Frequently Asked Questions about Moles
Why is mole control necessary?
How do you get rid of a mole and how long will it take?
Why have I got moles and my neighbours don't?
Why are there so many moles now?
Why can’t you catch the mole alive and release it elsewhere?
You have caught my moles, will I get any more?
Q: Why is mole control necessary?
A: Firstly if you can tolerate the odd molehill or minor mole activity, then leave the mole alone, mole control is only necessary where numbers are so great as to cause problems. I use the word control, as the aim is not to totally exterminate, but reduce the numbers to a level that is acceptable to each individual client.
Typically this will be the issue of unsightly molehills in domestic lawns and gardens. On farmland the reasons are varied, but the main problem is soil contamination of silage, and haylage from the molehills. This results in poor quality fodder for farm animals and horses. Bacteria in the soil affect the fermentation of the cut grass and reduce its nutritional value. Other types of bacteria in the soil can cause listeriosis in sheep and cattle.
Soil and stones from the molehills blunts and damages grass-cutting equipment. Moles tunnelling under newly planted seed crops cause poor crop yields, this is because the delicate roots of the seedlings are displaced either to the surface and die or are deprived of soil nutrients and water because of the mole’s tunnel. Molehills and tunnels can be dangerous to livestock’s legs and feet, especially horses if they trip or stumble on the disturbed ground conditions
Q: How do you get rid of a mole and how long will it take? A:
Lancashire Mole Control uses powerful spring powered traps to catch moles and in the process, immediately and humanly exterminate them. It’s a procedure simlar to what you might use to catch a mouse, but you don’t use a bait to attract the mole to the trap.
You place your trap in a mole tunnel (not a mole hill) that is being used regularly and wait for the mole to come along. As it passes through the trap, it triggers the trap and is caught instantly.
This is where the skill, knowledge and practical experience of a professional mole catcher come into play.
By presenting a trap correctly in the right place, a result is guaranteed, in a very short period of time.
Moles can be caught in less than half an hour, if the mole was nearby when you set the trap. Normally a trap will have caught within 12 to 24 hours, hence the daily inspection. Sometimes a trap may not catch till the 2nd or 3rd day. This is not very common, but something to consider when deciding how long to leave a trap in the ground. This would normally appply when I'm certain there is a mole in the area and no traps have gone off within 24 hours.
In a typical domestic situation I will place traps one day and inspect/remove them the following day. Sometimes traps may need to be reset or another area set with traps if fresh mole hills have occurred there overnight. This may mean another visit the following day.
I can lay traps in such a way that pets and livestock can still use the area. In these situations the traps are completely out of view and covered. I routinely have to work in areas with horses, sheep, cattle, poultry, dogs, and where the public have access.
You only need one mole trap to catch a mole, but by placing more traps in an area where you only need one, you will decrease the time it takes for the mole to be caught. And at mating season, you can catch more than one mole in an area where normally there would be only one.
Q: Why have I got moles and my neighbours don't?
A:
Basically your land/garden provides everything the mole needs to survive at that time. A mole needs food, lots of food for its size, and water. It gets shelter and protection from living underground.
Moles are members of the insectivore family; they eat insects and grubs, typically worms. If your soil has a good worm population then you will have moles at some time or other. If you have plenty of worms you also have good soil conditions, so if you try to reduce the worm population, your soil quality will deteriorate.
In a typical garden situation, if you water your lawn in summer and your neighbours don’t, moles activity will be more visible in your garden because the worms will be closer to the surface in the moist soil and therefore so will the moles. In cold and freezing conditions the worms go deeper and the moles will follow them. In dry spells during the summer months worms also go deeper, the moles will also work deeper, but they will also retreat to their natural habitat, which are woods and established hedge rows. These areas hold on to the moisture content much longer and always have good worm numbers. Moles also prefer loose workable soils compared to hard compacted ground, it’s easier for them to dig.
Q: Why are there so many moles now?
A: Many reasons are thought to be responsible for the apparent mole population explosion. Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001 prevented a lot of rural mole control, so the moles got a head start in the numbers game.
Milder winters and cooler, moist summers have been favourable to more visible mole activity. Climate change is benefiting the mole. September 2006 saw the withdrawal of Strychnine as a poison bait method authorised for mole control. This means that only the only control methods left are trapping and gassing.
Strychnine was very effective at mole control, though it was indiscriminate in what it killed and there were concerns over actually how humane it was on moles, as the poisoning effect was not thought to be immediate.
Gassing with Aluminium Phosphide tablets, which is legal, is also indiscriminate in what it kills and cannot be used in certain situations and conditions. Its effectiveness is open to question, as soil conditions and the placement of the tablet are crucial to quick humane mole control.
This leaves trapping, as the only humane and cost effective method of mole control left, unfortunately at the present time there is a shortage of people who have the necessary skills and knowledge catch moles successfully. Hence the mole population is increasing.
Q: Why can’t you catch the mole alive and release it elsewhere?
A:
Good Question, live catch traps are available and legal, but are considered inhumane by some because of these mole facts. Moles have a very high metabolic rate and need to eat 60 to 75% of their body weight in worms and grubs each day. They eat and rest on roughly 4-hour cycles, 4 hrs feeding then 4 hrs resting. Moles are very territorial of their feeding areas and will fight off another mole; they are only tolerant of another when the females come in season and obviously it’s then with the opposite sex.
So you set your live catch trap, which is like a toilet roll tube with a flap at each end and leave it for 8 hrs. You check the trap and you’ve got a dead mole. It’s either died of starvation or stress at being caught in a tube. Even if you check the trap after 4 hrs and find a live mole, how long has it been in there and what do you do with it now? If you think release it in a nice field, think again. It is an offense to relocate a pest onto another person's land without permission. Is the mole is still strong enough to dig and find food or if it finds a another mole tunnel, is strong enough to fight off the current owner of the tunnel?
The abandonment of Animals Act 1960 section 1 makes it an offense to release an animal into the environment if it does not have a reasonable chance of survival.
The Guild of British Molecatchers Code of Practice says you should check a live catch trap every 12 hours and a kill trap every 24 hours. My opinion is that live catch traps should be inspected every couple of hours, but I don’t believe it's humane to release them somewhere else due to the stress the mole goes through, so why use a live catch trap in the first place. A humane kill trap is the only option to control excess numbers of moles.
Q: You have caught my moles, will I get any more?
A:
The short answer is yes, at some time.
Moles being territorial will not normal invade another mole’s area unless the occupant of that area has been removed. If a mole is trapped and removed other moles near by will be able to sense this and may move in if the feeding is good. If the whole area is being trapped well and the other moles are also being removed then it can be quite a few months before the area gets badly reinfested again.
This time element depends on many factors; if you are only trapping to a fence line or boundary and are not trapping the other side then moles from the other side will quickly move over.
In mid to late summer this years young moles are on the move looking for a home having been kicked out by mum, they can cover quite large distances looking for empty property.
If the area you have caught a mole in is poor mole ground (low worm count) and you by chance caught it whilst it was checking the area out, you may not get another mole. Poor quality mole ground will have few, if any established main tunnels so will be the last choice for new home hunters. Prime mole ground on the other hand that is vacant will still retain its underground tunnel systems for some time and be top of the list for new residents.