Moles

This topic contains 7 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by  ashleigh 10 years, 9 months ago.

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  • #21654

    Pete Budd
    Participant

    An old nutmeg I know but any advice or info on deterrents/preventative action would be very welcome.

    Cheers

    Pete

    #24121

    charles
    Moderator

     I find that in an undug garden, where the mole runs are not disturbed, there is less new upheaval. In the 1980s, my acres of brashy soil were full of runs, with little damage to plants.

    However in clay soils I have sometimes found they can bring up some horrible subsoil; when this happened in France I borrowed a "moletrap" and once the (one) mole was gone (killed I am afraid), all disturbace ceased. 

    #24122

    I have quite a few moles in my beds this year. They have moved in from the adjoining pasture and are at least a sign of lots of worms! Plants do seem very resilient and I’ve had to tread down the parsnip and carrot beds regularly over the last few weeks but the seedlings have been largely unaffected. The main problem is the soil being brought up from below the manure mulch. Weeds are germinating and the moles are undermining my no-dig system with their digging!
    I’ve decided to start trapping and have had some success. A site with some detailed instructions on trapping is
    http://walcotefarm.fernhillsolutions.net/molecatching/mole_catching.htm.
    I’ve been using the proctor trap recommended.
    Andy

    #24123

    wendyp
    Participant

    I was going to post on this subject! My garden is all raised beds filled with composted cow manure on top of undiggable clay and rocks (I discovered no-dig out of necessity). The moles haven’t been much trouble the last couple of years, and I generally believe in leaving them be, but this year they’ve gone bonkers! When planting small plants, the trowel is forever dropping into a void, and I often have trouble finding a solid place to plant. Quite a few plants have keeled over as if drought-struck, which I guess is the mole digging a tunnel under them. I don’t think there is much point in setting traps as we ajoin open fields and more will just move in, but is there any way of deterring the little menaces or driving them deeper into the soil??

    #24124

    bluebell
    Participant

    Hi Wendy
    I have a lot if runs under my veg this year but I think they are mice rather than moles as there are no piles of earth that moles make and when I moved my water butt there were a lot of runs under it and what looks like a nest…

    #24125

    Pete Budd
    Participant

    Thanks for that Andrew. I followed that link and having picked up a few tips reset a trap this morning and found a mole in it this evening. I may have been lucky in finding the right run though.

    Cheers

    Pete

    #24126

    dan hazelrowan
    Participant

    out of interest :

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9531843/Wet-summer-leads-to-mole-explosion-in-British-gardens.html

    yes we have some new moles moved in this spring – so far not much damage – fingers crossed! We did lose a couple of weak plants, and have a whole bed of lettuce wilt in the hot weather – a good watering, and a bit of firming in sorted them out, and they are all fine now.

    I have been generally really impressed with smaller plants’ resilience to being lifted up almost out of the soil!

    and Yes it is annoying seeing our stony brown soil appear amongst the lovely black compost haha!

    Also i almost fell over as i walked down a path and sank into a mole run underneath which made me lose my balance!

    What predates on moles? Owls perhaps waiting as they poke their heads out at night?

    #24127

    ashleigh
    Participant

    voles make runs just under the surface, or when you move something that was resting on the surface the runs will be exposed and open. mole tunnels are deeper and a bit larger.

    voles love our no dig mulch :/ and they’re supposed to be very destructive, particularly eating roots. in our patch some things are thriving despite them, while other things are disappearing and we’re not sure yet whether this is voles, slugs, the grubs that come when you are converting pasture into garden, or a team effort.

    i’ve been advised that a bottle sunk into the soil, neck upwards, can cause vibrations (from wind blowing across the top) that voles and moles don’t like, but we haven’t got round to trying this yet

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