How to kill a Mole
Discussion
Several times as a kd, I would venture dowstairs in the morning, look outside and see my Mum stood outside in her dressing gown with a garden fork in both hands, stood totally still like a praying mantis ready to plunge the fork into the ground.
Moles trashed our garden, but my Mum killed quite a few of the buggers like that.
We tried everything from smoke bombs, strycnine worms, windmills and even a couple of Mk8 Thunderflashes.
Only the fork seemed to work, for a short while.
Moles trashed our garden, but my Mum killed quite a few of the buggers like that.
We tried everything from smoke bombs, strycnine worms, windmills and even a couple of Mk8 Thunderflashes.
Only the fork seemed to work, for a short while.
Zaxxon said:
Several times as a kd, I would venture dowstairs in the morning, look outside and see my Mum stood outside in her dressing gown with a garden fork in both hands, stood totally still like a praying mantis ready to plunge the fork into the ground.
Moles trashed our garden, but my Mum killed quite a few of the buggers like that.
We tried everything from smoke bombs, strycnine worms, windmills and even a couple of Mk8 Thunderflashes.
Only the fork seemed to work, for a short while.
Using a fork would be consider causing an animal unnecessary suffering, IIRC now 6 months in prison and upto 5 grand fine.Moles trashed our garden, but my Mum killed quite a few of the buggers like that.
We tried everything from smoke bombs, strycnine worms, windmills and even a couple of Mk8 Thunderflashes.
Only the fork seemed to work, for a short while.
There are two main types of traps you can buy at the local garden centre.
One looks like a giant clothespeg in metal. Peg is opened and between its jaws is a small bar.
The other looks like a metal tunnel, has a loop half way down on a large spring.
Either way you get a sharp stick and identify one of the moles tunnels. Dig the tunnel out enough to put the trap in it and recover with loose earth.
If you did it with gloves on the mole takes about twenty four hours adjusting to the fact something has gone wrong with his tunnel and trys to excavate it.
Used every year in our garden to take the more annoying members of the every growing family
One looks like a giant clothespeg in metal. Peg is opened and between its jaws is a small bar.
The other looks like a metal tunnel, has a loop half way down on a large spring.
Either way you get a sharp stick and identify one of the moles tunnels. Dig the tunnel out enough to put the trap in it and recover with loose earth.
If you did it with gloves on the mole takes about twenty four hours adjusting to the fact something has gone wrong with his tunnel and trys to excavate it.
Used every year in our garden to take the more annoying members of the every growing family
itsnotarace said:
Using a fork would be consider causing an animal unnecessary suffering, IIRC now 6 months in prison and upto 5 grand fine.
Yeah cause that only kills the thing immediatley, as opposed to gassing or poisoning which is slow and probably causes distress.I'll carry on with the fork or spade thanks. f
kin bunny huggers.
Now my next door neighbours alsatian causes those little furry pussy cats a good deal of unnecessary suffering.
I think in the last few months he has buried probably one a week in our garden.
Its easy to tell its him because he likes to torture the cats. When you go to do a bit of weeding in the vegetable bed you will find the cat buried to the neck legionnaire style with its head poked out the earth being eaten by magpies.
One can only hope the cats die prior to the magpies.
It makes Mrs miggins with her spade look like the animal welfare ambulance.
Unfortunately cats are the bottom of the food chain round my way. Unless of course you count rabbits. Problem with rabiits is that are a little too fast for the dog, unlike the cats.
I think in the last few months he has buried probably one a week in our garden.
Its easy to tell its him because he likes to torture the cats. When you go to do a bit of weeding in the vegetable bed you will find the cat buried to the neck legionnaire style with its head poked out the earth being eaten by magpies.
One can only hope the cats die prior to the magpies.
It makes Mrs miggins with her spade look like the animal welfare ambulance.
Unfortunately cats are the bottom of the food chain round my way. Unless of course you count rabbits. Problem with rabiits is that are a little too fast for the dog, unlike the cats.
its not easy, moles are well adapted, clever litle animals. very sensitive to thier surroundings and live in tunnel networks that can extend over acres, so just lobbing stuff down the hole is not that easy.
i have a nice sideline in mole control. Most people i meet have tried everything with no success (although stands to reason that i wouldn't meet those who had been successful)
have a look on countrymoles.co.uk (i think) - that will find you a good mole trapper near to you. I would advise against rentokil style outfits, as they're not really that good at moles - rodents are more their thing.
if you're in swindon i'll come and do it for you!
i have a nice sideline in mole control. Most people i meet have tried everything with no success (although stands to reason that i wouldn't meet those who had been successful)
have a look on countrymoles.co.uk (i think) - that will find you a good mole trapper near to you. I would advise against rentokil style outfits, as they're not really that good at moles - rodents are more their thing.
if you're in swindon i'll come and do it for you!
julian64 said:
There are two main types of traps you can buy at the local garden centre.
One looks like a giant clothespeg in metal. Peg is opened and between its jaws is a small bar.
The other looks like a metal tunnel, has a loop half way down on a large spring.
Either way you get a sharp stick and identify one of the moles tunnels. Dig the tunnel out enough to put the trap in it and recover with loose earth.
If you did it with gloves on the mole takes about twenty four hours adjusting to the fact something has gone wrong with his tunnel and trys to excavate it.
