any of you into mole trapping

[beggsybluestaff 1]

id like to ask on here first as i use this page more and have had good advice off here

 

hi guys i just wondered if any of you are into mole trapping i am a member of a golf club in leeds with a serious mole problem in the summer the green keeper was catching up to 8 a day and they are now on about getting a firm in to do it at a cost now this is where i get a deal for myself i dont have the foggiest about mole trapping and would like to know how its done also if you could do it for free would be good need to know asap

cheers beggsy

[garfield 23]

either get some tunnel traps or tip toe out early in the morning and wait with a pitch fork or you could buy some solar powered sonic impulse emitting spikes about £13 in b&q

[wrowmon 1]

you can get cheap mole traps of ebay .i use the double scissor type....

first find your mole hills,then probe the ground between them with a metal rod 10/15mm when you hit the run the rod will just drop into the ground as no resistance due to underground run ..best to probe at an angle(oh matron) then cut out a earth sod above the run clear the area place the set trap and recover with sod,make sure no light is going in around sod...mark the trap..twig ,flag.you will forget where it is...also look for run close to drains or ditches as moles need to drink....and keep off the fags,aftershave etc whilst setting the traps....check every 12 hours..some say 24 but i do 12...first mole you get keep the skin to leave by the next trap may increase catch rate...remmember if the area is full of mole hills maybe a few boars looking for female moles spring is getting closer....large mole hill i mean very large mole hils are called towers and are breeding site...

 

also if a few holes on the greens check the roughstuff close by as may be worth trapping here..and don't forget the i've got a mole in my trap dance ...

 

have i forgotten anything..

[simmo1 0]

you can get cheap mole traps of ebay .i use the double scissor type....

first find your mole hills,then probe the ground between them with a metal rod 10/15mm when you hit the run the rod will just drop into the ground as no resistance due to underground run ..best to probe at an angle(oh matron) then cut out a earth sod above the run clear the area place the set trap and recover with sod,make sure no light is going in around sod...mark the trap..twig ,flag.you will forget where it is...also look for run close to drains or ditches as moles need to drink....and keep off the fags,aftershave etc whilst setting the traps....check every 12 hours..some say 24 but i do 12...first mole you get keep the skin to leave by the next trap may increase catch rate...remmember if the area is full of mole hills maybe a few boars looking for female moles spring is getting closer....large mole hill i mean very large mole hils are called towers and are breeding site...

 

also if a few holes on the greens check the roughstuff close by as may be worth trapping here..and don't forget the i've got a mole in my trap dance ...

 

have i forgotten anything..

 

 

 

 

 

wow you learn somthing every day cheers fella

[Marksman 934]

wor kid is a professional pest controller mate, he gasses them

Contact Festa if you want more information

 

Darryl

[beggsybluestaff 1]

thanks marksman

[Phantom 631]

You should see my paddock permission

 

The mole hills and pillars are the only cover I've got there at the moment. Hundreds of them.

Last time out I was laid up over-looking some warrens and a small hill appeared inches in front of me. They dont half grow quick! I was amazed these little pests can shift such a huge amount of soil so quickly.

As soon as I moved though it stopped growing

 

Had problems with them in the cemy last year and they got a firm in for them.

Think I may have a go at trapping them myself this year, whats a rough price of the traps?

 

Phantom

[festa 206]

hi lads

I know its long but you should know a little about the mole before you try catching him.

 

Moles consume soil dwelling bugs and grubs; however evidence also shows that certain carrion may also be sought under times of need. Experiments carried out confirmed that captive moles will kill and consume mice confined with them in small cages. It must be questioned whether the moles in these experiments were in fact starved into the need to carryout such a quest for food or whether it was a territorial instinct? It is known that the main diet or preferred choice of food is the earthworm and probably due to its availability. Moles will die without adequate food within a forty eight hour period and due to the high metabolism rate of the mole. it will seek to maintain a level of consumption to provide for this need. The exact amount of food required is dependant upon certain factors, the size of the mole, seasonal impact and of course the activity of the mole. Generally the mole will aim to consume approximately two thirds of its body weight in a 24 hour period which is completed in stages due to the amount required and the obvious size of the mole. There are those that have read or heard that moles are active in periods of almost what is considered permanent blocks of actively which some even state are of set times- four hours? This information is misconstrued from research dated over 60 years ago and from activity observed under laboratory conditions. The mole - a wild animal is dictated by the circumstances of each day of its life. The mole will consume large amounts of food if it can find it, this need to find the food will determine the periods of activity, having found sufficient food it will then rest whilst digestion takes place. The level of food in the ground, the size of the mole and what influences are present will determine the periods of activity, having digested a meal it will continue to source more and the process continues. So it is acceptable that moles do have periods of both rest and activity but the time between or period length is debatable. Regional differences as well as the type of food available will again play a significant factor in what these periods of time will be.

