Rapid Pest Control

Mole activity on the increase

September 5, 2010 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

We are getting more calls for mole control in the Newbury area as the weather is changing.

One of the questions I get asked a lot is “Why are we getting moles now? The answer is pretty simple – they are following the food source and when it rains the worms rise to the surface, hence the moles are following them.

The most common evidence you see is those shallow runs just below the surface. These are the most difficult to deal with as it is generally juvenile moles just looking for an easy feed, so there are no established tunnels and they are too shallow to gas or trap in most cases.

We are using the new Trapline mole traps a lot at the moment for this type of run and they are working quite well, but our favourite is still the Talpex trap, which yields very well.

Later this week, I am going to do a few videos of mole trapping, showing the different types of trap we use and in which applications they work best. In my opinion, it is still too dry to gas effectively, so trapping is the best method at the moment.

If you have a mole problem, just contact us now or call 01635 247192 for you mole control service from Rapid Pest Control.

Filed Under: Mole Control Tagged With: Moles

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….

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

There's only one way to get rid of a mole…..

November 20, 2007 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

…..according to Jasper Carrott anyway!

Moles are very active during this time of year and so the sight of large mounds of earth are becoming common place in most gardens.

Moles are really fascinating. Not much is really known about them but they are certainly on the increase and they cause a huge amount of damage to both agricultural land and gardens.

Moles are solitary creatures and protect their territory viciously against all comers – even there own off-spring once the mother has evicted them.They can travel up to 300mts in a single day and are pretty much constantly on the move, hunting for earthworks, leather jackets and just about anything else they can find.

This is where the conflict arises. With such activity, they have to push the tunnel earth up somewhere. The biggest problems occur where there are lots of worms – you guessed it a fell cared for and fed lawn!

Our armoury of treatments have been cut to basically two options – gassing or trapping. We used to be able to deal with moles very effectively and cheaply by the use of Strychnine laced worms which were placed in active runs – if applied following proven safety guidelines was far the most effective and safe way to control them.

Today, we will either use Aluminium Sulphide gas tablets (a very strictly controlled substance that will only be supplied to fully trained professionals like us) or trapping using humane mole traps.

Now trapping is an art. Everybody has a go at it but most attempts are futile. We all have learnt over the years “the best” way to trap and the best traps to use, but there are more factors which effect the success than you can imagine. I have to say we get good results based on certain conditions and in may cases trap several moles in each trap (as one is caught, the constant search for food and territory from bordering moles is there downfall).

Gassing is very effective but again conditions must be perfect – everything from soil dampness to activate the gas down to depth of run etc will determine the success of each application.

I do have a fondness for these busy little creatures and do feel a little sad at having to wage war on them, after all we are destroying their habitat by building houses on every bit of land….but that’s progress!

Incidentally, going back to Jasper’s technique of shooting moles – it does work too! If you see a mole hill being produced and you have your trusty shotgun with you, shoot the mole hill as its moving and you will certainly kill the mole. The shock waves from the impact will kill it instantly – yes I have done this too before you ask!

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