Moles

in : Problems: Veg & herbs

Symptoms

There are two symptoms of moles: mole hills - piles of excavated soil on lawns and around the garden - and underground tunnels, found when digging the soil or making a new planting hole.
Find it on lawns, borders
Time to act all year round

Problem categories

Overview

Mole hills - piles of fresh, excavated soil - don't fully convey the extent of one mole's underground tunnel system, which can cover a surprisingly large area. If a young plant isn't developing, it could be due to tunnelling beneath it. Seedlings can also suffer badly when their roots are disturbed, or they're left dangling in an empty space. Before mowing a lawn with mole hills, sweep up the soil to avoid smudging it across the grass.
Solution
There are two symptoms of moles: mole hills - piles of excavated soil on lawns and around the garden - and underground tunnels, found when digging the soil or making a new planting hole.
Organic
Mole traps are very effective. Insert one in a tunnel, cover it with turf and an upturned bucket to exclude light, and check it daily. Electronic devices are available that emit a buzzing sound to drive moles away, either to the other end of a large garden or to your neighbour's garden!
Chemical
Professional contractors can gas the tunnels, but only if it's 3m away from occupied buildings. And this won't prevent other moles from tunnelling into your garden.

Discuss this problem

Talkback: Moles
Your comment will appear after a quick registration step

chloet 24/11/2011 at 15:28

Hi there

I do enjoy most of what gardeners world stands for but I am appalled at the response to mole hills above.
Please tell me why it is acceptable to gas or trap a mole purely for the reason that it is digging a few holes in the lawn? Why are lawns so precious!
I really cannot understand why gardeners world who should set an example of good practice would advocate such behaviour.

As gardeners we should work alongside mother nature not kill it!

Chloe

grimble2007 24/11/2011 at 15:28

You are obviously unaware of the devastation they cause! lawn collapsing under tunnels, , plants grown from seed ,overwintered , hardenened off, planted out and then dug up! no earthworms,huge patches of dead grass under mounds, and not a few mounds!!! try great trails of them all over the lawn!!! And theyre territorial so one mole in one lawn, with a huge territory. Oh and forgot dug up soil between path so now pavers uneven and hazardous ! Other than that, theyre cute!

johnnymac 24/11/2011 at 15:28

I agree with grumble2007.They create devestation especially on my allotment with tunnels under newly planted out seedlings. The cost and disappointment of seeing young seedlings which one has nurtured over the winter months suddenly wilt and die is sad and the cuddly little mole being the culprit is unfortunate. They are an absolute pest and have to be eradicated.

ifyouknewsusy 24/11/2011 at 15:29

I also agree with Grumble2007. Having paid a small fortune to have my lawn relaid (it was ruined by chafer grubs last year), it's heartbreaking to have it destroyed by moles. Again. And paying £70 a time for a mole-killer to trap them isn't a happy option, either. P.S. I've actually picked two up when they emerged from under my compost heap. Dear little things, but oh the devastation!

Moley 24/11/2011 at 15:29

To Jackw..Reply

You need to put the soil back in the hole(tunnel) that the mole has dug out and place grass seed on the top.

A little more difficult when you have shallow tunnels all over the lawn.

A good website to look at is


www.associationofprofessionalmolecatchers.org


You can learn a lot from their links.

See more comments...