Used every year in our garden to take the more annoying members of the every growing family
If you are going to do it yourself these work. The scissor/pincer traps are much easier to set than the barrel traps.One looks like a giant clothespeg in metal. Peg is opened and between its jaws is a small bar.
The other looks like a metal tunnel, has a loop half way down on a large spring.
Either way you get a sharp stick and identify one of the moles tunnels. Dig the tunnel out enough to put the trap in it and recover with loose earth.
If you did it with gloves on the mole takes about twenty four hours adjusting to the fact something has gone wrong with his tunnel and trys to excavate it.
Used every year in our garden to take the more annoying members of the every growing family
A few tips.
1 Watch where you are walking in case you collapse the run.
2 Don't touch the heaps but go round them with your bamboo cane until you find the run.
3 Cut out enough turf to get the trap in the run.( I use an old carving knife)
Then clean out the run either side of loose earth. A tea spoon is very good.
4 Push your trap into the hole until the trigger ring is about 0.5cm above the bottom of the run.
5 Very often once the run is opened there will be a T junction. The main run always runs at a tangent to the heap.
6 Cover up the gaps with the turf you have cut away .
HTH
( I usually catch in excess of 100 moles a year)
julian64 said:
Now my next door neighbours alsatian causes those little furry pussy cats a good deal of unnecessary suffering.
I think in the last few months he has buried probably one a week in our garden.
Its easy to tell its him because he likes to torture the cats. When you go to do a bit of weeding in the vegetable bed you will find the cat buried to the neck legionnaire style with its head poked out the earth being eaten by magpies.
One can only hope the cats die prior to the magpies.
It makes Mrs miggins with her spade look like the animal welfare ambulance.
Unfortunately cats are the bottom of the food chain round my way. Unless of course you count rabbits. Problem with rabiits is that are a little too fast for the dog, unlike the cats.
That's pretty sad I think in the last few months he has buried probably one a week in our garden.
Its easy to tell its him because he likes to torture the cats. When you go to do a bit of weeding in the vegetable bed you will find the cat buried to the neck legionnaire style with its head poked out the earth being eaten by magpies.
One can only hope the cats die prior to the magpies.
It makes Mrs miggins with her spade look like the animal welfare ambulance.
Unfortunately cats are the bottom of the food chain round my way. Unless of course you count rabbits. Problem with rabiits is that are a little too fast for the dog, unlike the cats.
It takes a Siamese. Remember a story of an Alsatian that used to stick its head through a hole in the fence and bark at the Siamese next door. One day the Siamese anticipated this and was on top of the fence when the dog stuck its head through. Siamese dropped onto the dog's head and gave it a good slashing. Owner tried to get compensation I think - 'Your cat hurt my Alsatian!'
Recall the old man clearing off some mole hills into a wheel barrow (good soft earth for planting stuff out!) then ambling round with a large bean tin full of petrol, pouring a little down each open hole the digging had revealed.
Then followed an entertaining moment of him wrapping some newspaper round the end of a cane, lighting it, then it failing dismally to ignite the petrol in the hole. More petrol followed (not Emsman style however) and on the second attempt... the mole runs under the grass were neatly traced out with an accompanying bang, and a spirited run from the old man.
The moles came back and 2-Star petrol was deemed too expensive so saved for the mower (yes, a number of years ago).
Early summer mornings, and an air rifle for when the little blighter pops up from his latest excavation can work well... does head a fair way down that Jasper Carrot route however.
Of course, the sensible approach has already been mentioned:
Then followed an entertaining moment of him wrapping some newspaper round the end of a cane, lighting it, then it failing dismally to ignite the petrol in the hole. More petrol followed (not Emsman style however) and on the second attempt... the mole runs under the grass were neatly traced out with an accompanying bang, and a spirited run from the old man.
The moles came back and 2-Star petrol was deemed too expensive so saved for the mower (yes, a number of years ago).
Early summer mornings, and an air rifle for when the little blighter pops up from his latest excavation can work well... does head a fair way down that Jasper Carrot route however.
Of course, the sensible approach has already been mentioned:
tenex said:
If you are going to do it yourself these work. The scissor/pincer traps are much easier to set than the barrel traps.
A few tips.
1 Watch where you are walking in case you collapse the run.
2 Don't touch the heaps but go round them with your bamboo cane until you find the run.
3 Cut out enough turf to get the trap in the run.( I use an old carving knife)
Then clean out the run either side of loose earth. A tea spoon is very good.
4 Push your trap into the hole until the trigger ring is about 0.5cm above the bottom of the run.
5 Very often once the run is opened there will be a T junction. The main run always runs at a tangent to the heap.
6 Cover up the gaps with the turf you have cut away .
A few tips.
1 Watch where you are walking in case you collapse the run.
2 Don't touch the heaps but go round them with your bamboo cane until you find the run.
3 Cut out enough turf to get the trap in the run.( I use an old carving knife)
Then clean out the run either side of loose earth. A tea spoon is very good.
4 Push your trap into the hole until the trigger ring is about 0.5cm above the bottom of the run.
5 Very often once the run is opened there will be a T junction. The main run always runs at a tangent to the heap.
6 Cover up the gaps with the turf you have cut away .
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