 

The mole lives in an environment which it has been clearly designed to survive in. An almost permanently dark world where sight is of little importance other then to determine the difference between light and dark. Which is why the pin sized eyes complete with functional eyelids are found to be immature or embryonic, as if nature has prevented the ability for development and gifted them in other ways more suitable to this subterranean environment. However we know that they have a vast number of cones in the eye which are used to see in low light conditions also they may even be able to perceive UV light. The Guild are looking into this [excuse the pun]. One of these gifts is an acute nervous system which is stimulated by hairs on the body. The mole contains an array of nervous sensory abilities which still requires research and study. What is known is that the hairs which supply the information to the nervous system play a vitally important part of the moles life. These hairs are referred to as Vibrissae and are found four in front of and three behind the eye with two beneath the chin. They can detect the slightest touch and compression waves in the air which enables them to detect obstacles. These sensitive hairs are also located on the rear feet and more importantly on the tail which is held upright maintaining contact with the tunnel roof again detecting vibrations and informing the mole of its surroundings.

 

Moles can hear but the ears being internal do not provide for the acute hearing like that of a mouse, but the mole does not require good sense to sounds. Sounds will travel along the tunnels making detection easy, the eardrum is large 4 x 3 mm and in design is similar to that of man. Their hearing is important to their communication, as moles do communicate with each other in the form of a twittering and may be heard to scream when frightened or fighting.

 

Mole possesses a level of smell in which to sense the environment but the hairless muzzle has what is called an Eimers Organ. Rich nerve endings which it can fill with blood to increase its sensitivity and use to detect pressure and even temperature changes. The mole also has been gifted with a sense called a Kinaesthetic sense which is an imprinted pattern of memory of muscle impulses, It uses this sense to find its way around the network of tunnels.

 

The territorial instincts of moles require that they live a solitary life but they do often share tunnels that link to areas of where they may be feeding. Each mole will have its home range- the immediate area where it will nest but these areas may not support the mole by providing sufficient food to meet its daily needs. It will need to travel along tunnels to other areas and additional moles from their home range may also be using them to access other feeding grounds. The ability to communicate will- by twittering prevents confrontation and the marking with scent will indicate another moles home range providing a warning to stay away.

 

It is common to assume that a large mole will be a male or buck and they will grow to a length of 150mm where as the females or does are smaller, this lends its self to the belief that male moles are more active. The larger animal will obviously require a larger food intake and therefore a large male will be more active and cause more damage. However the true sex of a mole is very difficult to determine and many believed that moles were all males until their second year when some turned into females. It is easy to understand why this became a small piece of country folklore. Moles only breed once a year therefore moles born in the early spring and captured in the winter of that year will all appear to be males. This is because the only way to observe the difference is by examining the moles sexual organs. In a female the vaginal opening remains closed and the perineal region resembles that of a male. it is not until she under goes changes through her oestrus cycle that the difference may be seen. The distance between the urinary papilla and the anus in the female is 4mm where as the distance between the penis and the anus in a male is 5mm. When a female enters the early stage in her oestrus cycle two pits appear just behind the clitoris which expand and form a transverse slit which opens and leads to the vagina in the abdomen. The distance between the urinal papilla and the anus then may in the female actually exceed that of the males.

