Molecatcher

A molecatcher (also called a mowdy-catcher)^{[citation needed]} is a person who traps or kills moles in places where they are considered a nuisance to crops, lawns, sportsfields or gardens.

A captured mole

History of molecatching

Roman times

A mole trap

Excavations of ancient Roman sites have revealed earthenware pots that had been set in the ground. The pots were filled with water, and acted as traps for moles.^[1]

Traditional molecatchers

Many early molecatchers set out snares for the moles, taking care to remove human scent from the loops.^[2] Over time, traps used to catch and kill moles became more advanced and complicated, incorporating weighted wood or cast iron, and eventually sprung steel.^[2]

A mole killed by a spring trap

Some itinerant molecatchers travelled from farm to farm. The molecatcher's customers would provide food and lodging, as well as a fee for every mole caught. The molecatcher could also earn additional money by selling the moleskins to furriers.^[3][4]

Modern molecatching

In more recent times, traditional molecatching has given way to the use of poison.^[5][6] Poison resulted in moles dying much more quickly and in greater numbers. For some time, strychnine was used to kill moles; its purchase was cheaper than paying molecatchers,^[7] but sometimes other animals that shared the environment or interacted with moles were accidentally poisoned as well.^[5]

Repellents, including sonic devices, holly leaves, moth balls, garlic and castor oil have not proven successful in preventing damage caused by moles.^[8]

In the United Kingdom

The value of moleskins was subject to the vagaries of fashion. In 1903, a furrier in Leicester was offering £1 per hundred, in 1926, the price was 12s 6d (62.5p) per dozen. By the 1930s, only a few pence per skin was being paid. Some molecatchers were full time. In 1875, the town of Out Rawcliffe was advertising for a molecatcher for a term of fourteen years. In Windsor Great Park the molecatcher was said to receive £1 per week in 1910. In 2002, Victor Williamson, the molecatcher for the Sandringham, received a Royal Warrant.^[9] Following the withdrawal of the poison from the market in 2006, the use of strychnine is no longer an approved method of control in the UK.^[8] Fumigation with products based on aluminium phosphide (Trade names 'Talunex' and 'Phostoxin') is still an approved method of control, but may be carried out only by fully trained operatives.^[8]

Dead moles traditionally hung on a fence after being caught.

Since the removal of strychnine from the UK market, there has been a revival of traditional molecatching methods in Britain.^[8] Modern traditional mole catchers use traps, and usually charge a 'per-mole' fee, as their predecessors often did. The price charged reflects the fact that there is no longer a market for moleskins.