MOLES

[roadkill]

How do i catch these flipping things they are recking my veg garden

 

i have bought the claw traps but still no luck

[Dave-G]

Do number ones all over the garden - I kid you not Jamie.

 

My neighbour and I had em, and after reading that advice made a habit of 'going in the garden after dark instead of walking upstairs - it worked. As animals mark there patch there is something about man urine that scares them off.

 

No good for clearing up farms and such as they'll probably only relocate a few 100 yards away but great for clearing a small patch within ******* distance.

 

Fancy popping out?

[roadkill]

i best start taking a leek between the peas and broad bean plants

 

would love to pop out but im stuck at work till 5

[Highlander]

As with all trapping/snaring there are tricks to getting the best from it. Here's an idea I learned from an old mole catcher (and he earned a (small) living from it for pretty much all his life). Make sure you wear old gloves that are dirty but not not human/chemical smelly. Weather your traps before using them. When setting a mole scissor trap place an old (rotten is best) piece of material (old carpet is ideal) over the trap to keep out any light then put the earth back on top. I can guarantee that if you get it right you can clear a garden of moles in a few days. Oh and don't set them in the hills but the runs!

[rimfire4969]

I have to clear quite a few moles, here is the way i do it my not be the best way but works for me.

 

Find a tunnel inbetween mole hills, i do this by using a length of cane pushing it in the ground working around a mole hill when it gives you have found a tunnel. I then use a sharp knife and cut out a square shape in the turf big enough for the trap to fit in. Then i set the trap across the run with the tunnel either side of the sissors making sure the tunnels have not been blocked by my digging, if they have i clear them with my fingers. Make sure you have dirty hands to lose your smell, i then sprinkel a bit of dirt back in the whole to cover my smell then cut the turf i took out and fit it around the top of the trap, lastly heap more dirt on from a mole hill over it to cut out any further light.

 

Using traps that have been left out or buried for a few days will help.

 

You can always pm me if you want any further help.

 

Good luck

[larson]

this is not my item on ebay but i have bought it and now had 82 moles.. ebay Item number: 130296542324 ... all you need to know is on that disc.

[ratman]

I am a professional pest controller and catch somewhere in the region of a thousand moles a year so I feel very qualified to advise you here mate. I do not use claw traps as a lot of my work is in schools and other public areas and as you can imagine when the kids see them sticking out of the ground it is open season to lose the lot. I favour a trap called a duffus, which sets at both ends. The trap is set inline in the moles run. I don't wish to get in a debate about weathering traps and wearing gloves etc but based on my own personal experience it does not matter a jot either way. I have set traps straight off the shelf and as shiny as you like, further more with my bare hands and have caught moles as effectively as using my old traps and wearing gloves. Moles have a poor sense of sight so a nice new shiny trap would not make any difference to the mole as he cant see it clearly anyway. My personal opinion based on years of mole trapping is they also have a poor sense of smell as well, a moles keenest sense is being able to detect merest vibation through sensory hairs on his snout and his tail, and it is this keen sense that alerts him to worms stumbling into his feeding chambers.

A mole will make three types of run, first type is an exploratory run which is seen as a raised lump above the soil level, If you poke your finger in the raised furrow you will push straight into the run. To be honest these are not very good runs at all for catching moles and best ignored unless you have no other options, secondly they have a feeding run, typically around 3- 5 inches deep, these are the runs patrolled most regularly by the mole in search of his food and the most effective place to set a trap. The third type of run is around 8-12 inches deep and is the breeding and sleeping chamber, you may notice the occasional much larger molehill and it is usually around these the deeper runs will be found. These are the runs you would be looking for if you were gassing moles by the way. Anyway like I said it is the feeding runs you will need to locate to be successful, I use a purpose made dibber made of stainless steel to dib into the ground to find the run, you can improvise with a bamboo cane if the ground is soft or a screwdriver or a metal rod if it is harder. The trick is to come about 6 inches away from the fresher looking molehills and gently apply pressure on the dibber as you push it into the ground, experiment at 2 inch intervals until it suddenly gives, indicating the void of the tunnel, now try again 2-3 inches away in all directions until you find the continuation and are able to assess the direction of the run.With a trowel dig a small hole about 3 inches square inline with the burrow, it is best to dig a smaller hole and carefully manufacture it larger until it is perfect for the trap than to dig a hole too big in which case the trap will not fit snug and it is likely the mole will dig past it or fill it with soil for you. With your fingers carefully clear the soil from each end of the tunnel to expose what should be a straight run, remove any excess soil from the run and with the back of two fingers level the base of the run, youe trying to create a nice level straight run, Set the trap and by pushing one end in at a tilt, fit it inline so it covers the run, now wiggle the other end into place, it is now that you will most likely have to remove a lttle more soil to allow the trap to fit, be careful not to take too much at a time as ultimately what you are trying to achieve is a nice, snug fitting trap that is level and inline at both ends. It all comes with practice but persevere. When I have the trap inline I lift it a couple of milimetres to make sure it is free to operate, ensure the top of the trap is not hindered so as the trap arms can travel fully without getting caught on the over hang of the hole. Once you are happy with the trap cover it with a plate or piece of wood. I use 6inch square aluminium sheet about 2 mm thick. Ensure the plate is high enough above the trap that it can spring fully. Cover the plate with the soil from a molehill to exclude light and draft and jobs a goodun. By law the traps must be checked every day so when you check them carefully remove the soil and look at the top of the trap, if the arm is in the air the trap has been sprung and hopefully you have been successful, if not put the plate and the soil back and check again the next day. Feel free to pm me for any other help.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

Ratty

[Thumpersniper]

You cant go wrong with what ratman says! I set them in the same way, but use claw traps. Usually i find not to overdo it in one place, there is usually only 1 mole in quite a big patch, 1 or 2 traps in the main runs is sufficient. If you havent caught one in 24 hrs i would move the trap.

 

I am often up early in the morning milking, and find that a lot of mole hills are lifting at this time. So i carry a 12 bore and shoot them as they lift, very effective control!

 

SP

[Quist]

Only thing I would add is to put a decent lobworm in the run so that the mole is attracted in by the vibration and smell

[libs]

Getting them with the 12bore aint no sport but really does put a dent in their population if you have the self control to stand still for hours. If you don't want to tear the lawn up any more then I could vouch for a scaffold pole section or a steal pummel for post hole digging :(

[mirokujames]

im afraid the 12 bore and 32gram cartriges is my choice of weaponary in catching moles. ive had 10 since last march

[Thumpersniper]

I got 9 one morning in about half an hour with my 12b! picture:-

 

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