Is there a non violent way of getting rid of moles .

[flatcapandpearls]

Almost every morning there is a new mole hill on our lawn. We have been offered traps but it does not feel right to kill an animal simply to preserve my lawn.

[terramum]

I've heard that if you put up with the mole hills for a while, eventually they stop appearing as he/she will have finished digging out their new home. Makes sense to me.

[flatcapandpearls]

Lets hope so. Thanks terramum.

[GrimmaTheNome]

You could try the sonic mole repellers, and/or a rodent deterrent spray, thats what we were recommended. You are supposed to use them to 'herd' the animal out of your lawn. Whether they work or not I don't know.

Just be glad if you've only got discrete molehills. Our soil is very shallow and we got extensive runs all round the lawn, it must have been barely below the surface most of the time which made a heck of a mess.

From what I've read, moles are solitary except in the spring when breeding - does anyone know if thats right, ie if one mole is got rid of is that the end of it or is another liable to recolonise?

[flatcapandpearls]

They are not discrete but they seem to be limited to one bit of the lawn, so not where we sit.

I did want to herd the animal away rather than kill it but wondered if I was being a soft townie.

I will look into repellers thanks

[Mamazon]

NOOOOOO don't do it.

went to see G force yesterday.
can't explain without giving away the plot but...just don't!

[flatcapandpearls]

If I google G force will I understand?

[GrimmaTheNome]

Of course if you herd the mole into next door's garden and they aren't soft townies, you may only be delaying execution. I'm pretty sure our neighbour - nice man but keeps lawn immaculate - would put in traps. At least my DHs swipe with the mallet at moving earth was quick. If I see any more movement I'm not telling DH, I'll get the thick gloves on and try capture (surely moles can't move fast with those spade feet?)

[flatcapandpearls]

We dont have immediate neigbours, we are surrounded by farmland.

[differentID]

Do you want to borrow my mum's boy cat? He's a wicked hunter!
Does at lkeast one small rodent a day. Cheap to run as well!

[flatcapandpearls]

We have 2 cats who hunt but they have never bought in a mole.

[differentID]

the screams are awful

[GrimmaTheNome]

She said non-violent... cats are about the least humane method possible.

[flatcapandpearls]

I cant make anything scream, I feel horrible now. A local farmer advised us to stalk and shoot them and seemed quite surprised when we said we did not have a gun.

[siouxsieandthebanshees]

I know the answer to this, its a bit weird but really works

FERRET SHIT

We moved to this house and the garden was a danger zone" Mole hills naa ... more like mole mountains. So as we had ferrets, dh would let them run around the garden regularly, and we dug the poop into each mole hill. 3 weeks and they were gone, and they have never returned.

[flatcapandpearls]

Gosh, now where does one get feret shit from, would cat poo work I wonder.

[GrimmaTheNome]

Stalk and shoot moles? Are you sure he wasn't pulling your townie leg? I mean, you'd have to be a good shot, they aren't exactly a large target.

Ferret droppings.... I guess that would scare a mole! We did wonder if it was coincidence that our mole arrived when we - and our dachshund - were away for a fortnight. Our last dog used to always pee on molehills when we were out.

Can't you get ferret shit on eBay, I thought you could get anything there?

[flatcapandpearls]

I did think that Grimma but they do like their hunting and fishing around here and I know they shoot foxes.

[frostyfingers]

Sorry, I don't think there is a non violent way - either you put up with it or terminate them, they certainly do not give up if you leave them be. We "put up with it" last summer/autumn and winter and our lawn is devastated. By February we'd had enough, and arranged for a mole trapper - he caught one smallish mole (I was expecting at least 2 of the devils the size of cats, but no, just a little one), and I did feel mean, but don't regret it. If another one moves in, I'm afraid I'll do the same. We do not have, nor want a bowling green, but it is completely ruined - lumpy, bumpy and impossible to mow without scraping. We have spent a fortune on filling the holes with compost and grass seed which has made a bit of a difference, but not much. You can not walk across it without twisting your ankle.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not! When we cleared the mole hills, we filled an 8X4 raised veg bed to the brim....So, in my experience it's either a lumpy lawn (and flower beds and veg beds) or a dead mole, sorry!