 

Gestation is 28 days and the female will continue to lactate for approximately four weeks after birth. The young grow rapidly and are full size at 3 - 4 weeks old. Litter sizes will of course vary but 8 is a maximum and the average is 3-4

 

The young are born pink but by the 9th day they are beginning to show a bluish grey sheen. At 14 days the fur is starting to show and they are almost completely black. At 16-17 days they are graced with the velvet coat and their eyes will open on the 22nd day. They will not leave the nest other than for minor investigation of this new world but having been fully weaned at 5-6 weeks they are then ready to start a whole new life on their own.

 

Mole skin has always been a commodity in demand that is until recently. Once the garment of choice the mole skin coat and lined evening gloves were seen at all the best places, as well as many other uses the fur of the mole has never failed to intrigue those that touch it. Its lack of set or direction as found in many other animals means that it maybe rubbed in all directions. This because it consists of two types of hairs which are termed as over hairs and fur hairs. In addition there are intermediate hairs which do resemble fur hairs. Intermediate hairs are far less abundant than over hairs and fur hairs which appear in equal numbers. Over hairs are slightly longer than the fur hairs and are of a constant thickness and expand at the tip to a pointed bristle. The fur hairs taper gradually to a whip like tip. Mole fur is 11-12mm thick in the winter and 9-10mm thick in the summer months and they moult to change this pelage which takes but just a few weeks. They obviously moult twice a year- spring and autumn however it may be found in certain areas that moles have an intermediate moult in the summer months. The spring moult will of course depend on the temperature changes around the country but begins on the underside of the body, a waist coat is formed which spreads in front of its fore legs to meet above the shoulders and backwards. The intermediate summer moult could be a late spring or early autumn moult

 

The full autumn moult is the exchange of the short summer fur to that which will provide protection in the colder times. The winter coats are referred to as "clears " and will result in a moult ranging from September through to December again depending upon the location. Moleskin maybe found with fur of varying colours and the molecatcher that catches the pure white mole has foretold their own death! However apricot moles are not uncommon as are those with the yellow pigment on their undersides. These are normally males and this yellow pigment is found under the chin or the belly.

 

The mole creates an almost unfathomable world in which to live, a network of tunnels which it crafts using its immense strength and its shovel like forelimbs, The forelimb have an extra bone called a sesamoid bone which extends from the wrist like an extra finger. It gives a greater width to the limb and produces a shovel which it uses to dig, scrape and move the necessary soil.

 

now look up duffus traps mate you cant go wrong with them (well you can) lol but trapping is very time consuming every 12 to 24 hours you need to check them and very expensive (if you have a major problem you will need a good few traps) if you can weather your traps (get a bucket fill it with mole hill soil and leave your traps in the soil this does 2 things takes your scent off them and also makes mr mole very defensive mole are very territorial the scent from other moles will (hopefully ) bring the moles to the trap

the runs will run at different levels your looking for the top runs (just under) the surface use a prod to find the runs as you push the prod into the ground you will feel it give when you find it cut a small hole about the same size as the trap ,set the trap and place it in the hole then cover it you dont want any light getting into the run and now the most important thing mark with a stick (i use a piece of broom handle) painted red on the top where the trap is cos if you dont you will loose the trap lol... check them every 12-24 hours

 

 

atb gary

[Sweeney-Todd 208]

hi lads

I know its long but you should know a little about the mole before you try catching him.

 

Moles consume soil dwelling bugs and grubs; however evidence also shows that certain carrion may also be sought under times of need. Experiments carried out confirmed that captive moles will kill and consume mice confined with them in small cages. It must be questioned whether the moles in these experiments were in fact starved into the need to carryout such a quest for food or whether it was a territorial instinct? It is known that the main diet or preferred choice of food is the earthworm and probably due to its availability. Moles will die without adequate food within a forty eight hour period and due to the high metabolism rate of the mole. it will seek to maintain a level of consumption to provide for this need. The exact amount of food required is dependant upon certain factors, the size of the mole, seasonal impact and of course the activity of the mole. Generally the mole will aim to consume approximately two thirds of its body weight in a 24 hour period which is completed in stages due to the amount required and the obvious size of the mole. There are those that have read or heard that moles are active in periods of almost what is considered permanent blocks of actively which some even state are of set times- four hours? This information is misconstrued from research dated over 60 years ago and from activity observed under laboratory conditions. The mole - a wild animal is dictated by the circumstances of each day of its life. The mole will consume large amounts of food if it can find it, this need to find the food will determine the periods of activity, having found sufficient food it will then rest whilst digestion takes place. The level of food in the ground, the size of the mole and what influences are present will determine the periods of activity, having digested a meal it will continue to source more and the process continues. So it is acceptable that moles do have periods of both rest and activity but the time between or period length is debatable. Regional differences as well as the type of food available will again play a significant factor in what these periods of time will be.

