We Have a Mole

[Mort7]

A molehill appeared on our freshly mown lawn in the last couple of hours, so we may have a resident. We will clear away the soil, and tolerate it. Our cat, who has brought home four live moles so far, which I have had to rehome in areas of the countryside where they won't be a nuisance, may be less forgiving. Our neighbour's cat is also taking an interest.

Anyone here know about moles? My understanding that molehills are a byproduct of their tunnelling, and once they have a network of tunnels established they patrol them looking for prey (eg worms). Does anyone here know if they continue to throw earth out of existing molehills once their tunnels are complete?

[Coneyhurst Blue]

Only one way to deal with a mole - bury it alive !

[softtop]

old mole hills need maintenance so yes, old holes will continue to deliver. How long you tolerate them for and how pristine your garden is, is up for debate

[abzmike]

I had one for about a month, producing a hill a day. I got a trap or two in the ground, didn't catch him, but he disappeared so perhaps realised he'd been rumbled! Let the cats crack on I'd say.

[jned2]

We had them a couple of years ago and our cat sorted them out, he used to sit for hours looking and listening by the mole hills. Found quite a few dead ones around the outside of the house and he brought a live one in once which caused a stir with the wife. If your cat already has a "taste" for them then it should be problem sorted.

[rog007]

As an early bird, I wait around 5am for them to make their next hill. As the earth moves, I push the shovel in hard and lift the critter out. Took him/her to a wood line a few hundred yards away. Sorted!

[dudleybloke]

An excellent source of protein.

[MrHappy]

I don't enjoy killing woodland creatures but the appearance at the start of this year of over 30 molehills at the bottom of the garden was sufficient justification! I set a tunnel trap and caught 3 moles in the same spot within a few days of each other. I've left the trap in place but it's 3 weeks since the last capture so I guess the coast is now clear.

Have a look at molecatching.com there's plenty of info to browse through.

[Mort7]

Thanks for the replies. The current theory is that our neighbour's cat, who we found standing guard over a single molehill, may have brought the mole from somewhere else and dropped it on our lawn, as there were no other molehills to be seen anywhere.

We have heavy clay soil, which may account for the lack of moles so far. As a result the mole seems to be active just below the surface, so rather than having a lawn which looks like it has acne, we have a lawn which looks like it has varicose veins.

This morning we found what looks like a exit hole, so we're hoping that the mole may have moved on under cover of darkness. Time will tell.

[pikeyboy]

My terrier digs out moles at my house. I have used tunnel very traps very successfully.

[Watchman]

I'm old enough to remember when this was the answer.

[Deesee]

Get a windmill

[Mort7]

Update: No mole activity since my last post, and none of the cats seem interested, so we're hopful that it's moved on.

[rxe]

Watchman said:

I'm old enough to remember when this was the answer.

I have shot a mole with a .223 rifle. Only the back half remained, the front had vanished.

[theboss]

You’ll be lucky OP if they have just “moved on” - I had the first one appear in my garden three years ago and after trapping several (dead) and also watching one scurry across my driveway only to be devoured by a buzzard I thought I was clear, but the fact is they keep coming back. One or two harmless molehills can turn into 50 in a very short space of time and my lawn is now all lumpy - it needs completely digging up and flattening out. I’m surrounded by arable and grazing land so not much I can do to stop them appearing, but they are destructive and a huge pain in the arse.

My cat has an unlimited supply of baby bunnies to feast upon so doesn’t seem bothered about catching moles.

[Mort7]

Still no signs, but not counting our chickens. We have large numbers of red kites and a few buzzards during the day, and tawny owls by night, and one of our neighbour’s cats is a killing machine who brings home rabbits and bats, so we might be lucky.

[theboss]

I’ve had to start locking the cat flap inbound at night because she’s been dragging rabbits back into the house. I was leaving the house at 6am last week and heard the telltale crunching sound of baby bunny skull being eaten, emanating from behind one of the sofas. Luckily tiled floor. I’d be glad if she bought me a few moles but no, always bringing massacre upon the poor defenceless bunnies.