The humble garden mole has been made famous as a lovable creature in books such as The Wind In The Willows based in Henley On Thames, and yet infamous in gardens across the land. It's now breeding time so moles head for surface looking for a mate. Also after heavy rainfall molehills will start to appear and mole catching is needed. Not only because rain makes the ground softer, but it increases the numbers of earthworms - a moles favourite food.
The truth is technically moles do no harm, unless you’re an earthworm that is! However when molehills’ appear in your garden, they will become a pest that needs controlling causing havoc until caught. This might not appear a problem, but on discovering a molehill, if the ground is wet, then try putting your foot around the molehill and you will likely find your garden is dropping beneath your feet due to the numbers of tunnels the mole is leaving. They of course can carve out many meters of tunnels in just one night. Take the situation in the photo below. These large molehills were caused by just one little mole and left major tunnels.
A health and safety crazed person could complain they are a trip hazard. This may sound a little far fetched, however the Football Association, due to the risks of broken ankles, has judged some football pitches unplayable. For instance, recently a football pitch in Oxford needed the Pure Pest Solutions touch to allow Sunday league to go ahead!
At this point I think it is important to point out we really don’t advise any deterrents to be set. The idea of these mole deterrents is to make a high pitch noise to irritate the moles forcing them into another area. I always liken it to moving into a home close to a railway track. Initially the noise of the trains puts you off, but after a while you get used to it. I consider this the same when it comes to moles in your garden. They’ll be back!
The question is really what to do on discovering a mole pest control problem. You have two options: The first is trapping, and the second is gassing. We at Pure Pest Solutions specialise in mole catching and removal using traps. The option of gassing isn’t something we choose to do because of the strength of gas required for the job. It is possible to buy mole traps on Amazon or other retail websites, which should be as effective as a pest control companies, but do make sure the kill will be quick and humane.
Pure Pest Solutions gives the following advice to aid you if you would like to try and catch the moles yourself: It is important to set up several traps as the mole has many tunnels to choose from so you need to spread your bets on which one he will use.
We recommend using double-ended traps such as the Talpex one above (beware of cheap imitations!!) meaning the mole can enter from either side to meet his fate. Try to find the ‘motorway tunnels’ as we call them. The idea is there are several tunnels that a mole will use regularly. To find them, push the molehills down with your shoe. The ones that come up again represent the active ones. These are the ones to trap.
As you may have guessed, it is very difficult to catch the mole alive and to re-home him. It is possible, but involves digging much of the garden and takes about a day, if you are lucky! Place the traps around the freshest molehill in the smoothest tunnel you can find. Once the tunnel is dug and the traps placed, be sure to mark them so you know where to return to. Check the traps once a day so any moles can be removed before they smell! Finally try to find the main tunnels that usually run along the edge of a garden wall. This is the main access point and where you are likely to find the best results. If you don’t fancy getting rid of moles in your garden, or anywhere for that matter, Call us today to see how we can help. Good luck and we at Pure Pest Solutions wish you a mole free week!