With the damage that is caused by
moles, prevention is obviously better than cure. As worms are the main food source of moles
reducing the number in your lawn is advisable. Once you have a mole problem steps will need to be
taken to remove them or encourage them to move on.
There are many methods and techniques that
have been written about. These include moth balls, disinfectant, burning paper, used cooking oil
amongst others. You can try any of these methods but the moles are likely to return if they have
not been killed or removed completely.
Trapping is an effective way of mole control
but it is quite a skillful operation. To set a trap follow this procedure.
- You need to find a run in which to
place a trap. If the runs are raised they will be easy to find. If it is not raised push a
bamboo cane or similar into the ground where you think the run may be. You will know when you
find it as there will be no resistance where the run is located.
- Once you have found the run you will
need to dig a small hole with a trowel in which to place the trap. Try to do this with very
little disturbance. It is important to you rub your hands
and the trap with soil from the mole hill before you do this. Moles have a very keen sense of
smell and you want to disguise the smell of human scent.
- When you have created a hole in the run
set the trap and cover it with some turf and soil or a bucket turned upside down to stop any
light entering the run.
- Check the trap 2-3 times daily, if the
mole has pushed any soil into the trap remove the soil and repeat the above steps. Once you
have caught the mole it can be removed to a safe area away from your garden if it is still
alive.
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| Find the mole run.
Do this using by pushing a cane into the ground where you think the runs will be
located. This is usually between two mole heaps. You will know when you have found
it as there will be very little resistance and the cane will go in the ground
easier. |
Once you have found
the run, use a hand trowel or similar to dig down to the run. The run can be seen
in the bottom of the hole in the above image. This is used by the mole to travel
under the lawn. |
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| The trap is then
placed in the run. Place the trap so it faces the direction that the mole travels
through the run. The trap used here is a scissor type mole trap. |
Cover the hole and
trap with some turf or similar and mark with a cane if necessary. Check the trap 2
- 3 times a day. If the mole has pushed some soil into the trap reset it. You
should eventually catch the mole. |
There are a few different types of trap
available, we are using the scissor trap in the above photos.
If you are not confident of trapping you may
want to enlist the help of a professional contractor.
Another method is gassing the mole using
phosphine pellets, however these can not be purchased for home use. A professional contractor would
need to use them but there are legal requirements to follow when using these
pellets.
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