Moles are really causing problems, far more than usual. The little diggers (weight for weight the most efficient movers of dirt in the world) are leaving tell tale mountains of soil all over land in West Sussex, ruining lawns, damaging fields, adding unwanted bunkers to golf courses. The little furry critters are getting everywhere.
The extremely wet weather we have had over the last 18 months has not only been depressing in its own right, but has helped cause an explosion in the mole population, and its about to get worse!
As with any animal, moles follow their food supply. Moles eat worms, lots of worms. They need to eat two thirds of their body weight a day! Imagine that. In a usual summer the ground is dry and the worms have to go deep to get the moisture they need, the moles follow, head to the hedgerows and woodland, their tunnels run deeper and are less likely to collapse.
But with all this wet weather the worms are in abundance and have no need to go deep. Moles love this, stay nearer to the surface in open un-shaded ground, and breed like rabbits, each Mole having up to 7 babies.
This time of year is breeding time for moles, as the weather gets warmer they are multiplying. With a gestation period of around 6 weeks you can expect, that in a couple of months the ten moles you have will increase to forty, fifty or sixty! If you want rid of them, now is the time to have them professionally and humanely removed.
As each baby grows up, the juveniles go in search of new territory digging up to 50 meters of tunnels per day. The trouble with juveniles and is that they are hard to catch they rarely use existing runs so you have to set traps here the moles rest and sleep.
The forecast is for another wet summer, creating an ideal set of conditions for the moles. The millions of Moles that will be born in the gardens and fields around west Sussex in the next few weeks are going to have a great time. If you have a mole problem in your garden deal with it now, before it’s too late! Call us on 01273 775941 or visit our Mole Control page for more information. And here are some photos of John dealing with moles…
