Mole Traps | Rapid Pest Control

Did you catch the show?

March 13, 2011 By GrahamChapple 6 Comments

At 8:30 on Wednesday, all was revealed as to what happened when Chris Wright of Newbury Sound joined me for the morning as my apprentice.

It was a bit of a challenge to arrange several different things for Chris to try, but I decided that we would go to a local farm where we have several different issues we deal with on a regular basis. Firstly, we had a go at mole control. We use 4 or 5 different types of mole trap depending on the ground and depth of runs, but the pro’s trap of choice is a very powerful scissor type mole trap called a Talpex trap.

These are pretty tricky to set until you get the knack, so I showed Chris what to do, including finding an appropriate mole run. After about 5 minutes, he did manage to set one and position it successfully, but it did take him about 10 attempts! The spring in this particular trap is very strong, and we like them as the gate is wide allowing the mole to be right in the trap before it triggers, assuring us that it is a very quick kill.

Next we did a rat inspection of a barn. This was Chris’s worst nightmare as he is very frightened of rats. I did not expect to see one (which is why I chose this particular farm, knowing Chris was terrified – not a nice thing to actually have to confront your fears) but I did want to see his reaction if he thought there was one…hence the little spook I did on him!

For all his fears, Chris actually did a good job of identifying the runs, setting rat traps, loading bait stations and positioning them in the right places, but you could see he did not enjoy this much!

Then we had to gas some rabbit burrows. This all sounds a bit strange but we have ferreted these burrows several times over the last few months, always catching some, but as this particular burrow is close to a small wood, the rabbits keep going back and re-populating the holes. This burrow is in the middle of a paddock which has some valuable horses in, so it was a danger to the horses – if they dropped a leg in one of these holes it would surely be broken.

The gas we use is extremely dangerous and so I kept Chris well away whilst I administered the treatment. To finish the process, the open holes need to be sealed to make them air tight, so I got Chris to collapse the earth around the holes and seal them…well that was the plan, but Chris is not a natural with a spade to say the least! I showed him exactly what to do, however I do not think he is built for this type of manual work…enough said! Needless to say, I was not over impressed with his efforts!

So back to the office to de-brief and pass judgement on Chris’s performance. Whilst he does learn very quickly and would be superb in dealing with clients, his physical strength and technique failed him on both setting mole traps and hole filling. Also he is terrified of rats … so unfortunately Chris, You are Fired!

It was all a bit of good fun, I hope Chris had a good in sight into what Pest Controllers do on a daily basis and some of the issues we face. I really enjoyed the whole experience and Chris and Paul made me feel very comfortable – again it is as much a challenge for me to do this as it was for Chris to do my job!

Check out the Newbury Sound website where there are a bunch of pictures and an audio link to the highlights of the show. Chris very neatly over-laid UB40′s hit “Rat in my kitchen” soundtrack in background as he asked me for a theme tune…very clever!

If you have a pest problem you want dealt with, contact us now for a fast efficient service..and an autograph!

Filed Under: In the life of a pest controller Tagged With: Agricultural pests, Mole Control, Mole Traps, pest control, Rabbit Control, Rat Control

Newbury Sound Presenter Chris tries out Pest Control as The Apprentice

February 24, 2011 By GrahamChapple 1 Comment

Graham Showing Chris how to set a mole trap

Today, I was joined by breakfast radio presenter Chris Wright from Newbury Sound, to take on the role as my Apprentice.

Chris arrived late, so not a good start, armed with microphone and trusty companion Paul who was armed with a camera. I was a little apprehensive as to what the day would bring, but Chris talked me through the process and basically he just wanted to do the job and he wanted to get stuck in – so we did!

Firstly, I introduced the guys to the ferrets. Chris was very confident handling them as he had done so before at the RSPCA a few months ago. With time against us, we did not get chance to use them today, but they have been flat out working over the last few months and so did worry too much.

So we loaded up the truck and set off to our first appointment, a small horse breeding stable just down the road. Today we were here to treat some moles in the garden, check some rat activity around the stable block and deal with a persistent rabbit burrow.

