I have a love hate relationship with moles. On the one hand, this fascinating furry creature that lives beneath our feet, is cute and cuddly and extremely efficient in the way it goes about its business.
Yet, in its search for food - up to its own body weight in one day - it causes complete mayhem as it tunnels.
Please note that there are some graphic photos of a dead mole in a trap so if you are squeamish then do not click on the extended post.
In a farmers field it is possibly less of a nuisance but a nuisance nevertheless. In a family lawn or sports or amenity field, moles cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to mowing machines, create many many hours of extra labour for the gardener or groundsman and in some cases, due to high historical activity, cause ground to subside or become unstable or uneven.
So how do you rid yourself of moles? There are a number of ways; gassing - a wax coated phosphorous and magnesium pellet will fill the burrow network with poisonous gas when comes in contact with moisture . Highly efficient but expensive and it has its hazards.
Smoke bombs. Never tried them and from the feedback I have had from others, probably a waste of time.
There are a number of humane types of traps that are inserted into the tunnel. The mole enters from either end by pushing open a swinging door with its nose and as the door shuts behind him he cannot escape.
This is a nice idea and allows you the opportunity to let the mole out well away from the turf he is damaging. Just don't let him be someone else's problem and make sure it isn't just over your hedge because I can guarantee that Malcolm Ole (as they are affectionately know in the Voice household) will be back.
Trembler devices were all the craze at one stage. A missile shaped tube is inserted in the area of intense activity. A battery powered electric motor powers a weight that vibrate at set intervals. Moles do not like vibration and it sends them in the opposite direction. The only draw back to this method is that the mole will only move to a different area of the lawn.
A relatively new idea is electric shock. A gain a plastic tube is inserted into the ground with a thin wire spike that is inserted into the moles tunnel.When his wet nose touches the electrode a sharp shock kills him instantly.
I am going to show you how to set a scissor (type) mole trap. I say scissor type because here in France they are not selling the scissor trap that I am used to (although I know I have one somewhere).
As you can see from the pictures, moles can make rather a mess. This garden that I am trapping moles in is about six acres and the damage is extensive.
The activity is in the higher ground and close to the field and woodland.
Moles need moist ground for worms to be active but they do not like anywhere that is susceptible to flooding because just like you and me they can drown.
When setting the trap, look for the most recent activity. The tell tale sign is disturbed moist soil on the top of the mole hill. If you are quiet, it is possible to tip toe up to a working mole hill and watch the soil being pushed from beneath.
I have actually swiped with a spade under the active mole and scoped him out of his burrow and into the air. You really have to be stealthy to achieve this and it is something I have only done twice. Once the mole was killed and the second it fell, alive, onto the grass. If you ever manage to do this, watch how quickly, even through tough matted turf, the mole escapes underground.
There are two ways to set the trap. Either in the mound or in a tunnel or run. Some tunnels are literally just below the surface but the setting of the trap is principally the same method.
Scrape back the soil and locate the hole. Sometimes the hole can be at the end of the working area so it is a dead end but others the tunnel will be running past and on to the next mound. The mound is nothing more than a waste deposit. As the soil is excavated, it is removed from the tunnels and thrown up onto the spoil heap as the mole works backwards.
Using a small garden trowel or an old kitchen knife, enlarge the tunnel so that the trap can be placed into it unrestricted. I like to make sure that the jaws are not fouling either end otherwise pressure against the tunnel walls might hinder the snapping together of the jaws and ultimately letting Malcolm escape.
Squeeze together the spring loaded handle. As this happens the double set of jaws opens up. You now have to insert a little plat or ring between the jaws to hold them in the open position.
This ring will have a hole in the middle. If the trap is set correctly, this ring is then located dead in the centre of the tunnel. You want the mole to push his nose through the hole to trigger the trap. The trap will also go off if the ring is nudge from the side.
Once you are happy that the ring is centre and the trap is not fouling the tunnel walls then cover the opening of the hole with turf or compressed soil to omit the light.
Now it is a waiting game. Sometimes the results can be almost immediate or it can take a week or even two. Setting more than one trap will obviously increase the chances of success.
Once I had set the first trap and showed my neighbour how to do it he set a further four and had success within a day and this mole that we are taking out is three days after setting.
Do not worry about the shine on a new trap. The mole isn't blind but is extremely impaired visually so it is not an issue. Be careful with scent though. The nose of a mole is extremely sensitive and it will pick up human odour.
I like to scrub the trap in the soil before inserting it (here Richard is wearing gloves - fiddly but it will add a barrier between you and the metal and stop any sweat from tainting the air around - you will know what I mean if you travel on the tube).
Some interesting mole information and history sources:
"Moles are mostly solitary creatures, and, except during the breeding season, they are highly aggressive to other moles of either sex. Each mole has its own set of tunnels.
"They are active day and night (apart from periodic rest periods) and they don't hibernate. The mole catching season lasts from the first of November to the end of June, and the most effective time to control the moles is the main breeding season, in the Spring."
Click on images to enlarge for greater detail.
These are a rather interesting Youtube videos - note the extrusions on the moles nose (not otherwise visible)
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