Country & Coast: Practical pros and cons to our growing mole population

It is hard not to feel sad on a walk when suddenly you are confronted with numerous bodies of moles dangling from a barbed wire fence, but this is what I encountered beside a track to the north of Masham. There were 19 of them in all, each bound with orange polypropylene twine and strung out in a row like a line of trophies.
It is estimated that there are around 40 million moles in the UK.It is estimated that there are around 40 million moles in the UK.
It is estimated that there are around 40 million moles in the UK.

I took the opportunity to look at their velvety black fur, their pink little snouts, tiny eyes, and the surprisingly big front claws they use for excavating, because in common with most people this is as close as I ever get to a mole.

I only come across dead ones because they spend almost all of their lives furtively burrowing underground in search of earthworms to eat. Still, I have seen plenty of proof of their presence in every part of Yorkshire with the exception of water-logged uplands and heather moors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sometimes the mounds of soil they push to the surface can blot out a portion of a field, leaving little grazing left for livestock and coming at a cost to English agriculture of an estimated £27 million every year.

I have also witnessed the devastation caused to a friend’s garden when his beautifully tended lawn was pock-marked with brown dunes while he was on holiday. And you can imagine what happens when one or two moles get onto a cricket field, not to mention the greenkeeper’s apoplexy.

Another war zone is the churchyard, where mole tunnels can cause enough subsidence to topple grave stones. So I fully understand the need for mole control, even if the gruesome proof that is left on fences does come as a shock.

The Mammal Society, though, points out that moles can actually do a good job for farmers and gardeners, preying on harmful insect larvae such as cockchafers and carrot fly, while the tunnels help to drain and aerate heavy soils.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A professional mole-catcher says those lines of dead moles are not trophies. Many farmers ask them to be displayed as proof of the number of moles eradicated, since they pay by results. But some farmers do request that this does not happen beside public footpaths or bridleways.

Most moles are caught using special traps approved by the Association of Professional Mole Catchers, which are basically the familiar mechanical spring devices used for rodents but adapted for the mole’s natural habitat.

Mole-catchers can read molehills to work out the direction of tunnels or “runs”. They then dig down - the depth can be anywhere between a few inches and a couple of feet - and place one of the traps, which often has a metal cover to simulate the shape of the tunnel. The earth is replaced on top and a marker peg left to remind the mole-catcher of its location.

The UK mole population is reported to have greatly increased over the last 25 years, and now numbers around 40 million. Given their subterranean habits, though, that figure can only be a guesstimate.

Related topics: