Hey all just after some advice

[fraggle 4]

The new permission i got to day has quite a few moles knocking around on it. So got me thinking lets get rid of them for him.

By reading some of the posts on here i can tell it is not all that easy, but still willing to give it a try.

 

Thing is he has quite a few horses so dont want any damage to them.

What would be my best method.

 

Many thanks

 

Steve

[Quixote 9]

Hello mate,

 

Your best bet is to pick up some Duffus traps (they're around a fiver each..........don't go for the cheap copies as they'll fall apart on you) You can get other typwes (such as scissor traps, humane live-capture traps, etc, but I find these are the best.....for me anyway)

 

You need to identify an area of recent activity (there should be a change in the soil texture in fresh mounds? It should be easy enough to spot as it'll be slighty damper) then find a suitable tunnel to place your trap................you'll need a 'dibber' for this. Mine's made from 5mm bar with a bulb moulded on the end from filler putty, & then painted white so you won't lose it as easily) The bulb is so you can feel the 'drop' as the dibber enters a tunnel from solid ground..................Don't worry about trapping in the hills themselves, this never works! Probe between the hills until you find a suitable straight tunnel. remove the turf (or just dig if the tunnel's in friable soil, but be careful NOT to go below the existing level or your trap will be pushed aside, run over, or just filled with soil).............only open out enough of a hole to get your fist in at this stage. You want the trap to be a tight fit, & you can tweak it when you're ready to set the trap.

 

Once you're ready to go you can 'dry-fit' the trap in the tunnel. It should only have about a half-inch clearance all around.........just enough for a 'wiggle'. Remove the trap & use you fingers to tamp down the floor of the tunnel, including as far along both entrances as you can get. Set the trap & place it into position by entering it at an angle to begin with. This helps prevent you dislodging any more soil & affecting how the trap operates.

 

Once the traps set & in position, you'll need to place a plate over the hole (just a wee piece of aluminium plate or similar?) The idea is to keep light & debis from getting into the tunnel, but leave enough space to allow the trap to spring) Rebuild your hill on top of the site, & flatten all the rest. You can lose the extra soil in flowerbeds, or around the area. This lets you both monitor ant activity & also marks where your traps are (otherwise you will forget.........trust me! )

 

Once I've figured out how to put pics on, I'll post a couple from yesterday & give you an idea as to how it should look

[Quixote 9]

here you go! Don't pay any attention to the soil that's on the trap..........that just fell in when I lifted the plate. You can see how the trap's a fairly close fit in the hole? If it has too much play, the mole will fill it with soil as he dislodges it

 

 

This is what you're hoping to see!

 

 

And job done. One mole can dig out up to 20 metres of tunnel in a day, so don't be too dismayed if you come across an area that's very extensively damaged..........in really bad cases I ask the farmer to chain harrow the area first, barring where I want to set my traps. They can cause so much damage (including silage contamination & machinery damage) that most farmers will be happy to spend a few quid on diesel to help you out

 

And he'll be chuffed to bits when you pull one of these out of your pocket

 

[120-2 8]

Just buy Moleys DVD

[Quixote 9]

If you do it the way I've just shown you you'll do alright

[fraggle 4]

mate thanks for all that will give it a go and let you all know how it goes, better order me some traps then lol.

[happyploughman 1]

Brilliant post mate, very informative. Sometimes try and trap on my allotment and this helps me as well. Nice to see someone spending so much time and effort to help.

[Quixote 9]

No worries! Any problems just post & I'll help if I can

[trapperman 474]

i always cover the top of my duffus with fine soil off the mole hills about in inch as i believe this stops any change in air flow through the holes in the trap and maybe some sound difference to as the mole approches it (its more like a seeled tunnel with no voids) we all have our own ways but just try it different ways and see what works for you.