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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To take up the mole traps from PIL lawn?

114 replies

MoogDroog · 15/08/2013 15:28

Staying at the PILs whilst they're away for the week. Beautiful garden with a lawn currently getting ruined by 'that bloody mole'. FIL has set traps, holes dig in lawn trap laid, piece of ply on top.
He's set up a goalpost next to the minefield for DCs (2 and 4.5) to play with. MIL expressed some concern about 'tiny fingers' but was dismissed.
They left a couple of hours ago and DH is taking them up.
We're right aren't we?

OP posts:
LEMisdisappointed · 15/08/2013 17:41

"Kill the fuzzy bastards!

I assume all the anti trappists are vegans who only eat food produced without pesticides?"

I am not a vegan, im not even a vegetarian but to kill something just because it spoils your lawn is pretty much up there with cuntish if you ask me!

CoolaSchmoola · 15/08/2013 17:43

Here's hoping you don't end up in A&E with a child with a broken leg because they got caught in a molehill... Molehills often give way underfoot and as a result a child could easily get hurt.

littlemog · 15/08/2013 17:45

Sorry thebody but it's not 'just crap' at all. If you 'hated doing it' then you should not have done it. As for molehills being dangerous underfoot -nonsense and you know it. It's all about aesthetics and keeping the lawn 'naice'.

I am saddened that people care so little for our native species and that they would rather kill a harmless creature than put up with a few molehills on the lawn which are easily sorted after the moles have moved on.

littlemog · 15/08/2013 17:48

coolaschmoola what a silly post.

How about you use it as a lovely learning opportunity for your child and educate them about our fantastic wild animals. Too much like hard work....?

One of our lawns as a child was often covered in molehills. Remarkably I survived my childhood and my neglectful and respectful of nature parents' slack attitude to my welfare.

TiggyD · 15/08/2013 17:49

You kill stuff because it's tasty then LEM?

"After they move on" Littlemog? Why would a mole move on?

littlemog · 15/08/2013 17:53

Ours have always moved on after a bit with no help from us. Possibly they have exhausted the food supply. They are beautiful creatures.

holidaysarenice · 15/08/2013 17:53

Id love to see the reverse of this...

My pil came and mucked about in my garden despite knowing I wouldn't be happy and it would cost thousands, aibu?

thebody · 15/08/2013 17:56

littlemog, they don't move on.

what you and your parents did is your choice in your garden.

my garden my choice.

the op isn't talking about her garden is she? it's not her place to do this and her fil would be quite right to be bloody furious at finding a ruined lawn on his return.

if she was that morally offended then she should have fine home again.

and actually what's wrong with a 'naice' lawn???? my cat actually did kill one of the moles. should I have left the remains as a learning opportunity for the dcs?

the op has no right to interfere in someone else's garden. neither have I and neither have you.

TheFogsGettingThicker · 15/08/2013 17:57

Who is expected to remove the mole remains? Did you know you'd be doing that? (I am very squeamish and should have mousetraps down in my loft but don't as I can't do the disposal bit.)

To be honest, I would have removed the goalpost rather than the traps, then after the carnage is done, replaced it.

They do sound a bit lethal for tiny fingers, so it would mean keeping the dc off the lawn for a bit.

Your FIL will be rather upset to come home to a ruined lawn, having expected the traps to work over the week.

Dominodonkey · 15/08/2013 17:59

"my garden my choice"

Absolutely, but don't start spouting rubbish about being an animal lover when you obviously value your lawn over the lives of animals.

bamboobutton · 15/08/2013 18:01

It's grass, fgs. grass.

And as for "mole hills are dangerous" bullshit, if kids/adults step on a mole hill then of course there is a chance of it collapsing, it's a bloody hole! Teach children not stamp on them, it's not like you can't see them.

Poor little souls going about their peaceful business then being chopped in half, revolting.
I'll never forget seeing one when we were walking around our local woods, he snuffled about for ages before going back down his hill, so small and velvety, can't believe people can seem almost gleefull about killing them

LEMisdisappointed · 15/08/2013 18:03

Well im not going to eat it if it tastes vile, however the last time i checked i need to eat - i do not NEED a pristine lawn and would rather have moles.

littlemog · 15/08/2013 18:03

thebody we live in a very rural county and have occasionally had the odd mole make an appearance. They DO leave of their own accord - I most certainly would not kill them.

And as for 'my garden, my choice' how about 'all of our wildlife, not yours to kill'.

TiggyD · 15/08/2013 18:09

You don't need to eat meat LEM.

And moles eat worm. There are literally millions of them in a garden. They will not exhaust the food.

And it's not the hills that are dangerous. The tunnels everywhere just under the surface causes dips all over the place. Not big ones, but big enough to make people stumble and fall over.

Leave the remains down the hole. It'll keep other moles away for a bit.

littlemog · 15/08/2013 18:15

I will reiterate that any moles we have had have left of their own accord. Sorry to spoil your theory Tiggy.

Your advice to stuff a dead mole in to a mole hole to 'keep other moles away' is utter nonsense and moles are very solitary creatures anyway so other moles are unlikely to be in the vicinity.

thebody · 15/08/2013 18:18

at the time I was running a child care business from home so most defiantly could not have mole hills and dips all over the lawn as it posed a danger to the toddlers.

you have to keep your house/garden to a certain safety standard as a cm so yes it was sad but needed.

I don't also apologise in wanting my lawn looking nice and not completely ruined.

it isn't against the law by the way to use these. we have had bats which are protected and do damage but that's life.

again back to the op she is wrong to do this in my opinion.

it's not her garden.

thebody · 15/08/2013 18:19

bamboobutton.. whose gleeful about killing?

littlemog · 15/08/2013 18:20

So would you kill off the bats too if they were not protected? Confused From your 'that's life' tone I am guessing that the answer would be yes.

SuckAtRelationships · 15/08/2013 18:27

No. YABVU. It'd not your lawn, if you are that concerned then keep your kids inside. To take them up without asking is... er... rude

thebody · 15/08/2013 18:28

no if course not. we have bats. I don't break the law.

you are very vitriolic and judgemental arnt you.

TiggyD · 15/08/2013 18:32

I used to work in a nursery in the country that often had moles. I had to catch a couple of moles with a break-back trap. One I managed to catch with my shoe and released in a not very nearby wood. The last mole we had was very nice. He didn't do lawns. He kept in the borders. They don't like vibrations so I think the children running around on the lawn kept him off.

littlemog · 15/08/2013 18:33

You clearly did not read my question properly but never mind. Getting straight to the personal abuse was probably more important. Confused

saintmerryweather · 15/08/2013 18:34

i actually lold at 'most of a mole'. our lurcher used to dig up moles and kill them. its just a mole. would you spray ants in your kitchen or a wasps nest in your garden? course you bloody would

littlemog · 15/08/2013 18:38

It's just a mole

Are you this dismissive of all life that you find to be inconvenient? Can you not see that there are differences between insects with limited nervous systems and mammals? I genuinely find it really depressing that people have such little regard for life.

And actually, since you ask, I would leave a wasps' nest well alone.

TiggyD · 15/08/2013 18:38

Wonder if this is a town/country thing?

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