Newspaper Cuttings

Anyone who has ever tried to get rid of a mole from the garden may find it hard to believe but the species is feared to be on the wane.

Moles are notoriously hard to remove once they have infested a field or lawn, but a lack of the invertebrate species that they eat may be stopping them in their tracks.

Conservationists are concerned that this may be a sign of a deeper problem in Britain’s ecosystem so they have started a project to encourage the public to help to conduct a survey to establish where the animals can still be found. The best clues, of course, are molehills. The mounds of earth thrown up to the surface, often over manicured lawns, are the most visible sign of moles and are an ideal indicator of their presence.

By collecting sightings from all over the country the People’s Trust for Endangered Species hopes to build up a detailed map of where they can still be found.

Jill Nelson, the chief executive of the trust, recognises that to many gardeners and equestrians, whose horses can break their legs by stepping on molehills, moles are anathema but she defended the animals as an important part of the ecosystem.

“If moles are in trouble in an area it’s an indication that the things they are feeding on might be in trouble, which may in turn point to some trouble with the land. Ultimately, it will affect us,” she said.

“The only thing I can say for gardeners is, ‘If you have moles you obviously have very healthy land’. The fact your lawn has been dug up is perhaps unfortunate but at least it’s a healthy environment,” she added.

Moles can be a friend to gardeners because they eat pest species of insect larvae including leatherjackets, cockchafers and carrot flies.

Ms Nelson added: “Seeing a molehill is the only reliable means we have of recording the presence of moles. By gathering this information from surveyors across the UK we will be able to produce a distribution map of moles and judge whether there are areas where they are scarce.”

The MoleWatch survey runs until the end of the year and volunteers have already recorded 16,000 sightings of molehills. For details go to www.molewatch.org.uk.

— Moles live virtually all their lives underground. They come to the surface only in the breeding season to collect leaves for nests.

— They like earthworms and beetles. An adult eats almost two thirds of its body weight each day They create a network of tunnels into which invertebrates fall. The mole’s saliva paralyses earthworms so that they can be stored in specially constructed larders.

— At the start of the 20th century more than 1 million moleskins were sold in London annually and 12 million were being sent to US to be used in breeches, waistcoats and ladies’ coats.

by Charles Clover, Environment Editor of the Daily Telegraph
published in the Daily Telegraph, 10 September 2005

Strychnine for killing moles to be banned

The Government announcement brought protests from landowners yesterday who said the poison was the only viable way of eliminating the pests in pastures.

Landowners said they were "shocked" to receive letters from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs saying that strychnine would be effectively outlawed by two EU directives on pesticides. Permits to use the poison, which is banned in other EU countries, would continue to be issued up to August 1 next year, but its use would be banned by September, said the letter.

Landowners say moles can be controlled in gardens by other means, but on a field scale, strychnine is an important tool.

by Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor of The Times
published in The Times, 30 March 2003

Mole Numbers Soar as Poison Runs Out

A mole population explosion is wreaking havoc on lawns, golf links, racecourses and farms - and the animals are moving to previously uncolonised areas.

The outbreak was sparked by the foot-and-mouth epidemic two years ago, when mole catchers were banned from farms. A shortage of strychnine, the poison they use under licence, has only exacerbated the problem.

Moles also endanger racehorses and cattle, wreck farm machinery and damage flood defences. Richard Strand, executive director of the Pest Control Association, said he had had complaints nationwide about the population boom. Mole catchers have been inundated with calls but without poison they must resort to trapping, which is more costly. Many farms cannot afford it.

"There are more of them and they seem to be extending their area to where they haven’t been seen before, such as ornamental gardens and parks," Mr Strand said. "We are approaching the main mole breeding season and it is the most effective time to control them. But we don’t know when we are going to get more stocks of the poison - certainly not before September."

Jack Kent, from Nottingham, has caught moles for nearly 30 years and is amazed by the increase in their numbers. "I’ve never had that many before," he said. He added: "On race courses horses trip over their mounds; on farms the earth contaminates the silage, and stones and earth damage the mowing machines. Moles can also destroy flood protection. One hole in a flood bank and the pressure of water can rip it apart."

He charges about £80 to rid moles from a four-acre plot using poison, a minimum of £160 in London and the South East, and between £30 and £40 if a gamekeeper or farmer does the job. Using traps adds an extra £15 an hour because of the increased labour and travel time in laying traps and checking them every 48 hours.

Thornton and Ross, a pharmaceutical company in Huddersfield, is the only firm in Britain licensed to import and distribute strychnine. It scaled down orders from India during foot-and-mouth but stocks have run out and it has been unable to renew supplies.

Almost blind, but with great tunnel vision