What did you do today?

[Magpie]

The moles don't eat it and die, do they? We don't have moles here, thank goodness!

My days are still full of painting this house, not much going on in the garden, sadly. School holidays are finished here today, so the kids and I get our parks, beaches etc back, so we may get out and about a bit more. Just wish it were as quick to paint a house as it is on those reno shows...

[Hepsibah]

To be honest, I don't know how it works. I picked it up somewhere on the net a couple of years ago while trying to find a way to get rid of rats without using poison.
I do know that the moles don't touch minty-flavoured gum so the juicy fruit is the best to use. You stick it in the holes beneath the molehills and wait. In a week or two the hills stop appearing and the moles are gone.

[Tigerhair]

I have never felt comfy with killing a wild creature because it interferred with my life. However, I don't care if my lawn is "ruined". I fully admit my dad shoots magpies (which I think are beautiful) if he gets the chance, and has a mole trap. However, I fell far from that tree, thank goodness. Also, we had a fox proof chicken/duck shed (as long as little old me remembered to shut them in!) but I still never thought fox hunting was a grand day out... even though I am a horse rider and lived 2 miles from a very large hunt meet.

I guess I also feel pathetically fuzzy about moles after the obligatory Wind in the Willows...

Anyway, I don't really want them to go because they might go to someone who'll kill them.

Being surrounded by river you'd think we'd have a problem with rats, but I have three cats, two of them excellent ratters (although I did not appreciate stepping - with bare feet - in half a rat one morning in the kitchen - the light went on FIRST after that!) - the other one is too lazy to care! I am glad they don't catch birds though.

Waffle, waffle, waffle!!!!

[Millymollymandy]

I don't wish to kill moles either yet our land is decimated by them. Even watched the mole hills appearing up out of the snow recently! One of my cats caught a few but it didn't make a blind bit of difference to the amount of mole hills. I accept it as part of living in the countryside and clearing the mounds is a just another job that needs doing.

What I do have all around my veg patch is the anti-mole euphorbia, which seems to work (most of the time!).

[Tigerhair]

Euphorbia is poisonous, isn't it? Just be careful you don't pick the wrong thing ! I've had to dig mine up and give it to a friend without a small person in their lives.

[Millymollymandy]

You just have to be careful when you cut it not to get the sap on your skin - and then go out in sunlight.

[Tigerhair]

"Sunlight"... hmmm - you might get that over en France, but here in england.... well.... I'm not so sure!