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Our one acre field is riddled with moles and has been for a few years but it seems to be getting worse. I am surprised as the ground is very very wet so I would assume this wasn't ideal mole territory but I am obviously wrong.

So

What is the best way to get rid and the best way to avoid them coming back. Have tried sonar things you stick in the ground but they did nothing at all.

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Scissor mole traps for me, About £5 each get 10 lot cheaper than getting a mole catcher in.

 

Find the runs, make sure to get the trap at the bottom of the run tight on the end, and get stuck in possibly not as many as you think as they are territorial but as they are established will take some time.

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If the ground is wet then the tunnels will tend to collapse so the little gentleman in the black velvet waistcoat will keep clearing them out - hence more hills. There'll probably be far fewer than you think. If not an immediate problem, make it easier by waiting until it dries out a bit and set a few Duffus traps - excessive tunnel cleaning can block or set the traps off to no avail.

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Our one acre field is riddled with moles and has been for a few years but it seems to be getting worse. I am surprised as the ground is very very wet so I would assume this wasn't ideal mole territory but I am obviously wrong.

So

What is the best way to get rid and the best way to avoid them coming back. Have tried sonar things you stick in the ground but they did nothing at all.

Where abouts are you?

 

If close enough I will gladly show you how to trap them. Always useful so you can sort them yourself.

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:) same here. Thought II better learn how to do it when the neighbour says kill one and two will come to funeral. I have tried 12g, traps and now have resorted to putting ash from log burner on the mounds,,,,,,,,,,,,,, :lol: who knows but keep trying. Only got two so far (I think) and jumped on them as i saw them move.

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Thanks for all the replies, good info.

Will wait for it to dry then have a go with traps

Get some of this type as they're better suited to your type of ground - wet or not, the 'roof' can't fall in and block the trap. Unlike the scissors type, in the breeding season they'll also catch twice (although I've only ever managed that once). No matter what, sooner or later they'll be back so a better quality version (not necessarily this one) is the best bet. Instuctions may or may not be handy though.

 

http://www.stopgardenmoles.co.uk/details.asp?ID=8&gclid=CJ6k5ImC2dECFZORGwodxjIIfA

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Get some of this type as they're better suited to your type of ground - wet or not, the 'roof' can't fall in and block the trap. Unlike the scissors type, in the breeding season they'll also catch twice (although I've only ever managed that once). No matter what, sooner or later they'll be back so a better quality version (not necessarily this one) is the best bet. Instuctions may or may not be handy though.

 

http://www.stopgardenmoles.co.uk/details.asp?ID=8&gclid=CJ6k5ImC2dECFZORGwodxjIIfA

Many thanks I shall arm myself with the above

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Moles feed on worms and worms need moisture in the soil. At this time of year the moles will be using deeper tunnels to avoid the cold. Some of these tunnels won't have been used since last year and will have subsided in places and be full of loose soil - hence the rash of mole hills you see at this time of year. There won't be as many moles as you think but once you clear an area neighbouring moles often re-infest the vacant tunnels so it pays to keep the traps in after catching the resident.s

 

The problem with a lot of Duffus type traps you can buy is that the metal isn't a high enough grade for the job and as such the traps need quite a lot of tuning to be efficient. Some are beyond that and can't be made to work properly. The best type of Duffus trap can be bought from a company called Flatpack at Skipton in Yorkshire. Their stainless model is probably the best you can buy and will last a lifetime. They also are just about ready to go straight out of the box.

 

Another type worth considering are Talpex traps and by that I mean the genuine Talpex, not the copies which can be scrap after a few weeks of use. These are better for loose or sandy soil providing it is stone free.

 

Putanges are good for turf and can safely be left in when stock are in the field if you re-use the clod to seal the hole that you dig. I'll be doing three sheep pastures next week that have stock in them.

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Any recomendations on where to get these. and any fakes out there.

 

Would they be any good in tunnels for rats.

 

There is an ebay seller called Ian Portman. I can personally guarantee that the traps he sells are the ones that have been used by French pros for decades.

 

I've caught rats, field mice, weasels and a 5 foot snake in Putanges over the years. No reason why you can't set them specifically for rats in a tunnel.

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So are these purtanges jobs the best ones for me, very very wet land ??

 

It depends on what the soil is like. I've caught moles in flooded tunnels with Putanges and Duffus traps. But the soil has to be firm enough to set the traps properly. Moles won't normally reside in very wet land though. They will nest elsewhere and travel through the wet tunnels to feed travelling long distances in some cases. If you can find the commuting tunnels, the ones they use to get from the nest to the feeding area, you will get better results.

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It depends on what the soil is like. I've caught moles in flooded tunnels with Putanges and Duffus traps. But the soil has to be firm enough to set the traps properly. Moles won't normally reside in very wet land though. They will nest elsewhere and travel through the wet tunnels to feed travelling long distances in some cases. If you can find the commuting tunnels, the ones they use to get from the nest to the feeding area, you will get better results.

Spot on.

Look for some higher ground - bank or hedge nearby. Sometimes they'll create their own version - called a fortress - which is a super sized hill to look at.

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