Par, St Austell, CornwallOpen 24 hours, 7 days a week p.clarkey84@gmail.com07974 278830 AboutServices Areas ContactCall 07974 278830Call - Home/ - Pest control services/ - Mole Control # Mole ControlFor Cornish Lawns, Gardens & Paddocks A methodical trapping service for molehills ruining lawns, paddocks and farmland, from a Par-based pest controller with 15 years' experience reading how moles move through Cornish ground. Call 07974 278830Request an estimate Describe the lawn, paddock or field and where the hills are appearing, and you'll get straightforward advice on what's involved before anything is booked. - 15 years' hands-on experience◆ - Bees rehomed — never exterminated◆ - Poison-free methods used wherever possible◆ - Humane & legal techniques — live-trapping specialists◆ - Rats, mice, wasps, moles, squirrels, rabbits & pigeons◆ - Sub-12 ft/lb air rifle control on grounds, farms & estates◆ - Gull & bird proofing — netting, spikes & deterrents◆ - Homes & businesses — pubs, restaurants, farms, holiday lets & landlords◆ - One-off call-outs & ongoing prevention plans◆ - Locally owned & run by Paul Clarke◆ - Covering St Austell, Truro, Newquay, Bodmin, Fowey & across mid-Cornwall◆ - 15 years' hands-on experience◆ - Bees rehomed — never exterminated◆ - Poison-free methods used wherever possible◆ - Humane & legal techniques — live-trapping specialists◆ - Rats, mice, wasps, moles, squirrels, rabbits & pigeons◆ - Sub-12 ft/lb air rifle control on grounds, farms & estates◆ - Gull & bird proofing — netting, spikes & deterrents◆ - Homes & businesses — pubs, restaurants, farms, holiday lets & landlords◆ - One-off call-outs & ongoing prevention plans◆ - Locally owned & run by Paul Clarke◆ - Covering St Austell, Truro, Newquay, Bodmin, Fowey & across mid-Cornwall◆ ## Experience 15 years on Cornish gardens and land ## Availability Open 24 hours, 7 days ## Coverage St Austell to Bodmin, Truro and Newquay ## Works with Homes, farms, holiday lets and paddocks The service ## Mole control across Cornwall Molehills appearing overnight across a lawn, paddock or field are one of the most frustrating pest problems a homeowner or landowner can face — not because moles cause direct damage to structures the way rodents do, but because of what they do to ground that's meant to be flat, even and usable. A single mole can throw up a dozen or more hills in a short space of time, undoing weeks of lawn care in a single week, damaging machinery blades on a paddock, or creating a genuine trip hazard for livestock and horses. Cornwall's mild, damp climate and soft soils, particularly on the county's pasture land and coastal-facing fields, tend to suit moles very well, which is one reason mole activity here can be persistent. Paul Clarke has spent 15 years working on Cornish gardens, smallholdings and farmland, and treats mole control as a job that rewards patience and correct trap placement over anything else — there's no shortcut that reliably works, and understanding how moles actually move through ground matters more than the specific method used. Activity tends to follow clear seasonal patterns here. Spring and autumn are the two busiest periods — spring because moles are more active near the surface as the ground warms and young moles disperse to find new territory, and autumn because moles push deeper tunnel systems and feeding activity increases again as the ground cools and softens with Cornwall's characteristic autumn rain. A lawn or paddock that's been quiet all summer can suddenly show fresh hills within days once the weather turns. ### Who it's for - Homeowners with molehills appearing across an established lawn - Anyone with a newly laid lawn or turf being undermined before it's established - Landowners and smallholders with paddocks affected by hills and tunnels - Farms with mole activity across grazing land or hay meadows - Holiday let owners needing gardens kept presentable for guests - Anyone concerned about trip hazards from mole tunnels near livestock, horses or machineryCall 07974 278830 Left alone ## Why DIY mole deterrents rarely work for long Sonic spikes, gel deterrents and home remedies involving anything from mothballs to garlic are widely sold and widely disappointing. Moles have an extensive underground tunnel network, often covering a much larger area than the visible hills suggest, and a single deterrent device rarely covers enough ground to actually move them off the property — it's just as likely they'll simply tunnel round it and carry on undisturbed a few feet away. The other common mistake