Mole activity

[earth-thrower]

Currently plenty of mole workings in my locality.I take it other members will be observing this also,in their own areas ?

[Littlesparrow]

Loads of new mole hills in Cheshire, the soil is mostly sandy where i live, no hillocks on my lawn though.

[sharki]

More mounds than grass it seems up here in Morayshire.

[Kayleigh]

Some old bloke in his 80s collects the mole earth to grow his tomatoes in from the local field there is lots of activity here.

[Kreacha]

I saw loads of mole hills in my Gramp's hay field today. I would love to see an alive mole. How do you go about stalking a mole so you know where it will pop up? Do they pop up out of the same hole twice?

[Kayleigh]

The young leave the nest/hole (not quite sure when maybe autumn) they go looking for their own place to live and at this time they are vulnerable but they are hard to see I have only ever seen one dead on top in Cornwall not sure what killed it but it was on the cliff to a camp-site.

[Redrob]

I have had mole activity in my garden for the last two years. I have dug two out in the last three months! They are quick, cunning and also a flaming menace!! I have tried to trap them which has been unsuccessful. The only way I have caught them is by being patient, watch for ground movement and dig fast behind the mole. If the mole is just under the surface watch carefully to see which direction the mole is heading. Then just quickly push your spade into the ground behind the mole, stopping it from back tracking. Hopefully the mole will surface, like mine did when I levered the spade to ease up the ground. I then had to give chase around the garden trying to scoop it into a bucket.
I released both moles on waste land about half a mile away.
How cute and soft the little creature is! I had never actually seen a mole before, only on TV or in a book.
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The last two summers I have planted bedding plants in the borders in our back garden, with very poor results. I just thought the soil required some kind of feed or fertilizer. Little did I realise that the problem was the moles that were tunnelling around the roots and disturbing the soil. I knew that there was moles in the school field that backs onto our garden, but I was living in hope that they would stay out of our gardens. For some reason the moles prefer to hang around the base of my bird feeding stations, popping up ever couple of days. I have poked a cain through the soil in the borders around our back lawns and found that they have tunnelled around the entire length. Luckily up till now they have not caused too much damage to the lawns. I think the fall of wasted seed and sunflower shells is fertilising the soil under the feeders, which is encouraging worms ect, which in effect is attracting the moles.
I missed one that popped up early this morning under one of the feeders. This feeder is only six feet away from our garden room.
I will keep watching for it and I will get it!

Keep you posted!!!!

[Redrob]

I foregot to mention! I did take a couple of mobile phone pictures of the mole in the bucket! If I can find them I will post them.

[Farplace]

2 mole-ish questions:
Why are moles killed on farm land where animals graze?
What is the significance of a Mole Fortress?
Jan

[Kreacha]

Originally Posted by Redrob

I then had to give chase around the garden trying to scoop it into a bucket.
!!!!

This, I would have loved to watch!!