I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down the
garden it didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house interfering
with my planting it does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off? If not,
do I dig down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

On Tue, 22 Jul 2014 02:08:26 +0100, Christina Websell wrote:

I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down
the garden it didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house
interfering with my planting it does matter.

Oh dear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fePU5CIHpas

B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down the garden it
didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house interfering with my planting it
does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off? If not, do I dig
down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

The old-fashioned way was to open up the run, put in a sprig of holly
and then close the run up again. Don't know how effective it is.

Ardmhor

On Tue, 22 Jul 2014 02:08:26 +0100, Christina Websell wrote:


do I dig down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

I'm afraid your only viable option is to destroy it. There are no non-
lethal ways that work, as anyone who has dealt with a serious mole
problem will tell you. It's a shame in that under mature plantings the
tunnels serve to aerate the soil, and the moles don't otherwise do any
harm; but they can dig up or expose roots on new plantings which will
cause them to fail. And of course, they will ruin any lawn.

You have to find the galleries between the mole hills, under the hills
themselves the tunnels are just for excavation. Also it's very important
that the traps are steel (not brass, which they sell a lot now) and have
no human scent. Common practice is to bury them for a couple of weeks
and then wear gloves.

-E



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

On 22/07/2014 09:06, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 22 Jul 2014 02:08:26 +0100, Christina Websell wrote:

I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down
the garden it didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house
interfering with my planting it does matter.

Oh dear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fePU5CIHpas

B-)

I wonder...
clicky clicky
Yep.
--
Phil Cook

On 22/07/2014 10:44, philgurr wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down the garden it
didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house interfering with my planting it
does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off? If not, do I dig
down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

The old-fashioned way was to open up the run, put in a sprig of holly
and then close the run up again. Don't know how effective it is.

Ardmhor


That's a variation of the old thing of finding the end of the run then
inserting black thorn spines pointing towards the tunnel.
The idea being that the mole would stick itself on one or more of the
thorns and being haemophiliac it would not stop bleeding.
Also you could open the run and insert lumps of carbide, close the hole,
and the carbide would give of gas once they became damp.
A hosepipe attached to the car exhaust pipe and run into the mole run
and with the engine running that would gas the moles.
Worms pot into a jar with some strychnine mixed into the soil, left for
24 hours and then put into the run to poison the moles.
Then there are a variety of traps and snares.
Children's "Windmills" stuck into the ground around the runs would set
up vibrations that would drive the mole away.
Some forms of allium are supposed to repel moles.
If you can see them working then some fast spade action and you might
dig them out.
or you could just get someone in to get rid of them

In article ,
says...

I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down the
garden it didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house interfering
with my planting it does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off?

Not in my experience, and we tried every possible one.

Janet.

In article , says...

Worms pot into a jar with some strychnine mixed into the soil, left for
24 hours and then put into the run to poison the moles.

Then anything else that eats the dead worms or dead mole, dies too.

Amateur killers can't buy strychnine any more.. local pharmacy was shocked when I
tried, and that was at least 20 years ago :-)

Janet

In article ,
janet wrote:
In article , says...

Worms pot into a jar with some strychnine mixed into the soil, left for
24 hours and then put into the run to poison the moles.

Then anything else that eats the dead worms or dead mole, dies too.

Amateur killers can't buy strychnine any more.. local pharmacy was shocked when I
tried, and that was at least 20 years ago :-)

This being a gardening newsgroup, is anyone growing their own
Nux vomica?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Emery Davis" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 22 Jul 2014 02:08:26 +0100, Christina Websell wrote:


do I dig down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

I'm afraid your only viable option is to destroy it. There are no non-
lethal ways that work, as anyone who has dealt with a serious mole
problem will tell you. It's a shame in that under mature plantings the
tunnels serve to aerate the soil, and the moles don't otherwise do any
harm; but they can dig up or expose roots on new plantings which will
cause them to fail. And of course, they will ruin any lawn.

You have to find the galleries between the mole hills, under the hills
themselves the tunnels are just for excavation. Also it's very important
that the traps are steel (not brass, which they sell a lot now) and have
no human scent. Common practice is to bury them for a couple of weeks
and then wear gloves.