So first off, I got Chris to find a suitable mole run and then set a trap correctly. After a few attempts, he did set it perfectly, but needs to work on his hand and arm strength a bit – so a few sessions in the Gym would be required.

Then we inspected the barns for rat activity. Now Chris has a real fear of rats, so this would test him to the limit. We found some activity straight away, so I got Chris to move a few things to see the runs more clearly… that’s when I took the chance to shout “Watch out there’s a rat” to test his reaction. Confirmed – he is afraid of rats – I only hope Paul got this on camera!

After we managed to get Chris down off the roof , ( I havent seen anybody jump that high before!), I got him to set some traps and load some bait staions, then place them. No problem here, good job.

The final job was to gas a very persistent rabbit warren which was posing a danger to the horses. We have successfully ferreted this burrow on a few occasions this year, but with a large wood at the end of the paddock, rabbits keep opening up the holes. As the gassing element of this exercise is dangerous, I did the gassing, but got Chris to fill in and seal the holes. I don’t think digging is a skill he has used much, listen to the interview to find out why….

So tasks over and back to the office for the de-brief. So was Chris Hired or Fired….you will just have to tune in and see!

A big thanks to Chris and Paul for breaking up a very long week – it was great fun and we all had a good laugh – a fairly new experience for me, but it was great to show somebody what we do all day – I don’t think I have ever been asked so many questions..reminds my of the Uncle Buck film! I can imaging Chris as that annoying kid asking all the questions in quick fire succession.

If you don’t listen to Newbury Sound – then do! Tune in to 105.6FM to pick up all the local happenings – its constantly on in our truck and in the office – great for news, travel and weather in Newbury and West Berkshire. Of course if you have a pest problem – call us at Rapid Pest Control!

Filed Under: In the life of a pest controller Tagged With: Ferrets and Ferreting, Mole Control, Mole Traps, pest control, Rabbit Control, Rat Control, Rat Poison, Rat Problem

New Mole Trap enters the UK

June 18, 2010 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

I always view new traps with some suspicion, especially anything out of the US, however having met a guy at a seminar a few weeks ago who swears by this new mole trap, I thought I would try a dozen and see if they work.

One thing to say is that they are very fiddly and with cold hands they will cause issues, but in the nice warm sun at the moment, it isn’t a problem. Also, you have to set 2 in every run – one facing each way down the burrow.

I set a few at one of my local clients so I could monitor the activity closely. My first few attempts were not too successful and I did manage a few false alarms, but after persevering, I trapped the problem mole in this garden. The traps have a very strong action and I have no doubt that death would almost be instant.

I then took the traps to a real problem garden where we have a constant flow of moles off the neighbours field. I have gassed and trapped this garden for the last few weeks, but they just keep coming. This then would prove these traps in a pretty tough environment.

So I set the Trapline traps in all the major runs and backed them up with my normal Talpex traps to make sure.

I was pretty pleased with the outcome – several moles were caught with no false alarms. I have now ordered a few more to add to the arsenal of traps I use, thus giving them the Rapid Pest Control seal of approval!

These traps are not generally available and are quite expensive, but if anybody wants some I would be happy to provide them for your use - just contact us with your order

Here is a video of setting them:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91BZd0Gy-QA&hl=en_GB&fs=1&]

Filed Under: Mole Control Tagged With: Mole Traps

Tackling a persistent mole problem

February 8, 2010 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

I have been tackling a persistent mole problem for a customer for some time now. The main issue is that the property is right on the edge of a very large overgrown field and when the house was built, it looks like all the top soil was piled up from the development on this field, right next door, hence it is a haven for moles and earthworms.

We have a major blitz and clear the area for several months, then they come back with a vengance. It like they save up all their efforts for one major assult - an do their worst.

The garden is pretty small in comparison to many properties I deal with, but the number of mole hils per square foot is amazing – I easily get several wheelbarrows of spoil off when they start.

Anyway, with the snow and everything making moles work even harder, last week I embarked on a major trapping campaign – I did this last year with great success as well, but conditions have to be just right to be effective.

