Moles

[TeeDee]

I've noticed a few Mole hills on my Lawn and I'd rather they not make it a foothold position.

So I'd rather dissuade them rather than exterminate them if I can.

What options or techniques work? Old school country practices or Hi Tech modern options?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[TLM]

Moles or water voles? Both make hills.

 

[TeeDee]

Moles or water voles? Both make hills.

Hmmm, I didn't know that. There is a River close ( 12-15ft ) and a stream also.

Water Voles build several Soil Hills or Just one?

 

[TLM]

Water Voles build several Soil Hills or Just one?

They are fairly productive so several. One of the ways to try to tell is to look where the actual hole is on the hill, mole tend to have it in the middle and voles in the side.

 

[Broch]

Moles or water voles? Both make hills.

Really? that isn't my experience. To quote:

Water-vole burrows are about 7cm wide – roughly the same as a Pringles tube. Since the voles dig upwards from below, the entrances are tidy, without spoil heaps on the outside. The grass around the entrance is often nibbled short to make a ‘lawn’.

At this time of year I would be 99% sure TeeDee has moles.

There's some advice here:

Moles / RHS Gardening

Although infrequently seen, the presence of moles is easily detected by the molehills they create.

www.rhs.org.uk

But my own experience is that they are very hard to get rid of but tend to 'move on' after a while. I once tried the old "mothball in the hole" trick - putting a mothball down each tunnel hole and ended up with a load of molehills with a mothball sticking up on top

 

[TLM]

Really? that isn't my experience. To quote:

Definitely so here, I have both on my cottage yard, been following them some while. It might depend on the type of soil though, I have it soft all over.

 

[Imagedude]

There's only one way to kill a mole...

 

[slowworm]

We've got moles and I just tolerate them. We often have one that stays either very close to the surface of actually comes out and squeaks round the garden.

I thought some suggest a windmill or even an empty wine bottle half buried creates enough noise to move them on.

At least the soft soil in mole hills makes an ideal additive to your own potting compost.

Or catch them, mix them with avocados for a meaty guacamole.

 

[Broch]

I thought some suggest a windmill or even an empty wine bottle half buried creates enough noise to move them on.

Yeh, I'd heard that, but decided that I prefer the look of molehills to little windmills or bottles all over my grass

 

[TLM]

I think at one time I have seen "anti mole/vole" garden windmills sold. Apparently with the idea that their noise would make the critters move. They made a racket, did not buy one.

 

[Broch]

Just a quick point (though I'm convinced TeeDee has moles) - water voles are protected in the UK and disturbing their burrows or interfering with them in any way is an offence.

 

[TLM]

water voles are protected in the UK and disturbing their burrows or interfering with them in any way is an offence.

Interesting, they are first grade destructive creatures in most gardens here. C'est la vie.

 

[Broch]

To be clear, we are talking about Arvicola amphibius aren't we?

 

[TLM]

To be clear, we are talking about Arvicola amphibius aren't we?

Yep.

 

[TeeDee]

So basically turn my lawn into a vignette to a Crazy Golf park with plenty of windmills and upturned wine bottles?

 

[slowworm]

The wine bottle can be mostly buried with just the top open, it's the wind blowing across the top that make the noise. You could have a row of them (I can recommend the magnum Porta 6 bottle for the low notes). Just be careful of Llamas.

On a more serious note, the moles will be after the worms. At least it's a good sign the soil is healthy. I gather it's increasingly common for fields to be low in worms due to all the worming treatments given to livestock these days.

 

[bearbait]

Dog?

My pedigree mongrel terrier would happily spend an hour or two digging up mole hills.

 

[Broch]

Mmm... mole hills or wine bottles strewn across the lawn, or little plastic windmills, or dog-dug craters - hard choice

 

[slowworm]

I wish my moles would go for the lawn, they seem to prefer my veg beds. (I take it as a compliment).

 

[TeeDee]

Following on to this - I've been musing a little whilst driving so maybe someone can explain the following to me. I've not googled it , I find the insights from here more useful.

Moles - They are I assume , born underground , hunt underground , jiggy-jiggy underground and I'm guessing die underground.

SO.....

1 ) What is the reason for Mole Hills??? Do they resurface every now and then like a Nuclear Sub for clean air ? or to create gaseous exchange for still air? Or maybe they just get lost and need to come up and check their bearings???

2 ) How large an area of tunnels does a Mole create ?? Wondering this because see point 3 )

3 ) I appreciate Moles are clever creatures when it comes to creating tunnels but if I dig a hole in compressed soil I tend to have probably 8 times the loose soil that came from the void I've just created.
Even if I take into account them somehow compressing the soil tunnel walls further that must leave extra soil to be discarded at some point. Badgers create large outside mounds of the stuff , literally terraforming banks of soil - so what do Moles do ???



Questions-Questions-Questions....