Migmac
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Owls won’t. We used to leave snags on new plantings to encourage owls. Kestrels love voles and will take them before they hunt small birds
- Thread starter jonclancy
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rtcosic
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Ooo, loverly. Can I borrow one, please? Even I can't justify the cost for a single tree rat. Do .22 air guns still come with enough umph to do the job, or have they been emasculated?
Migmac
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Air rifle will take a tree rat no problem. Get your shotgun cert , I’ve a friend looking to sell his hush power!
brightspark
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- yarm stockton on tees
mk 4 fentraps in a wooden box with holes either end are the thing for catching tree rats 
made one for a guy and he caught over 40 in a year living next to the woods and riverbank 
made one for a guy and he caught over 40 in a year living next to the woods and riverbank
rtcosic
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Bought one! Box is a Roundtuit.mk 4 fentraps in a wooden box with holes either end are the thing for catching tree rats
Best bait?
brightspark
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bird food. if its in a 6x6 inch box a foot long with a 75mm hole either end sprinkled through birds eat up to the hole but wont go in
tree rats will I think a silenced .410 would do just nicely.
Morris
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- Northamptonshire.
Why not give a bit back. Just mow paths so that insects have a chance, put in a wildlife pond, plant some native species as well as the oak. Some wildflowers .
Nature is struggling ( our small garden is wildlife friendly but we have noticed a dramatic drop In insects and thus birds).
Voles are a native species and as said, they are food for raptors.
Do you get the explosive mole/vole traps there? you set them up on the hole entrance, and dangle a small firecracker type explosive down from the trigger mechanism. And when the mole etc digs through the freshly made blockage above, it presses against a adjustable plunger which triggers a electronic igniter to set the small explosive off below them blowing them upward. Petard mines they're called here, available in any good diy store.
I have a few, Im not at all against nature & I used to try the humane traps but it seems we have deaf moles locally, and if I get too chill about them, they start so many burrows they are in danger of undermining wall foundations etc.
I set the trap up carefully, put a upturned storage bin on top, and a heavy rock on top of that to stop the cats/dogs digging it out and getting injured. It also helps constrain flying mole bits. I tip the debris in a hedge of a evening for the local scavangers to recycle.
I dont use poison because it builds up in the local predators and causes issues, my cats plus other wilder things. Plus I think its a horrible slow way for any animal to die, the explosion is at least quick and decisive.
I have a few, Im not at all against nature & I used to try the humane traps but it seems we have deaf moles locally, and if I get too chill about them, they start so many burrows they are in danger of undermining wall foundations etc.
I set the trap up carefully, put a upturned storage bin on top, and a heavy rock on top of that to stop the cats/dogs digging it out and getting injured. It also helps constrain flying mole bits. I tip the debris in a hedge of a evening for the local scavangers to recycle.
I dont use poison because it builds up in the local predators and causes issues, my cats plus other wilder things. Plus I think its a horrible slow way for any animal to die, the explosion is at least quick and decisive.
Morris
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- Northamptonshire.
The story about moles and foundations seems to be bandied about by pest control companies who have a monetary motive. I can't find any examples of such damage (a quick search) but lots of hyperbole about the risk.
Moles aerate and turn over earth very effectively, the main "problem" seems to be the soil mound on lawns, a very first world problem. Just kick it around.
I accept that there are areas where this can be an issue obvs.
Moles aerate and turn over earth very effectively, the main "problem" seems to be the soil mound on lawns, a very first world problem. Just kick it around.
I accept that there are areas where this can be an issue obvs.
If you had a modern build house with a solid concrete foundation and block walls, I agree it probably is just marketing and the odd bit of a garden dug up.
But this is a stone and mud construction building and outbuildings, all laid right on the ground. If you get too much aeration or decompaction too near a building it settles locally and causes structural issues. You need that ground to stay hard packed and have the water drain away from it.
This is not hyperbole, we had one outbuilding's side wall fall down in heavy rain when the foundation softened and had to demolish a second for structural issues, and the moles migrate away from the lower parts of the "garden" nee nature reserve during wet periods towards the higher ground to avoid flooding of their burrows, where the buildings are.
But this is a stone and mud construction building and outbuildings, all laid right on the ground. If you get too much aeration or decompaction too near a building it settles locally and causes structural issues. You need that ground to stay hard packed and have the water drain away from it.
This is not hyperbole, we had one outbuilding's side wall fall down in heavy rain when the foundation softened and had to demolish a second for structural issues, and the moles migrate away from the lower parts of the "garden" nee nature reserve during wet periods towards the higher ground to avoid flooding of their burrows, where the buildings are.
Other Daniel
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- France, Charente
Myself also, as time has gone by, have come to regard the natural environment
similar to @Morris 's point of view. With some obvious limitations, I try to live
as much as I reasonably can alongside other creatures.
I agree, moles are annoying, but I've concluded that they're probably not doing it
on purpose, and they would struggle to understand why we take such issue with
them.
Our lawn is rubbish anyway. I just rake out the molehills now.
For many years I employed the demoler device, of which you speak and, to be
honest, thoroughly enjoyed it.
When the time came to replace the shop bought one, I was shocked at the price
commanded, along with a lot of (in my view) unneccesary electronics, safety
features, etc, etc that I decided to make my own.
I dug it out just now and took a photo of it, in case anyone was interested...
It worked a treat
It was supposed to be a prototype, but it worked so well that I thought any
"improvements" I could make could only be detrimental to it's efficacy, and
so it stayed as it was.
Other Daniel
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- France, Charente
I must say that I have yet to see any real structural damage caused by moles
premmington
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- Norfolk
Myself also, as time has gone by, have come to regard the natural environment
similar to @Morris 's point of view. With some obvious limitations, I try to live
as much as I reasonably can alongside other creatures.
I agree, moles are annoying, but I've concluded that they're probably not doing it
on purpose, and they would struggle to understand why we take such issue with
them.
Our lawn is rubbish anyway. I just rake out the molehills now.
For many years I employed the demoler device, of which you speak and, to be
honest, thoroughly enjoyed it.
When the time came to replace the shop bought one, I was shocked at the price
commanded, along with a lot of (in my view) unneccesary electronics, safety
features, etc, etc that I decided to make my own.
I dug it out just now and took a photo of it, in case anyone was interested...
View attachment 537486
It worked a treat
It was supposed to be a prototype, but it worked so well that I thought any
"improvements" I could make could only be detrimental to it's efficacy, and
so it stayed as it was.
I got a mole run on my bottom lawn - I did trap the first lot - then no mole hills for a couple of years. Then a new mole moved into the "pre dug network". This time I left Mr Mole alone - I rake the hills out - or use the fine earth for potting or lawn top dressing...
If he moves upto the top lawn - it will be war again. But if stays where he is - I will leave Mr Mole alone...
We’re not doing too badly here. I’ve planted 80m of native hedging, harvested and redistributed bluebell seeds over the years (and long enough ago that they are flowering now). I have some unimproved areas to sort out and the intention is to put in a mini wildflower meadow. I like the idea ofa perch. We have a couple of largeish ash trees that overloog the grass area. For some reason, not a populr vantage point, though.
Third time lucky, I think.
