The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Bert on July 05, 2012, 09:13:40 am
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Is any one else having problems with Moles ? The little fury S.O.A.B is making lots of mole hills in my raised beds (including my newly planted asparagus beds :( ) and on the lawn ( really don't care about the lawn the little fella is welcome to it). In fact the stuff he digs up on the lawn ends up in the raised beds it's good stuff :thumbsup: . I've got a couple of sonic mole deterrents on the go but they don't work very well if there is a barrier under ground (big tree roots for example). Who ever put our raised beds in, dug them down as well as raised them up. So 1 mole deterrent only covers one bed because of the under ground barrier. So does anyone have any good ways of getting rid of moles? I'd like to encourage them to leave rather than turn into a psychotic killer ( they are cute no matter how much of a pain in the arse they are)
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We have one in our polytunnel so far it has evaded the trap we set and being flooded out with a hosepipe down its hole, OH's latest idea is to put a pipe on the exhaust of his stihl saw and fumigate the little sod out! Every day theres a new mole heap and a plant collapsed. very annoying.
mandy :pig:
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Think we have a species of GIANT mole. There is no way a tiny, furry creature could possibly make the mountains we have in our lawn :o . Don't seem to venture into the veggie patch.
Seems to be at its worst in Feb. time - males searching for females I think.
Everyone I've spoken to says that they are difficult to get rid of so we just put up with them.
Vibrations are supposed to encourage them to move on eg. canes pushed in the ground with bottles stuck on the top, flags ???
Did read a book that said you should whisper to them and ask them politely to leave ;D . Obviously that's where you are going wrong Fowgill Farm. :innocent: ;D
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OH doesn't do whispering more your rant kinda guy ;D
They seem more prolific this year suspect its because with all the damp weather the ground is nice and soft from them to err mole thro!
Wonder if the piggleys would sniff 'em out i do live in hope of the odd truffle!
Mandy :pig:
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We have a Flat-Coated Retriever and he has had several attempts at digging them out - to no avail ::)
Your hubbie needs to work on his sweet talking ::) .... sensitive creatures moles are. Let's hope Bert is better at it.
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Not much help in raised beds, but our terriers do catch them, as did our WolfieXKarabash - she was hilarious, ten stone of dog poised for ages with one paw up, ears cocked, til the mole popped up near the top of it's hill, then she would pounce like a polar bear and grab it. One of the terriers learnt from her so uses the same technique but on a smaller scale. The other terrier just makes a lot of noise and digging mess and scares them away ;D . Every couple of years we have the local gamekeeper to trap any the dogs have left.
Looking on the positive side, moles are a sign that you have good healthy soil with plenty of earthworms :D Right little sods in the veggie patch though.
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Commiserations Bert (and all) I have exactly the same problem - last years planted Asparagus bed destroyed :'( . I'm afraid I am a mole killer (or rather I consent to my neighbour attacking them). Last year the recipe was peanut butter mixed with ground up paraceatamol, this year it has 'progressed' to worms mixed with ground up same.
As an ex biochemist I am undecided about the ecological impact of 'planting' the equivelant of about 20 paraceatamol tabs in the ground (do it in the rough field where no hay taken), but it does appear to be controling the population (too late for me asparagus tho) and may atempt to deter him next year and get the local trapper in. I say 'attempt' as I am very much the subordinate here!
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I'm so pleased it's not just me with little visitors :-J .
Did read a book that said you should whisper to them and ask them politely to leave ;D .
I will give the whispering thing ago. You never know :fc: . I've heard you can do that with ants.
now I sound completely mad :innocent:
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Commiserations Bert (and all) I have exactly the same problem - last years planted Asparagus bed destroyed :'( . I'm afraid I am a mole killer (or rather I consent to my neighbour attacking them). Last year the recipe was peanut butter mixed with ground up paraceatamol, this year it has 'progressed' to worms mixed with ground up same.
As an ex biochemist I am undecided about the ecological impact of 'planting' the equivelant of about 20 paraceatamol tabs in the ground (do it in the rough field where no hay taken), but it does appear to be controling the population (too late for me asparagus tho) and may atempt to deter him next year and get the local trapper in. I say 'attempt' as I am very much the subordinate here!
sorry but thats an awful thing to do!! death by paracetamol???? buy some proper poison at least!!
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Commiserations Bert (and all) I have exactly the same problem - last years planted Asparagus bed destroyed :'( . I'm afraid I am a mole killer (or rather I consent to my neighbour attacking them). Last year the recipe was peanut butter mixed with ground up paraceatamol, this year it has 'progressed' to worms mixed with ground up same.
As an ex biochemist I am undecided about the ecological impact of 'planting' the equivelant of about 20 paraceatamol tabs in the ground (do it in the rough field where no hay taken), but it does appear to be controling the population (too late for me asparagus tho) and may atempt to deter him next year and get the local trapper in. I say 'attempt' as I am very much the subordinate here!
sorry but thats an awful thing to do!! death by paracetamol? ??? buy some proper poison at least!!
I'm with DITW on this - paracetamol overdose is one of the worst ways for any living thing to die. Nursed many people over time, its slow and lingering. Please reconsider :(
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The sonic deterrents just moved my moles around the garden and me spraying wee around did not seem to send them packing. By chance and after heavy rain I emptied a 1000 litre water butt becuase more rain was forecast. The next morning I found a drowned and bloated mole near the hose pipe end. Sorry to say that drowning seems to work.
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Commiserations Bert (and all) I have exactly the same problem - last years planted Asparagus bed destroyed :'( . I'm afraid I am a mole killer (or rather I consent to my neighbour attacking them). Last year the recipe was peanut butter mixed with ground up paraceatamol, this year it has 'progressed' to worms mixed with ground up same.
As an ex biochemist I am undecided about the ecological impact of 'planting' the equivelant of about 20 paraceatamol tabs in the ground (do it in the rough field where no hay taken), but it does appear to be controling the population (too late for me asparagus tho) and may atempt to deter him next year and get the local trapper in. I say 'attempt' as I am very much the subordinate here!
sorry but thats an awful thing to do!! death by paracetamol? ??? buy some proper poison at least!!
I'm with DITW on this - paracetamol overdose is one of the worst ways for any living thing to die. Nursed many people over time, its slow and lingering. Please reconsider :(
Not to mention the lingering death - or worse - of whatever eats the dead mole :( (Cats usually don't eat 'em - but some do. Some dogs do. Not sure about paracetamol effects on a buzzard...)
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To give a positive suggestion too - there'll be a local mole trapper. A good one will catch your pest within days. Although perhaps they don't like coming out where there're only one or two to catch... ???