Just asking as haven't had this before. Where I dug in manure in the squash bed over the winter (and now have a healthy worm population) for my winter squash - the moles have moved in. The soil is fairly light and they tunnel abut 4 - 5" below the surface so I can destroy the tunnels effectively, but i have been told to trap them before they cause a problem.
Apart from possibly upsetting a couple of the plants through tunnelling - what harm are they likely to do. And if i do need to remove them do the sonic repellents work?
Thanks in advance for any help with this. :)
We all have mole damage on our site, so it seems impossible to do anything so, like the marestail, I live with it. I just put my spade in and move it about to spoil the tunnel. I have read that it helps to block the tunnel with a sheet of plastic or somesuch. I suppose the upside is they do leave a beautifully worked patch. Now if we could harness some moles together in early spring..... ;D
we have a few on our site as well the only trouble that i here about is they tend to burrow under the plant thus leaving the roots bare so the plant dies as there no nutrients for them
Moles are small mammals that live their life underground, rarely coming topside unless they meet an obstruction during tunnelling such as tree roots, stones etc. They eat primarily earthworms, grubs, and insects. They can eat almost their weight each day. Moles produce a litter of 3-4 babies every spring.
Moles dig a main tunnel in search of food. From the main tunnel, they create numerous "feeder" tunnels which they use in search of food. Moles actively dig tunnels in search of food all year. In the winter this activity continues beneath the snow.
Moles are solitary creatures they are strictly territorial, one will actually keep others away - until the mating season that is.
A single mole can create a huge tunnel system. This will cause some collateral damage to plants due to the earth displacement but will also aerate your soil & they will leave you small piles of very finely tilled topsoil.
If you really want to get rid of your mole you will probably have to resort to drastic measures. Sonic repellants never work so don't waste your money on one.
http://www.detaupeur.com/
If only.. ;D
Or there's always the mole catcher :(
(http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i23/Emagggie/IMG_0473.jpg)
I like the spring harness idea, but i think i'll have to live with them and just try and make sure that I back fill any tunnels near the squash plants. It's easy to see where they have been as the soil is quite light.
Don't like the molecatcher - reminds me too much of the childcatcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang... ugh.
No, s'orrible. We came upon this gruesome sight in the Dales some 20 years ago. :o
Thought I recognized it. Did you see the crows nearby, similarly displayed?
Ooh no, it was bad enough trying to explain the moles to my (then) young children. :o