I woke up on Saturday morning to the sight of several molehills on our back lawn. My wife, having taken advice from our gardeners, bought three ultrasound devices, seen stuck into the molehills (above), which give off an annoying high-pitched beep every 30 seconds. The number of molehills has not increased overnight, so it seems effective as a deterent (I didn't want to lay poison traps for environmental reasons; there's lots of fruit growing in the borders. We've not had a mole outbreak like this before; our cat (which has killed several moles) must be getting lazy. Cut back on the Kit-e-Kat! To live, you must kill!
Monday, 7 July 2008
Moles in my own garden
I woke up on Saturday morning to the sight of several molehills on our back lawn. My wife, having taken advice from our gardeners, bought three ultrasound devices, seen stuck into the molehills (above), which give off an annoying high-pitched beep every 30 seconds. The number of molehills has not increased overnight, so it seems effective as a deterent (I didn't want to lay poison traps for environmental reasons; there's lots of fruit growing in the borders. We've not had a mole outbreak like this before; our cat (which has killed several moles) must be getting lazy. Cut back on the Kit-e-Kat! To live, you must kill!
Had the same. The ultrasonic sticks do not work - try to return them. We tried everything from carbide to humane methods, traps, the cat - all to no avail. We found a method and can possibly give you a contact - not pretty but effective - the only thing that has worked. Let me know if you want info.
ReplyDeleteI would say that your cat should accompany yew on your next Lenten exercise. That would sharpen his discipline and his will and make him leap with vigour at said moles. My advice is to cut back on the dry biscuits and canned meat and feed him with small helpings of fresh offal accompanied by some suitably masterful words of instruction and encouragement. My cat took it all for-granted once and gave up being a mouser! Cutting back on the dry biscuits and canned meat certainly made his appetite for good work return..and how! I have never suffered from moles in my garden, though, so maybe you require something different. I remember back in the 1940s, a public information film on the subject - 'Mole or Moggie - who's in charge in your garden?' Narrated by Kenneth Tench if memory serves me. Anyway, I must away to post some letters and pick up some fresh offal for 'Bunkins Timperley Dextrol', my very large Tabby.
ReplyDeleteProfessor Bernard Phelps {retired}
OK, Anon, the ultrasound is not working. I don't intend to use one ounce of poison as the garden is full of blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, chives, wild strawberries, apples and cherries. Five new holes today. Please let me have a contact. I'm ready to go down those tunnels with my M16 and do serious damage to those moles.
ReplyDeleteBTW: For those flying over Jeziorki en route to Okęcie, the moleholes are spaced like a large letter 'Y'. What are the moles trying to tell us?
Knew that would happen. These are pesky creatures and they ran amok in our garden not far from you in Konstancin/Chylice - took us from a billiard table surface to hills and dales. All of my research showed that there is no real answer to the problem, only 'snake oil' salesmen selling their wares and brews. (believe me, we tried everything until finding a solution)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the fix does require some type of chemicals in the form of gases but it has worked. Drop me an email on: wboynton8@gmail.com
I know you have lots of fruit etc but you may have to weight the risks/rewards - like the old 'Uncle Ben sales Closing' technique.
I see that your mole situation is continuing. I would suggest that you rig up your garden with a series of well-placed loudspeakers and transmit through these loudspeakers some sounds or music that the moles are likely not to enjoy. I remember years ago that a colleague of mine, Professor Estragon Bellharbour harnessed the power of popular music to ward off the moles - I think he used snatches from Soft Machine, Racey and Captain Beefheart with the speakers at just below ground level. Of course, he had a number of retainers who could assist him in digging the holes to accommodate the speakers, and knowing that you are not a gardener yourself, I shrink from suggesting 'below-ground' speakers, but it is just a thought. Imagine the surprise of any mole to be stopped in his tracks by the tinny incantations of some long-haired yobbo from the hit parade winding its way through his tunnels! You won't see them for dust. I used this method when plagued with grey squirrels {my speakers hooked up to the trees and my neighbours fence} - in my case using Brotherhood of Man's 'Save all your kissing for me' - I think that is the title. I have not had a grey squirrel trespass in my garden since. I have a very large collection of recorded material from the 1960s to 1980s including work by Benny Hill, Flintlock, Tony Blackburns and Clodagh Rogders and Mary Hopkins.
ReplyDeleteProfessor Bernard Phelps {retired}
Best of luck with these pests, Michael! I had to deal with them in the UK and it was pretty much a losing battle. Even three Rottweillers trying to dig them up and eat them didn't have much effect, aside from making even bigger holes in the lawn!
ReplyDeleteTrouble is they are so cute you don't really want to hurt them.
Some of my "smart" books about gardening mentioned smelly things that they don't like.
ReplyDeleteThey named one but I only have the German name for it "Holunder". You can put the sticks in the ground or make some sort of water/leaf brew and dump it on the holes.
I only found one tree in the neighborhood so far, I didn't want to cut the whole thing down just for that ;)
I used Camilla tea leftovers today, smells too, maybe it will help,....
Good luck with your moles and don't send any to Hungary, we already have enough of them ;)
And no, my dogs don't go and get them either, sigh....
Our concerted effort at flooding the moles has failed. Yesterday evening, Eddie took the hose to a molehill, and turning on the tap we watched as the water level rose across the network (like flooding the London Underground). Soon we could see water level rising in a number of holes we'd poked into the tunnels.
ReplyDeleteResult: Three new holes this morning, one on the far side of the lawn.
Bring on the Camomile tea-leaves and Elderberry! (As it happens there are some nice elderberry trees at the far end of ul. Trombity on ul. Kórnicka)
We've put in the Elderberries and I've planted garlic - no new moles today :)
ReplyDeleteI've also planted Lavender, they don't seem to like anything smelly.
Good Luck :)
If you've come across this aged post, I've since found the answer: human male's urine. Pouring buckets of piss into the holes gets rid of them for years at a time. The stench is intolerable for the moles. I have 65 litres of urine stored at the back of the garden for any future reappearance of the pests. I am ready. Should they show up again, they are in for a really unpleasant surprise.
ReplyDelete