We've never tried this, but have also heard that pushing broken glass down the 'hills' could work as they are little'bleeders' For their size they cause alot of trouble in the garden. I've almost hurt my ankle a few times walking down our garden.
Does not work. They just dig a new run next to the one with the glass in it. Our Damson Wood is on the site of an old household dump, they tunnel through that and bring up all sorts of glass and metal,
No experience of moles, thank goodness, but have suffered leatherjackets... crane flies lay their eggs in recently disturbed ground and laying a new lawn would qualify. If you can get through this first season , or the nematodes work, you should be OK from now on. best of luck with your efforts.
I've sent for some Nematodes today, and we have some granules containing Caster Oil to sprinkle over the area, when we can walk on it - which is supposed to be another week yet. I don't think we will wait that long.
Our neighbour said that if we get traps he will set them for us, but at the moment we're not happy about killing wildlife, only to taint/remove its food supply.
The Craneflies are another matter - we go around the bungalow every morning and a couple of times during the day and swat them to Cranfly heaven. Lost count of how many we have sent there.
Woodgreen wonderboy - how did you deal with your craneflies & leatherjackets?
Berghill - we have been told that each mole has its own territory, and that if we kill this one leaving the area mole-free, another mole may take the area over. It is soul-destroying though when you've spent a lot of money in a garden for this damage to happen.
It does not help that the fields all round us are full of them as are the roadside verges. I counted over 100 hills in one small part of the field this afternoon. Only just been seeded with wheat too.
Seen more crane flies this year than ever before. There is so much recently ploughed land here that they rarely lay their eggs in the garden.
for the moles if you buy a musical card from the card shop and take the little music maker off it and put down the hole in a small plastic bag (to stop damp) the noise drives the moles away.tried and tested and it works.
I used nematodes... quite a few years back now and I can't remember the actual details but all neighbours in new houses with new lawns had the same problem and we all sprayed at the same time and... bingo, it worked for all of us. Subsequent years you will see crane flies but they are not laying on your land.
My grass is fairly well compacted sandy soil. Crane flies were laying three feet from the solitary bee nests. As I think the solitary bees were probably helpful with Apple and plum pollination, and we have had a bumper crop this year, I will be leaving them alone.
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We've never tried this, but have also heard that pushing broken glass down the 'hills' could work as they are little'bleeders' For their size they cause alot of trouble in the garden. I've almost hurt my ankle a few times walking down our garden.
Does not work. They just dig a new run next to the one with the glass in it. Our Damson Wood is on the site of an old household dump, they tunnel through that and bring up all sorts of glass and metal,
No experience of moles, thank goodness, but have suffered leatherjackets... crane flies lay their eggs in recently disturbed ground and laying a new lawn would qualify. If you can get through this first season , or the nematodes work, you should be OK from now on. best of luck with your efforts.
OH 'rescued' a cranefly in the house this evening and carefully carried it outside to free it in the garden unharmed
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Our neighbour said that if we get traps he will set them for us, but at the moment we're not happy about killing wildlife, only to taint/remove its food supply.
The Craneflies are another matter - we go around the bungalow every morning and a couple of times during the day and swat them to Cranfly heaven. Lost count of how many we have sent there.
Woodgreen wonderboy - how did you deal with your craneflies & leatherjackets?
Berghill - we have been told that each mole has its own territory, and that if we kill this one leaving the area mole-free, another mole may take the area over. It is soul-destroying though when you've spent a lot of money in a garden for this damage to happen.
It does not help that the fields all round us are full of them as are the roadside verges. I counted over 100 hills in one small part of the field this afternoon. Only just been seeded with wheat too.
Seen more crane flies this year than ever before. There is so much recently ploughed land here that they rarely lay their eggs in the garden.
for the moles if you buy a musical card from the card shop and take the little music maker off it and put down the hole in a small plastic bag (to stop damp) the noise drives the moles away.tried and tested and it works.
I used nematodes... quite a few years back now and I can't remember the actual details but all neighbours in new houses with new lawns had the same problem and we all sprayed at the same time and... bingo, it worked for all of us. Subsequent years you will see crane flies but they are not laying on your land.
tom9760 - great idea, I'll try to find one with a really boring tune!!
Berghill - my husband had already thought about running a pipe from the car exhaust down the run. He can think again!!
My grass is fairly well compacted sandy soil. Crane flies were laying three feet from the solitary bee nests. As I think the solitary bees were probably helpful with Apple and plum pollination, and we have had a bumper crop this year, I will be leaving them alone.