 

The mole lives in an environment which it has been clearly designed to survive in. An almost permanently dark world where sight is of little importance other then to determine the difference between light and dark. Which is why the pin sized eyes complete with functional eyelids are found to be immature or embryonic, as if nature has prevented the ability for development and gifted them in other ways more suitable to this subterranean environment. However we know that they have a vast number of cones in the eye which are used to see in low light conditions also they may even be able to perceive UV light. The Guild are looking into this [excuse the pun]. One of these gifts is an acute nervous system which is stimulated by hairs on the body. The mole contains an array of nervous sensory abilities which still requires research and study. What is known is that the hairs which supply the information to the nervous system play a vitally important part of the moles life. These hairs are referred to as Vibrissae and are found four in front of and three behind the eye with two beneath the chin. They can detect the slightest touch and compression waves in the air which enables them to detect obstacles. These sensitive hairs are also located on the rear feet and more importantly on the tail which is held upright maintaining contact with the tunnel roof again detecting vibrations and informing the mole of its surroundings.

 

Moles can hear but the ears being internal do not provide for the acute hearing like that of a mouse, but the mole does not require good sense to sounds. Sounds will travel along the tunnels making detection easy, the eardrum is large 4 x 3 mm and in design is similar to that of man. Their hearing is important to their communication, as moles do communicate with each other in the form of a twittering and may be heard to scream when frightened or fighting.

 

Mole possesses a level of smell in which to sense the environment but the hairless muzzle has what is called an Eimers Organ. Rich nerve endings which it can fill with blood to increase its sensitivity and use to detect pressure and even temperature changes. The mole also has been gifted with a sense called a Kinaesthetic sense which is an imprinted pattern of memory of muscle impulses, It uses this sense to find its way around the network of tunnels.

 

The territorial instincts of moles require that they live a solitary life but they do often share tunnels that link to areas of where they may be feeding. Each mole will have its home range- the immediate area where it will nest but these areas may not support the mole by providing sufficient food to meet its daily needs. It will need to travel along tunnels to other areas and additional moles from their home range may also be using them to access other feeding grounds. The ability to communicate will- by twittering prevents confrontation and the marking with scent will indicate another moles home range providing a warning to stay away.

 

It is common to assume that a large mole will be a male or buck and they will grow to a length of 150mm where as the females or does are smaller, this lends its self to the belief that male moles are more active. The larger animal will obviously require a larger food intake and therefore a large male will be more active and cause more damage. However the true sex of a mole is very difficult to determine and many believed that moles were all males until their second year when some turned into females. It is easy to understand why this became a small piece of country folklore. Moles only breed once a year therefore moles born in the early spring and captured in the winter of that year will all appear to be males. This is because the only way to observe the difference is by examining the moles sexual organs. In a female the vaginal opening remains closed and the perineal region resembles that of a male. it is not until she under goes changes through her oestrus cycle that the difference may be seen. The distance between the urinary papilla and the anus in the female is 4mm where as the distance between the penis and the anus in a male is 5mm. When a female enters the early stage in her oestrus cycle two pits appear just behind the clitoris which expand and form a transverse slit which opens and leads to the vagina in the abdomen. The distance between the urinal papilla and the anus then may in the female actually exceed that of the males.

 

Gestation is 28 days and the female will continue to lactate for approximately four weeks after birth. The young grow rapidly and are full size at 3 - 4 weeks old. Litter sizes will of course vary but 8 is a maximum and the average is 3-4

 

The young are born pink but by the 9th day they are beginning to show a bluish grey sheen. At 14 days the fur is starting to show and they are almost completely black. At 16-17 days they are graced with the velvet coat and their eyes will open on the 22nd day. They will not leave the nest other than for minor investigation of this new world but having been fully weaned at 5-6 weeks they are then ready to start a whole new life on their own.

