Mole who likes sandy stoney soil

[camies 1]

Ok, the little bug*** has caused me too much time and even after a few helpful hints from others, I still can't get this little sod.

 

The garden in question has REALLY bad soil, a mixture of small stones (it looks like 12mm ballast and pea gravel ) and peaty loose soil.

The result is the moles don't burrow deeply but insist on working just under the surface. (I've spent hours probing for non existant deep tunnels and bent two probes as the subsoil is so rubbish.)

Digging exposes a fragile tunnel just 1/2" to 1" below the surface which collapses whilst you're looking at it and this is what I think is causing the loads of new surface tunneling I'm trying to beat.

 

I've Duffus, scissored, and Talpexed all without success as it looks like the little sod never uses the same tunnel twice.

 

The curious thing is that although it enters the garden from the same side, there are no visible molehills but it does enter via dense undergrowth so I could be missing something.

 

Anyone got a bright ideas how to cope with this?

[arnieboy 93]

cant you sit out and watch for it digging then shoot it?

[EskdaleHawks 8]

Ok, the little bug*** has caused me too much time and even after a few helpful hints from others, I still can't get this little sod.

 

The garden in question has REALLY bad soil, a mixture of small stones (it looks like 12mm ballast and pea gravel ) and peaty loose soil.

The result is the moles don't burrow deeply but insist on working just under the surface. (I've spent hours probing for non existant deep tunnels and bent two probes as the subsoil is so rubbish.)

Digging exposes a fragile tunnel just 1/2" to 1" below the surface which collapses whilst you're looking at it and this is what I think is causing the loads of new surface tunneling I'm trying to beat.

 

I've Duffus, scissored, and Talpexed all without success as it looks like the little sod never uses the same tunnel twice.

 

The curious thing is that although it enters the garden from the same side, there are no visible molehills but it does enter via dense undergrowth so I could be missing something.

 

Anyone got a bright ideas how to cope with this?

Have you found the main run? If so trap there, and I'm sure you'll get him!

[clabstar 2]

do you have or no any one with terriers if so smoke the holes out with a stimmer or chain saw engin leth the dogs rip it apart when it comes out if dont have dogs get a few lads up together and have a game of wack the mole [bANNED TEXT] it runs. if there is a hole pipe there and dont have a smoker flood the f****r out.

[arnieboy 93]

do you have or no any one with terriers if so smoke the holes out with a stimmer or chain saw engin leth the dogs rip it apart when it comes out if dont have dogs get a few lads up together and have a game of wack the mole [bANNED TEXT] it runs. if there is a hole pipe there and dont have a smoker flood the f****r out.

flooding wont work in pea gravel type soil dont think smoking will too plus av never seen a mole bolt lol

[stubby 175]

plus if he knew the law, he'd know its ILLEGAL!!!!!!! to smoke moles out with gas from an engine

[clabstar 2]

do you have or no any one with terriers if so smoke the holes out with a stimmer or chain saw engin leth the dogs rip it apart when it comes out if dont have dogs get a few lads up together and have a game of wack the mole [bANNED TEXT] it runs. if there is a hole pipe there and dont have a smoker flood the f****r out.

flooding wont work in pea gravel type soil dont think smoking will too plus av never seen a mole bolt lol

 

 

plus if he knew the law, he'd know its ILLEGAL!!!!!!! to smoke moles out with gas from an engine

 

 

not every tryed to kill a mole so i thought smoking would have worked as we do for rats and dint no was illegal

[stubby 175]

and dint no was illegal

 

 

fair do's to you for admitting to not knowing, alot on here would have simply ignored it, but for you any everyone, always remember

 

RESPECTING YOUR QUARRY COMES FIRST,

 

knowing the law, and correct methods of humane disposal, be it shooting,ferreting,trapping,gassing etc should be everyones first priority on the chosen pest, if anyone ever got put before a judge, using the excuse "I did'nt know", is not good enough and will not get you off the hook

[peeps_76 17]

hi i am no mole trapper by any means but when i have had problem moles i have just sat and watched for the digging and shot it with the 12 bore . from what youve said it wont take long. may be if you colapsed th tunnels it would have to dig again!

the pro's mite think not!!

 

let us no how youy get on!

 

regards

[Fenlander 0]

plus if he knew the law, he'd know its ILLEGAL!!!!!!! to smoke moles out with gas from an engine

 

I would be very intrested to know which 'law' you are referring to here...

 

So are you also saying it's illegal to smoke out rats??

 

If your intention was to asphyxiate the mole with Carbon monoxide/dioxide then indeed you would be breaking the law by using an unapproved chemical. However, the post only alludes to flushing the mole out?

[stubby 175]

If your intention was to asphyxiate the mole with Carbon monoxide/dioxide then indeed you would be breaking the law by using an unapproved chemical. However, the post only alludes to flushing the mole out?

 

have never heard of a mole being flushed out, but yes, Im referring to the use of engine gasses as being illegal on moles, dont ask me why, but seems its ok for rats, but not moles, again, have seen rats bolt from smoke, never heard of a mole bolting, thus theres no way to say your using engine gas to bolt them, rather than kill them

[camies 1]

Lots of answers, thanks, but sitting round all day seems to be the bottom line.

Still if it's a nice day I'll take a picnic (and me spade). Shotgun pointed at stony ground, NO!

Gassing, exhaust fumes, are not in my playbook.

I'm an old school trapper who doesn't use poisons or chemicals.

Anyway, if gassing was ever to be included, it would rank somewhere between voodoo (never did like the chicken blood) and using a rodenator (which only complete wa*k*rs use).

[moxy 617]

You need a bit more paitance and a steady hand, unless the mole is confined and happy to surface runs there has to be deeper tunnels somewhere.

Routinely collapse the surface runs and in course the new runs may indicate as to where the the deeper run is, granted it may not but its worth a try.

As for your surface runs, if a regular tunnel keeps appearing, carefully dig in two spades to the width of a dufus. Remove the soil between these to sit your trap. Lightly wet the soil that the spades are retaining to make it more plyable and making it a little less prone to collapse. Clean the run as per usual and pop in your trap, taking care to reconstruct the run and seal it all back up.

Sounds like a right faff about i know but if you have tried all else then its got to be worth a try.

I regularaly trap in fragile surface runs, just takes a little more care and i appreciate your frustration, but without sounding too cheesy, where there is a will there is a way

[heart of wales 19]

Just done a allotment where the soil is easily collasped, found the runs which kept collapsing managed to scrape out just enough to get the talpex in and the back filled he was there the next morning

[410phil 4]

Hi I have had the same problem quite a few times(being a full time molecatcher ) and if you find the run and clear either side and put the talpex in you can back fill it with soil if you like, it doesn't have to be back filled with the same stuff as the mole is burrowing through just make sure there are no stones in the back fill and also make sure there is room for the pin to flick up,if you can push the trap in to the soil a bit so that the trigger is about 3/4's of an inch from the bottom of the run ypu should nail the little bugger fairly soon.

Failing that I can come down and sort it

Hope this helps

All the best Phil