Questions and Answers about Moles

  • I have Moles in my garden, will they eat my plants?
    Moles will not eat your plants, grass or vegetables. However they are likely to dig tunnels below the plants thus removing the soil from their roots. This often causes yellow lines to appear on lawns. Other plants and vegetables can easily die if their roots have been undermined.
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  • Why do Moles create molehills?
    Moles will dig new tunnels on a daily basis and clean out any debris from their existing runs, this is what they are depositing on the surface.
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  • Why have I got Moles and my neighbours have not?
    Having Moles in your garden is a sign of good quality healthy soil and a plentiful supply of worms and bugs. Moles dislike acidic, well compacted or stoney soils due to a lack of food.
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  • I have eight molehills in my garden, how many Moles are likely to be making them?
    It's most likely that just one Mole is making these hills.
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  • Why do I get molehills under the line of my post and rail fence?
    This is a common place for Moles to have runs. The rain and moisture drips from the fence and encourages the worms, making it a good feeding ground for moles. This is also true with normal fences although much less noticeable, you will often see that the hills run along the bases of them.
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  • Once my Moles have been caught, will I get more?
    This is one of the questions I get asked most often. It does depends on the location how quickly this may happen. Moles are very territorial, so if you capture a Mole its territory becomes vacant, if there are other Moles around its likely they will take over the run system. This is far more likely when the affected area is next to hedgerows or spinney's where there is a high population. Under these circumstances, it is always better to either agree a price for control for the year, or to include a number of return visits after the first Moles are caught. Pricing on a per Mole basis could work out expensive. Collapsing the runs can help.
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  • What should I do with the molehills?
    It is always best to leave the molehills until you have dealt with the Moles. As a Molecatcher I would ask for these to be left initially until after treatment. If there was a high number of molehills over a large area it can be beneficial to spread, or remove them all, and then wait for new activity. This helps to locate the fresh active runs and can make control far more efficient.
    Once the Moles have been removed, the molehills should be raked out thinly to avoid them killing the grass. The soil is also very good for potting plants, mixed two thirds soils to one part good potting compost.
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  • Do all traps work?
    My personal preference is for the Duffus type tunnel traps. Most traps will catch but some are more efficient than others. The ones to watch out for are the ones with weak springs, they should be very powerful, and close fully. Never use a trap with weak springs, at best you will fail to catch, at worst you will injure the Mole!
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  • How do I know which molehills are new?
    Its usually very easy to see which molehills are fresh. However, as the molehills age, shoots of grass and weeds will begin to appear which give you an idea of how long they have been there. You can also look at the ground under the molehill, has the grass begun to yellow for instance.
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  • There are live catch traps available, can these be used and the Moles be moved?
    I personally think these kinds of traps should be banned. The problem with these is checking them frequently enough, to frequent and you wont catch, to infrequent and the mole will suffer. The metabolism of the Mole is very fast, so needs lots of food regularly, stuck inside a trap its not going to be able to do this and will begin to suffer very quickly. Not a very humane trap really. Furthermore, where can you put the mole, moving it will also cause stress and it may well die of starvation. It is also an offence under the Abandonment of Animals Act to trap a live animal and release it in another area without suitable habitat - i.e. tunnel systems.
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  • How many Moles could I expect to have in a one acre area?
    There are differing opinions to this question, and it does very much depend on the circumstances, but there are usually somewhere between four to six moles per acre.
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  • Do electronic mole repellers work?
    In my opinion no they don't. For example, a windmill or sonic device emits a sound that is claimed to deter them, however why do we see so many molehills along the side of roads and even runways. They like these areas because the ground is moist from the water running off and in turn a good place for worms. Most of the devices are likely to cause more problems by making the mole dig more tunnels to get round it - more tunnels, more molehills.
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  • Can I catch the moles myself?
    Of course you can. With some good quality traps and a few garden tools you can try and catch these yourself. I always keep a trapping kit in my car for clients should they wish to try themselves. I am always happy to help people do this and show them how to find the runs and set the traps.
    You can also buy trapping kits here online - Mole Trap Kit
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