Moles - bless 'em!

For anything to do with the garden and pool
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

:lol: How long did it take you to think those names up Mol(e)s?
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la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Very good Mols!
The Détaupeur has always worked for me, although I think your device is safer, Caroline. My ex nearly blew his head off setting the détaupeur once :lol:
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

Moliere wrote: Obviously you lavish the same care on your subterranean guests as you do on the surface ones, perhaps you'll get "Five worms" reviews on Moliday-Lettings and Trogadvisor!

Mols :wink:
:D :D It must be their gormet menu of grubilax, wormdorf salad, and tiramasoil

Maybe this is a way to deal with our unhappy/blackmailing clients - we'll blow them up or squish them to death before they get a chance to review
Charollaise
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Post by Charollaise »

Moliere wrote:That's interesting - I've never had moles staying around for more than a couple of weeks, then they move on and don't come back for 6 or 7 years.
I wonder if it might be the effective cat? My one-eyed, elderly feline presented me with four mole corpses in a day once... didn't see any more for a long while... but yes - soil wonderful on the potager :lol:
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elena
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Post by elena »

Apparently only one or two moles can do massive damage with all their tunnelling & endless molehills.

We've been lucky so far in that they have kept themselves around the donkey field & chicken pen etc.

We'll see how lenient OH will be if & when they end up on his pitch & putt course!

Elena
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen »

We have problems with Moles every year and what a mess they make, we use the tunnel traps and they are the best in my opinion, we never use poison or gas, we also have to keep the rabbits under control because of the damage they do.
I've never heard of Moles moving on after a few weeks, In some countries they are a protected species.

We never put traps out when we have guest's staying.

http://www.moletrapsonline.co.uk/damage ... _moles.htm
Jammy
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Post by Jammy »

So good to hear these little critters are the bane of others' lives too. :twisted:

First post on this fab forum. :D

We call our lawn 'Mole City' and after extensive on-line research now have a list of 'remedies' which we try on a turn and turn about basis - as it is said that the moles soon get used to all our new tricks. Two things, they have a highly developed sense of smell and don't like nasty niffs and they don't like to think others are walking about above them.

:idea: Here are a few of the ideas we've tried...

1. Human hair stuffed down the holes (apparantly they don't like the feel of it) - only worth trying if you have
a) lots of it to spare or b) a hairdresser in the family
We combined this with the powder you buy in the Bricomarche. It worked for one season.

2. Garlic - it was ages after we had 'sown' it that we stepped outside one morning to the distinct pungent whiff of it filling the air - it grows, you know.

3. Moth balls - not tried it as yet but it's on the list.

4. Windmills - now this seems to really work as it is said they don't like the vibration. We go to the local seaside town and buy
them up cheap and push them into the ground. I'm sure our neighbours think we are cheapskates for not planting real flowers. Only down side is you need to remove them before you get on the ride on mower or use them as a nifty slalem course.

Thanks to everyone for all their great advice/ideas/information and shared experiences about the world of holiday lettings.
When you know better, you do better.
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

Thanks, Jammy, I'm quite taken with the idea of windmills but, in landlocked Perigord, they're not easy to source.

However, just noticed that the 'Outillage de St-Etiennne' (those mobile truck shops that sell all sorts of fascinating boy's stuff) have a solar-powered vibrating device (choosing my words cautiously) called 'Stop Taupe Solaire' (great name) that you push into the mole-hills and, apparently, it frightens the little velvety chaps away. Must work because there's a illustration at the bottom of the page that shows the device in place and all the moles scurrying away at high speed like lemmings over a cliff. 20 euros, though, for three vibrators, so not as cheap or as pretty as the windmills.
Jim
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

Jimbo wrote:Thanks, Jammy, I'm quite taken with the idea of windmills but, in landlocked Perigord, they're not easy to source.

However, just noticed that the 'Outillage de St-Etiennne' (those mobile truck shops that sell all sorts of fascinating boy's stuff) have a solar-powered vibrating device (choosing my words cautiously) called 'Stop Taupe Solaire' (great name) that you push into the mole-hills and, apparently, it frightens the little velvety chaps away. Must work because there's a illustration at the bottom of the page that shows the device in place and all the moles scurrying away at high speed like lemmings over a cliff. 20 euros, though, for three vibrators, so not as cheap or as pretty as the windmills.
Yep, tried one of these - my mutant moles just knocked it over when building a hill ....

It all depends on your land - if you have a large garden, then at best, these devices will just push them into another part - messing up another bit of lawn :roll:
Jammy
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Post by Jammy »

Jimbo,

I must have them!

Purely for research and mole-scaring-away purposes you understand.

Does the truck you speak of cover regions further north, Picardy, to be exact, as I don't think I've seen it.

Just bought a set of new windmills from The Range, over here in the UK.

Tall, robust and silver. May have to get planning permission to install!

We'll be looking like a windfarm soon.

Now there's a thought...elastic band, length of string, couple of cable ties and a bank of duracells, I may just have solved the perenniel problem of high heating and lighting bills!!
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

Jammy wrote: I must have them!
Thought you might!

Outillage trucks visit our locality every couple of months. They claim to cover all of France. Their brochure (thick, A5) is delivered with the other rain-forest's worth of regular promotion material in the post, so you might have re-cycled it?

Their website is below. Don't open the link until you have copious funds in your account!
www.shopix.com
Jim
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

CarolineH wrote:
Yep, tried one of these - my mutant moles just knocked it over when building a hill ....

It all depends on your land - if you have a large garden, then at best, these devices will just push them into another part - messing up another bit of lawn :roll:
Caroline, actually, that's what we need. To relocate our moles from the garden of the biggest gite onto the surrounding pastureland.

Our rescue dog Fleur (my avatar) was brilliant at clearing a huge mole invasion of our garden but simply sat down on the job when I introduced her to the gite lawn. Perhaps - being French - she needs to negotiate a new contract for the gite lawn.
Jim
Jammy
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Post by Jammy »

Thanks for the info Jimbo.

Their website is below. Don't open the link until you have copious funds in your account!
www.shopix.com
Eager to seek out a new mole-disposal method to add to my arsenal I clicked on the link but just went round and round.

A quick Google search produced this site...

www.shopfix.fr

better. Much better, lots of lovely goodies.

Sadly, the mobile vans won't be within two hours drive of us for many months.

But now having read of Caroline's experience with the 'Stop Mole Solar' - thanks Caroline - my ardour for them has dampened.

Methinks the picture of said moles scurrying away was merely a clever marketing ploy. They don't seem to scurry far.

At least I can add it to my list of known mole-disposalary techniques, but in the non-effective column.
When you know better, you do better.
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