 

Mole skin has always been a commodity in demand that is until recently. Once the garment of choice the mole skin coat and lined evening gloves were seen at all the best places, as well as many other uses the fur of the mole has never failed to intrigue those that touch it. Its lack of set or direction as found in many other animals means that it maybe rubbed in all directions. This because it consists of two types of hairs which are termed as over hairs and fur hairs. In addition there are intermediate hairs which do resemble fur hairs. Intermediate hairs are far less abundant than over hairs and fur hairs which appear in equal numbers. Over hairs are slightly longer than the fur hairs and are of a constant thickness and expand at the tip to a pointed bristle. The fur hairs taper gradually to a whip like tip. Mole fur is 11-12mm thick in the winter and 9-10mm thick in the summer months and they moult to change this pelage which takes but just a few weeks. They obviously moult twice a year- spring and autumn however it may be found in certain areas that moles have an intermediate moult in the summer months. The spring moult will of course depend on the temperature changes around the country but begins on the underside of the body, a waist coat is formed which spreads in front of its fore legs to meet above the shoulders and backwards. The intermediate summer moult could be a late spring or early autumn moult

 

The full autumn moult is the exchange of the short summer fur to that which will provide protection in the colder times. The winter coats are referred to as "clears " and will result in a moult ranging from September through to December again depending upon the location. Moleskin maybe found with fur of varying colours and the molecatcher that catches the pure white mole has foretold their own death! However apricot moles are not uncommon as are those with the yellow pigment on their undersides. These are normally males and this yellow pigment is found under the chin or the belly.

 

The mole creates an almost unfathomable world in which to live, a network of tunnels which it crafts using its immense strength and its shovel like forelimbs, The forelimb have an extra bone called a sesamoid bone which extends from the wrist like an extra finger. It gives a greater width to the limb and produces a shovel which it uses to dig, scrape and move the necessary soil.

 

now look up duffus traps mate you cant go wrong with them (well you can) lol but trapping is very time consuming every 12 to 24 hours you need to check them and very expensive (if you have a major problem you will need a good few traps) if you can weather your traps (get a bucket fill it with mole hill soil and leave your traps in the soil this does 2 things takes your scent off them and also makes mr mole very defensive mole are very territorial the scent from other moles will (hopefully ) bring the moles to the trap

the runs will run at different levels your looking for the top runs (just under) the surface use a prod to find the runs as you push the prod into the ground you will feel it give when you find it cut a small hole about the same size as the trap ,set the trap and place it in the hole then cover it you dont want any light getting into the run and now the most important thing mark with a stick (i use a piece of broom handle) painted red on the top where the trap is cos if you dont you will loose the trap lol... check them every 12-24 hours

 

 

atb gary

 

 

Hi Gary.

 

Bloody interesting that mate.......but trust you to make a mountain out of a mole hill

 

Excellent post mate.

 

 

 

 

ATRB.

 

 

 

Bill.

[festa 206]

lol bill :clapper: you know me

 

atb gary

[ferretville 69]

Interesting read that

[Sweeney-Todd 208]

lol bill :clapper: you know me

 

atb gary

 

 

Sorry Gary......could'nt resist it.....Im such a child

[Phantom 631]

Very interesting Gary

 

When we had the problems with the moles in the gardens a few years back the guy who came to sort it out tried the traps for a week and didn't get one!

He then started poping pellets/tabs down into the tunnels. Are these poison methods still legal? and if so where can you get them?

 

Phantom

 

No new hills in the garden since.

[festa 206]

yes mate you can still gas them 2 types we use phostoxin and tanulex both do the same job but you cant buy it unless your registered i had a gassing job on last wed but i had to call it off due to the weather not good gassing in the wet...

 

atb gary

[Phantom 631]

yes mate you can still gas them 2 types we use phostoxin and tanulex both do the same job but you cant buy it unless your registered.

 

atb gary

 

Typical

 

I was going to offer to do the cemy this year as well as the bunnies.

 

Thanks Gary

 

Phantom