Normally gassing is highly effective and it has been in the property to some degree, however with such large runs leaving the property, you can only gas what is trapped within the burrow – the smash and grab tactics being used by these guys make trapping ideal.

Trapping is an art that can’t be hurried or done half heartedly. You really need to work out what is happening then strategically set traps for most effect. Again, the type of trap used varies by condition. This can be soil type, depth of run, position of run and so on – it takes a lot of experience to get it right.

I tend to use 2 types of traps, a Talpex trap which is for shallow to medium depth runs – highly effective and very few false trips due to the long design of the jaws and a scissor trap for deep runs. If have some that my grandad used to use and these are so much better than the new ones. Both types are pretty much instant and humane.

I am pleased to say that on my first inspection, I had got it right, killing 3 moles on day 1 – a pretty good result. Having reset the traps, I will check these now every 24 hours over the coming week until no more activity has been seen.

If you have a persistant mole problem that needs sorting – contact me so I can advise you and deal with it for you.

The one good thing about trapping as opposed to gassing is that you can physically see the little devils dead – some customers actually want to see the bodies – so a bit horrific, but here is a couple of pictures….

Filed Under: Mole Control Tagged With: Garden Moles, Mole Traps, Moles

I did have to laugh…..

September 27, 2009 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

One of my customers has a real pet hate about moles.

We first met about a year ago – I had a call saying I had been refered to him as the mole catcher, and so he called me in to take a look at the problem he had.

On arrival, I could see why he hated them. His nice lawn area looked like a herd of wildebeests had crossed!

I asked him why he had not called me out sooner, and he told me that he had used another pest controller to do the job, paid him and enormous amount of money in advance and then promptly dropped a few gas tablets and vanished. After a week, the moles were worse and the outfit wanted to re-charge for a further visit – shame there are so called “professionals” like this in the trade as they do nobody any good.

He also tried to DIY the problem, buying a several traps and having a go – to no success (this takes years to learn to be effective).

I work in a different way, I give a great price and work with the client to sort the problem, taking whatever measures it takes to rid them of the issue and keep costs to a minimum. People appreciate this approach, afterall it is pretty impossible to guarantee you will never get moles back, but the answer is to keep the pressure on them and act quickly when one does appear.

Anyway, this client called me last week, a new mole had arrived after a year, so could I come and sort it for him. I was round the same day and applied the appropriate treatment to rid him of the problem.

On the way out, I noticed a new “mole” had appeared in the border….see the picture below!

His wife or friends had ribbed him so much about the moles before, they obviously had decided to give him a permanent reminder of the problem…!

Moles in the garden

Filed Under: Mole Control, pest control Tagged With: Mole Control, Mole Traps, Moles, pest control

Lots of Mole Activity….

August 20, 2009 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

Moles need to be controlled

Its been a funny few weeks, I suppose its pretty much down to the odd weather, but I am also getting lots of calls on moles – pretty unusual for this time of year.

I do like the furry little blighters and every time I get called out to deal with them, I do get a little sad. Shame they do so much damage really.

I did a very large job over in Hungerford a few weeks ago – absolutely lovely family – who had a wedding on the front lawn, but the little men in black had been at work to attempt to spoil the day.

With a combination of gassing and trapping, I soon got the area cleared and then moved on to the orchard – well this was even worse! I don’t think I have ever set so many traps in one session. But with care and patience, we soon sorted out that problem too.

The real joke was the other morning. I was sat in the office dealing with the dreaded paperwork, when I noticed a small mound appear in the middle of my lawn! I could not believe it, so I jumped up, tore outside only to see the mound now stop moving and Moley disappear.

Well out with the traps! Luckily, a delivery arrived that morning of a new type of trap I had not used before, so I thought what a great place to test them.

After wrestling with these new traps for a few minutes, catching fingers etc as you do with new things, I deployed several in the runs and went back indoors. After only a few hours, I looked up to see that a trap had sprung, and in it a nice plump mole. I re-set the trap to see if any further activity might happen, only to catch a second one the next day.

No more trouble now – Just shows even Pest Controllers get pests!

Filed Under: Mole Control, pest control Tagged With: Mole Control, Mole Traps, Moles, pest control