MOLE!!!!

[oakmore2]

I've taken on a new plot a few weeks ago, and after a lot of hard work I've cleared a lot of it and dug out millions of nettle roots,  and set out where my beds will be, even planted a few things.

I went along last night to proudly take photos to show my friends, to find a pesky mole has been running havoc! Bet he thinks it's great now I've cleared all the roots for him.

Anyone any advice? I'd like him off the plot, ideally humanely....not sure that's possible though?

[oakmore2]

[froglets]

Hi Oakmore,

We had one tirn up this year & our view is "whatever"  Apart from providing  us with some nice seed compost & disturbing a couple of parsnips here & there, we don't see they're doing any harm.  It does kinda indicate your soil is healthy with lots of worms and life otherwise they wouldn't bother & as long as you look after your soil, there will be plenty or worms to go round.

Interested to hear other people's views.

[froglets]

oh, and I'm told old fashioned mothballs in their runs will encourage them to move on.

Cheers

[oakmore2]

Maybe I'm being too hasty then. I'd just assumed that they'd cause lots of problems. I shall give him the benefit of the doubt and wait for him to any real damage before I present an eviction notice!
Thanks for the help Froglets.

[romanybob]

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=17995

Great humane anti mole device, works a treat! Vibrations put moley off visiting your plot and eating your worms  ::)
You can get professional type device, same principle but solar powered.

[oakmore2]

I like it! If they start doing damage then I shall get building!

Thanks very much for your help Romanybob and Froglets.

:)

[OllieC]

I have one living on my plot - he does very little damage. In my view, it's okay to lose a percentage of your crop to nature.

I will however kill squirrels, rats and mice (all as humanely as possible) because they don't just stop at a bit of damage... I'd love to remove a few pigeons too but don't have a method.

[Suzanne]

I posted on the same subject earlier on in the year and decided live and let live. Apart from seeing where the mole runs are i haven't experienced any damage yet.

[oakmore2]

Great, thanks everyone for your help. I'll leave the mole for now and see what, if any damage occurs. I've been away for the weekend, so tomorrow will find out what he's been up to over the last couple of days!!

[Baccy Man]

... I'd love to remove a few pigeons too but don't have a method.

Catching them is easy enough but legally you require a licence from defra & the problem has to meet lots of strict conditions before you can kill them. Mind you most pest control companies that kill them do so illegally.
http://www.molemann.co.uk/item.do?item=80

[Barnowl]

Pigeons are covered by the terms of the General Licence :

the killing or taking of these birds is permitted for the purposes of: preventing serious damage to livestock, crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, fisheries or inland waters or for protecting any collection of wild birds or for preserving public health or public air safety.

- Carrion crow
- Magpie
- Collared dove
- Feral pigeon
- Great black
- backed gull
- Rook
- Lesser black-backed gull
- Ruddy duck*
- Herring gull
- House sparrow
- Jackdaw
- Starling
- Jay
- Woodpigeon
Ruddy duck (*) has recently been added to this list but for England only.

To comply with the terms of the General Licence killing / catching must be done in a way that does not cause unnecessary suffering.

(May be some confusion that you need a licence to use certain methods of killing moles - e.g strychnine)

[Good Gourd 2]

I just stick 3-4ft canes with plastic coke or whatever bottles at  approx  6ft intervals all around my plot and it seems to do the trick.  We have tried deasel. moth balls the lot, but they don`t like vibrations.

[littlebabybird]

Pigeons are covered by the terms of the General Licence :



To comply with the terms of the General Licence killing / catching must be done in a way that does not cause unnecessary suffering.

so an air rifle would be ok?

lbb

[Theplotthickens]

Pigeons are covered by the terms of the General Licence :



To comply with the terms of the General Licence killing / catching must be done in a way that does not cause unnecessary suffering.

so an air rifle would be ok?

lbb

It depends, you need to be the "Authorised person" or "Landowner" however these terms are grey areas. Get in touch with BASC here>> http://www.basc.org.uk/
ask them for guidance and I`m sure you will get plenty of advice. Mine is to be able to put 9/10 shots in the area of a 10p piece on paper targets @ 25-30 yds before even thinking about live animals. Headshots or between the shoulder blades are recommended.

[teresa]

For pigeons I use vidio tape twisted between canes they dont like it shimmering or the hum when the wind blows neither does the cabbage white.
Moles I find the hill / run and pour humane urine down it may have to do it twice but they move on dont like the smell.
both ways are humane to them and they can go and pester someone else. ;D