[clydesdaleclopper]

They would probably take the chicks - I certainly don't trust them with ours.

[Shnoowie]

We had a mole problem; my father and sister tried to catch them with traps and couldn't.  So my mother bought a trap (sadly one that kills the mole), set it in the run and put an earth worm in front and behind it.  It caught the mole within hours and was very effective.  It was sad to have to resort to that, but we didn't want to use chemicals, and our Labrador doesn't have the patience of most terriers.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Well,

   I can certainly see where the need for a little light relief in the form of a jasper carrot dvd comes in! My lawn is coverd in holes ( a number made by the moles...the majority made by us when setting the traps!) We havent caught anything in 3 days though the traps are being sprung. We have a very light sandy soil here so worms are not easy to come by unless you do some serious digging, which means bating the trap will be tricky. I know some of you have suggested calling in the experts but I think this will be an on going issue so I feel I need to master the art of mole charming or it will cost me a fortune in pest control.

   Will set somemore traps this eve ....wish me luck!

[Fleecewife]

Hi Buffy.  Apparently you need to make sure the traps have no human smell on them, so they must be dirty and you need to wear old rubber gloves, also preferably smeared with soil, when handling them and the turf you lift.
Our worms would just wriggle away if we used them as bait 

Waiting to hear if you are successful.

[knightquest]

Good Luck Buffy 

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi Piggy - You mention geese, and I have some this year for the first time. 

How do the geese get rid of moles - I am interested to put mine on mole duties

All the best
Sue
Dark Brown Eggs

[piggy]

Hi

Not sure what it is but only thing i can think of is that its the movement of the geese that deturs them,we have 6 on there and still so far so good no more moles,hurray

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Hi All,

   just thought I would give you an update. We tried 2 different types of traps which so far haven't caught anything. I have used gloves to set the traps and burried them in soil for a week before setting them to get rid of any smells but to no avail.

  I have finally resourted to smoke bombs which work but are expensive for the number we have to use. As you have to bury one for every 3 mole hills, I think the secret is to use them when you only have a few hills not a field full!

[sarha]

Hi. Might not be suitable for a field but my grandad used to put a length of bramble down the mole hill ( I dont know if he pushed it into the run as i was only young...many moon ago now!) As moles are heamophiliacs (sp?) they bleed to death. It worked for him. It might upset some animal lovers but moles are a nuisance and it is a cheap and chemical free way to get rid of moles....albeit a bit cruel. Hope this doesn't upset anyone.

[Mickyork]

Hi Buffy, the guy who cleared my dad's garden a few years back coated his traps with some sort of worm extract which he bought at the local fishing tackle shop. He swore by it. He said it gave off a strong odour that the moles couldn't resist.

[sheardale]

Last year I was inandated with molehills.  tried everything to no avail.   I have geese and still had moles.  The cat caught and killed 2 moles.  Now that the snow is thawing I CAN SEE i have still got moles.  I think a trap may be the only deterent.
Cheers Helen

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Hi Helen,

  I have finally decided to get "a man in" to tackle the moles and the rabbits ( I have 4 warrens now!) as the moles seemed to have been very busy under the snow. I dont see this as a defeat but mearly a tactical withdrawl and a chance to bring in the cavalry.

  My plan is to learn from him so I can tackle them myself in future. So I'm loosing the battle in order to win the war.

  I will pass on any tips.


Buffy

[sheila]

We tried everything including the little gizmo that you find in greeting cards.( put it down the hole and let it play until the battery runs out) Eventually my husband was persuaded by the the farmer next door to remove the top layer of soil and look where the runs were. then he put the traps across a run and recovered the ground.  Next day we had caught two of the blighters!

[darkbrowneggs]

I know this doesn't remove the moles as such, but I find if instead of stamping the soil down hard, (which of course is what one is tempted to do) I now remove the soil from the mole tump (it can be stored in a bin for seed compost making) and eventually the problem settles itself down a bit. 

My theory is that they build their tunnel network and if it is left reasonably undisturbed they don't need to re-do it.

All the best
and Happy New Year
Sue

[bsadevon]

My Uncle Tot (his nick name cause he liked a tot of whiskey) used to be a mole catcher back in the bad old days when they were licenced to use strychnine, I remember helping him prod the ground between mole hill with a thin stick to find the runs then set traps.

Like the windmill idea - let use know how you get on.

Cheers Tim