B@stard moles -help!

[NorbertDentressangle]

How do you get rid of them please? (humanely) Do those sonar(?) soil spike things work?

They've been in the bottom corner of the garden by the playhouse for a while but we weren't bothered by that. However, a mole hill has just appeared on the top corner of the lawn quite a distance away. Is this the same mole(s) or are we being invaded from all angles?

They breed quite a lot apparently. Got local moleman in and left him to it. He came back once or twice a week for about a month then - hey presto - no more moles.

Sorry, but we've found that once they start moving round that's it - your lawn will be completely dug up. We lived with it for about 12 months before deciding enough was enough. Those sonar spike things will only work if in a small enough space. i.e tiny lawn which doesn't sound like yours.

Oh no -that doesn't sound good Owls.

Our lawn is on 2 levels -the moles seem to be on both of these levels which means they're travelling quite a distance and quite deep to get under the retaining wall foundations (or there are 2 "camps" of them ).

The trouble is we live next to a common so if we exterminate the ones in our garden there's surely still a chance of others coming from the common in retaliation for killing their mates or does the mole-man leave something that repels them?

No didn't leave anything behind. But have to say, they haven't come back (yet) and he left about 8 weeks ago. He did say that because we are surrounded by trees and hedges they prefer that sort of ground so hopefully they will stay there.

We are surrounded by farmland so I'm praying begging hoping they are settled where they are for the moment.

Thanks for your advice Owls.

I think its looking likely we may have to get a mole killer catcher in then.

As long as he doesn't cost £600 which is apparently what one of the MPs in the recent expenses scandal claimed

Sorry Norbert, but murder is the only way to go. We were tolerant last year, but by January our lawn looked like a minefield with huge heaps everywhere and you risked breaking an ankle walking on it. We filled two 8ftx4ft veg boxes with the soil!

We got our local moleman in who set 24 - yes 24 traps - and caught one small mole......I thought that there must have been at least a dozen of the blighters, but no it was just the one.

We have spent the time since (luckily none of his friends have come to take his place yet) repairing the damage and have used god knows how much compost and grass seed to try and fill the holes - it's a complete mess. It looks ok from a distance, but it's really bumpy and a bugger to mow - if you do too fast on the ride on you fly off the seat and the engine cuts out!

I'm without mercy now and if another one shows the mole man will be back! We're surrounded by fields and they can do their damage in there, along with the rabbits who don't know it yet, but are likely to be murdered by my friend's son who is a hot shot with a rifle. They are contributing their bit to the lawn and digging up where we've put grass seed, and eating anything that isn't fenced. It's all very well living in the country, but it's a nightmare trying to grow anything!

Thanks frostyfingers. It sounds like 1 mole can do a lot of damage

I wonder if you're more likely to be plagued by them if you're near open fields then as we're next to a vast common?

A tip given to me by a friend this weekend was to put used cat litter down the hole -anyone heard of that before?

Theres been no more damage since my OP but I'll keep my eyes peeled (and the Yellow Pages open on 'M' for Mole Killers )

Never heard of the cat litter theory but when desperate anything's worth a try!

Our mole man charged £120 plus VAT for his work and put down quite a few traps but I'm not sure how many. Caught 6 moles by the end of it.