-E

Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet and kill it then. I was hoping not
to.
I can get a steel mole trap locally and will follow your advice about the
scent.
Thanks, Emery.

Tina

"Phil Cook" wrote in message
...
On 22/07/2014 09:06, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 22 Jul 2014 02:08:26 +0100, Christina Websell wrote:

I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down
the garden it didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house
interfering with my planting it does matter.

Oh dear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fePU5CIHpas

B-)

I wonder...
clicky clicky
Yep.
--
Phil Cook

I just knew it would be Jasper Carrot's famous performance about his mole!
I still have it on vinyl somewhere. I haven't had to result to trying to
blast it out of the ground like he claimed to (yet) but I now understand his
frustration.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 22/07/2014 10:44, philgurr wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down
the garden it
didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house interfering with
my planting it
does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off? If
not, do I dig
down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

The old-fashioned way was to open up the run, put in a sprig of holly
and then close the run up again. Don't know how effective it is.

Ardmhor


That's a variation of the old thing of finding the end of the run then
inserting black thorn spines pointing towards the tunnel.
The idea being that the mole would stick itself on one or more of the
thorns and being haemophiliac it would not stop bleeding.
Also you could open the run and insert lumps of carbide, close the hole,
and the carbide would give of gas once they became damp.
A hosepipe attached to the car exhaust pipe and run into the mole run and
with the engine running that would gas the moles.
Worms pot into a jar with some strychnine mixed into the soil, left for 24
hours and then put into the run to poison the moles.
Then there are a variety of traps and snares.
Children's "Windmills" stuck into the ground around the runs would set up
vibrations that would drive the mole away.
Some forms of allium are supposed to repel moles.
If you can see them working then some fast spade action and you might dig
them out.
or you could just get someone in to get rid of them

Blimey David, I don't want to gas or poison it, or hit it with a spade.
I'll try a trap and if that's not successful, I'll get someone in.

"janet" wrote in message
...
In article ,

says...

I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down
the
garden it didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house
interfering
with my planting it does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off?

Not in my experience, and we tried every possible one.

Janet.

Trap it is then. Pity

"philgurr" wrote in message
...

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down the
garden it didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house
interfering with my planting it does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off? If
not, do I dig down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

The old-fashioned way was to open up the run, put in a sprig of holly
and then close the run up again. Don't know how effective it is.

Ardmhor

That would take years, it's a very active mole and I have a 400 ft garden
which it is covering fairly well :-(

On 22/07/2014 23:04, Christina Websell wrote:
"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 22/07/2014 10:44, philgurr wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
I only recently got one and when it was wombling around 100 yards down
the garden it
didn't really matter. Now it's right up by the house interfering with
my planting it
does matter.
I can get a mole trap easily but is there any way to put them off? If
not, do I dig
down under the molehills to set the trap or what?
I'd prefer not to kill it if possible.

The old-fashioned way was to open up the run, put in a sprig of holly
and then close the run up again. Don't know how effective it is.

Ardmhor


That's a variation of the old thing of finding the end of the run then
inserting black thorn spines pointing towards the tunnel.
The idea being that the mole would stick itself on one or more of the
thorns and being haemophiliac it would not stop bleeding.
Also you could open the run and insert lumps of carbide, close the hole,
and the carbide would give of gas once they became damp.
A hosepipe attached to the car exhaust pipe and run into the mole run and
with the engine running that would gas the moles.
Worms pot into a jar with some strychnine mixed into the soil, left for 24
hours and then put into the run to poison the moles.
Then there are a variety of traps and snares.
Children's "Windmills" stuck into the ground around the runs would set up
vibrations that would drive the mole away.
Some forms of allium are supposed to repel moles.
If you can see them working then some fast spade action and you might dig
them out.
or you could just get someone in to get rid of them

Blimey David, I don't want to gas or poison it, or hit it with a spade.
I'll try a trap and if that's not successful, I'll get someone in.


Mole traps are designed to kill the mole not catch them alive.