Talkback: Moles

Surely it's a question of scale, if your garden is covered in mole tunnels then you have a good reason to get rid. If like me there's just one then it's really not the end of the world, just add it to the long list of other pests.

Grandmother suggested moth balls in the tunnels, and for me it worked wonders. Apparently moles don't like the smell and they move away. I certainly saw them move into empty field next door

This is silly - and don't tell me I've never had moles cos I have. We are facing mass extinctions because of the ever-increasing need to feed our children. That I can understand. Killing animals so that we can grow a monoculture like grass is awful. Dig up the grass, put in some flowers, shrubs and veg. When the moles dig holes they will be less noticeable and you can use the lovely fine soil for sowing seeds in. Who needs lawns anyway?

Only one sure way of ridding your garden from the Taliban of pests.Chilli powder.I produce my own - habaneros mostly - and a kilo of powder keeps my one acre of vegetable and flower plots totally free of moles.My garden was infested with at least four of them.I had tried every which way to repel or kill them.None worked.They arrived from surrounding fields but - no longer.A quarter of a teaspoon in evey run, fresh molehill or opening and within 24 hours they were history.Whenever a new one turned up - same treatment and instantly they are gone (or sneezed/cried to death?)Extra hot chilli available on line or Tesco's for arounf £6.00 per kilo.It is cheap, humane, organic and it works

i once had a mole running round my garden i couldnt get past it to escape i dont know who was more scared. I had no idea they were so big. Anything smaller than the average cat and im off!!!

Moles can cause havoc which is dangerous to humans and livestock as they walk, unsuspectingly, on undermined turf. Ankles can be sprained and for horses and cattle that's expensive to get fixed. For me personally they cause pain in my spine when I lose my balance in some new tunnel or hole.  

I fail to see what useful purpose moles serve as the earthworms they prefer are actually doing good work in the soil.  When mole moves on his tunnels are inhabited by voles and other rodents including rats and the shallower tunnels are occupied by ants.  And now we have a dog we get craters as she tries to dig them out when she hears them tunnelling.

Moles are all round bad news.

We have tried noises such as windmills and bottles to no avail.  Humane traps don't work very well and the perishers complain all the way to their new home in local woods.  

There is a wonderful device on sale here in Belgium which involves an explosive cap and a solenoid.  Moley makes the connection and bang, mole compost.   Very staisfying but I haven't used it since we got the dog. 

I shall try chilli powder.

can anyone tell me pls  if you can yous the mole dirt in ur seed trays thank you all the best   bugsy

In answer to Cholet comment on moles you obviously dont have a problem with moles otherwise you would understand why people will try anything to get rid of them. Imagine a  lovely clump of Tulips just coming into flower the next day all wilted and when you touch the leaves they all come out the ground minus bulbs, the next day another clump and then in the afternoon the same thing happens to a nice clump of daffodils. Lovely new plants mainly perennials planted a few days later wilting why the moles have run under half of them eating all the roots as they go and without roots no plants so on the compost heap they go and I never even saw them flower. My lawn can sink after heavy rain anywhere up to 6 inches where their runs are and one year after a bad winter we took a truck up the garden to remove some rubble and the ground just caved in with the weight ontop of the mole runs. It took my husband and 2 friends nearly 2 days to jack it up and fill the ground in so we cld move the truck. Yes you can put soil in the hole and some seed then an hour later they ve come up again so you do the same again then half an hour they ve pushed it all out again and this can go on for hours until I or the mole gives up. Ive even stuck a stone down the hole to try and move them on but the next day the stone is up in the middle of a mole hill. Until you have moles you will never under understand the destruction they can cause and its not just lawns they destroy when they want a rest from grass they then start on all yr plants.