Hello all, new member here........ We've just started an Allotment at our local Pub, which has had plenty of land lying fallow for many years. We have 9 plots of 10' X 4' which are planted up with various vegies. In one of the beds, we have Radish, Lettuce, Broad Bean, and Carrot. For the last 3 days, a Mole has decided that the Broad Beans need digging up, I've flattened 3 mole-hills, and re-planted the bean plants in as many days, in almost exactly the same spot. Perhaps interestingly, I checked on Wednesday at about 15:00 and flattened a mole-hill, by 17:00 another had appeared. I thought these things were nocternal. Is there any way to 'disuade' said Mole from its engineering exploits? I would prefer not to kill the beast - in fact I'd like to encourage it to move to another of the plots where the soil is mostly clay, since he / she makes a very good job of breaking up the soil. Perhaps a polite notice in braile would help
What a fabulous use of the land, Hugh F.W. really started something good, :gnthb: I hope you all have many happy productive hours, :yho: I dont know anything about moles but hope you get a better reply soon, :thmb:
I don't get Moles in my plot but a neighbour does and he sinks bottles into the soil and he tells me the wind blowing over the open end creates a vibration the Moles don't like....I've offered to supply the village with empty wine bottles if they send me full ones:D
I have heard that the windmills that kids have are also a deterrent for moles. Again its the vibrations that the windmill creates when the wind blows. The look quite pretty when stuck into the ground, and can also be a deterrent for birds that take a fancy to your plants! Hope this Helps!
As it at the back of a pub - leave small dishes of real ale out side and maybe a few pots of pork scratchings!!!!! If you could catch a few "lady" moles and atire them in short skirts and high heels, etc,etc. Then the mole would have no reason to return to the allotment. Like with all hobbies, the come a time in every ones life when it is time to move on to pastures new!!!!! Steve. P.S I was always told that the empty wine bottles need to be dug into one of the tunnle so the "tune" can sing along the tunnel under ground.
Only one way to cure the problem, a trap. All these old wives tales, sonic repellers etc are a waste of time, some work to an extent but they are never effective for long. Get a few traps from a farm supplier. Probe for a run with a stick then cut a square of turf with a hand trowel to the size of the trap, clear the run with your fingers of lose soil then set the trap and replace the turf, mark with a stick and check every few days. When you've caught one, ree set the trap as there are often more than one mole causing the problem, if your trapping for multiple moles then squeeze the dead moles bladder area a gloved hand to secrete urine and rub this over your other traps ( moles are Territorial and you can catch more if they can smell another).
"clear the run with your fingers of lose so" Pro, I've always tried to avoid any scent of me getting into the run, or onto the trap, i case it frightens the mole away - but perhaps that's unnecessary in your experience?
It doesnt seem to make any differance, by the time youve lifted the turf your hands will smell of soil, you can wear gloves but there doesnt seem to be a lot of benefit same with the old adadge of burying new traps before using them, Ive caught moles in brand new traps before. That said inbetween use I store my traps outside on a string so they are always scentless. My method is to set four traps per mole for each mole that I think there is, the more traps the quicker youll catch them. I usually set the majority of the traps by the freshest workings. I leave all the traps down for a week even if I catch one the next day after setting.
The traps work incredibly well and if your mole problem is bad enough for it to bother you then I think the traps are the best way to keep your plot mole free. Hel.xxx
