trap, on that web page.

John

On Wednesday, 16 January 2013 20:40:12 UTC, Bertie Doe wrote:
Moles are on the rampage across the allotments and they're becoming a PITA.

There's a very effective remedy called SORK, which are organic bulbs, grown

in Sweden, the smell of which, deters the pests.

They're hellish expensive at £13 for 10 bulbs. They do last for 2 years,

which suggests that they are sterilised before sale. It would also

discourage folk from raising there own seed.

Does anyone know what's the plants name? I'd like to get hold of some seed,

but googling hasn't helped.

Forget 'moleproof' bulbs (I don't believe it anyway) Get mole traps, the tunnel type, not the scissors type and learn how to set them. Very cheap and effective.

Rod

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:25:13 +0000, The Original Jake wrote:

[]
I used this type of trap which kills rather than traps live.

http://www.primrose.co.uk/mole-claw-...ml?src=cat_box

The page has a link to instructions showing where and how to place the
trap. The handles will indicate if it has been sprung.


Interesting traps, and apparently somewhat more sophisticated to those we
get in France. In the instructions though the tunnel seemed very
shallow. Sometimes they can be quite deep, which makes things more
interesting. Not sure that the method shown would work for us, also when
there are a lot of rocks in the ground the tunnels are anything but
straight.

A lot of people equate a lot of mole hills to a lot of moles! But apart
from the mating season, they tend to be territorial and an invader will
often end up in a fight to the death between it and the resident!
Anything around 10 mole hills is likely to represent a single mole.


That's true. But you can have a lot more than 10 mole hills. We used to
have an old fella that trapped for us, he was an expert and enjoyed doing
it. Would never accept payment, didn't drink any more (well, aside from
a shot of calvados in the coffee) so his "payment" was a half an hour of
company while we listened to his stories (no hardship for us!) When he
started, he pulled about 40 moles from perhaps 2 ha, in a couple of
months. I know they're supposed to be territorial, but I think we had an
over population!

If it's feasible, lowering the soil pH can help - the lower pH tends to
discourage earthworms which, in turn, discourages moles who find no
food. Of course, all the organic matter dug into veg patches and
allotments encourages worms.


Hm, I've heard this, but honestly, with a pH of 5 to 5.5 (i.e. fairly
acidic) we've got lots of moles and lots of worms.

You may well find, as I did, that catching 1 or 2 moles is the end of
your problem.


Let's hope so. I've got lots now.

-E



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

"The Original Jake" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:40:12 -0000, "Bertie Doe"
wrote:

Moles are on the rampage across the allotments and they're becoming a
PITA.
There's a very effective remedy called SORK, which are organic bulbs,
grown
in Sweden, the smell of which, deters the pests.
They're hellish expensive at £13 for 10 bulbs. They do last for 2 years,
which suggests that they are sterilised before sale. It would also
discourage folk from raising there own seed.
Does anyone know what's the plants name? I'd like to get hold of some
seed,
but googling hasn't helped.

Never seen seed but tried the bulbs. They didn't work. You probably
don't have that many moles. Buy a couple of traps and bury them in the
runs. Once bought you have them for years and can easily relocate them
if either you don't catch one in a particular tunnel or you do!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
I've never had moles but my friend has a real problem with them.
She catches them in mole traps. (tunnel type)

My problem is foxes.

I used a caster oil bombs (about £6 each), just expose the mole tunnel, ignite the bomb and bury. this inturn coats the tunnel wwith castor oil which the little fellers do not like at all. Seemed to take a couple of weeks to work but did do the job without killing them, they are very cute when you do see them