Biology
Moles or Talpa Europea the European Mole, are fascinating little mammals. They are much smaller than people expect weighing approximately 80 grams the male is usually larger than the female. They are covered in a very soft, grey to black fur which can lay in any direction, much like velvet. They have very sensory hairs on their faces and on their tails which enables them to pick up vibrations from the ground and the air in their tunnel systems. This is also how they detect their food, be it worms or other insects. They cannot see their food as their eyes are hidden by fur, but they can see light. They have small ears which are very effective and are especially useful for detecting predators and other moles.
Moles only breed once a year, with litter sizes varying from two to seven but more commonly three to four; these are fully mature in just five weeks. This takes place between February and June, although with climate change this will certainly change to some extent. They have a life span of two to five years.
Historically they have been believed to have had an excellent sense of smell, I personally don't think its as acute as some might think. If it is then I have never found catch rates to be reduced by new traps or touching traps by hand. However both sexes have scent glands which are used to mark their territories, and also an asset in the breeding season when they are looking for a mate.
There digging capabilities are astounding, as we all know, but pound for pound they can move more soil in an hour than a JCB can!
Why do we need to control them?
The first question I ask myself whenever I conduct a survey is "do they need to be controlled"? One example of this is when the mole is using someone's garden as a route to a feeding ground. They may have just two or three molehills, which if carefully raked flat will often be the last you will see of them. In which case this mole probably does not need to be controlled and can be left to continue about its business. If a mole can be left undisturbed, it should be.
There are times when this is inappropriate, molehills can cause damage to silage, causing listeria in sheep and cattle and making it unusable as a feed. They can also cause damage to machinery if the problem gets out of control.
In gardens the molehills can be unsightly, especially when people have invested thousands on landscaping. Although moles don't eat the roots of plants, they will undermine them causing them to die. This also happens with the grass, the Mole digs its shallow tunnels and removes the soil from the grass causing yellowing, and subsequently the grass dies. The shallow runs cause ridges in the grass, this creates a hazard to both people and animals. Grounds where the public are regular are a cause for concern with ridges and molehills as they put people at risk. Sports grounds are another area where uneven or hidden tunnels can be dangerous, and in such instances the moles need to be controlled.
Why not use live catch traps and move the moles?
In an ideal world this would be a better solution, however there are a number of problems with this.
As you probably now know, Moles need to consume over 70% of there body weight in food every day, so their ability to survive for any length of time if captured alive is limited. So to catch a mole alive in a trap would require the trap to be inspected at very regular intervals - totally impractical in reality. If you did catch one, what are you going to do with it? Releasing into another moles territory would cause fighting and unnecessary suffering; releasing where there is no existing tunnel system would exert excessive pressure on the Mole to find enough food to survive. It is also important to understand the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960 section 1 makes it an offence to release an animal into an environment if it does not have a reasonable chance of survival
At first thought live catch traps seem like a good idea, but in reality aren't very humane!
Moles or Talpa Europea the European Mole