is treating molehills as the problem, rather than as evidence of where the tunnels are. Knocking down hills without addressing the tunnel system does nothing to stop the mole, and repeated regrading of a lawn or paddock without dealing with the underlying activity is a losing battle — the hills simply reappear within days, often in a slightly different pattern as the mole continues to work its territory. ### Ongoing lawn and turf damage Fresh hills continue to appear as long as a mole remains active in the ground, undoing repeated attempts to level or reseed the same patches of lawn. ### Paddock and field hazards Tunnels close to the surface can create trip hazards for horses and livestock, and hills can damage mowing and hay-making machinery if not dealt with before cutting. ### Wasted money on ineffective deterrents Sonic spikes and gel repellents often show no lasting effect, since moles simply tunnel around a small treated area rather than leaving the territory altogether. ### New lawns undermined before establishing A newly turfed or seeded lawn is particularly vulnerable, since mole activity underneath can disrupt root establishment before the grass has had a chance to take hold. ### Common mistakes worth avoiding - Relying on sonic or gel deterrents without addressing the tunnel network - Knocking down hills without dealing with the tunnels producing them - Assuming a quiet patch of lawn means the mole has gone rather than simply moved tunnel - Leaving paddock activity untreated until it becomes a machinery or livestock safety issue - Treating a single hill in isolation rather than mapping the wider tunnel system Our process ## How a mole control job is handled Mole control is a methodical job built around understanding the tunnel system before any traps are set, not just reacting to where hills happen to be visible. - 1 ### Call and description A call to 07974 278830 to describe the lawn, paddock or field and roughly where hills have been appearing and how recently. - 2 ### Site assessment A visit to walk the affected ground, identify active tunnel runs versus old, disused ones, and work out the mole's likely territory and behaviour based on the pattern of hills. - 3 ### Trap placement Traps set into identified active tunnels, positioned based on years of experience reading how moles move through Cornish soil types, from soft pasture to heavier clay ground. - 4 ### Checking and adjusting Traps checked and repositioned as needed — moles can be cautious, and correct placement sometimes takes patience and more than one adjustment on larger sites. - 5 ### Confirmation and aftercare Once activity has stopped, a final check confirms the area is clear, with advice given on levelling hills and reseeding or returfing where needed. What you get ## Why a methodical approach gets results ### Tunnels read properly, not guessed at 15 years of experience means active tunnels are correctly identified rather than traps being placed in old, disused runs where nothing will ever be caught. ### Suited to Cornish ground conditions Experience across the county's varied soil types — from soft coastal pasture to heavier inland clay — means the approach is adapted to how moles actually behave in that specific ground. ### Works on gardens and farmland alike The same careful approach applies whether it's a single domestic lawn or several acres of grazing land, scaled appropriately to the site. ### Available when it matters Open 24 hours, seven days a week, useful for landowners needing paddocks or hay meadows sorted before cutting or turnout. In detail ## Understanding mole activity in Cornwall Some background on mole behaviour, why activity follows the patterns it does locally, and what tends to matter most for getting rid of them properly. ### Why Cornish ground suits moles so well Moles favour soft, workable soil rich in earthworms and grubs, which describes a great deal of Cornish pasture and garden ground, especially where the county's higher rainfall keeps soil moist and workable for much of the year. Coastal-facing fields and long-established lawns with healthy soil life are often the most attractive to moles, which is part of why well-kept gardens and productive pasture can be hit particularly hard. ### Spring activity As the ground warms in spring, moles become more active near the surface, and young moles born the previous year disperse to establish their own territories. This dispersal period often produces a noticeable spike in new molehills appearing across previously unaffected lawns and fields. - Young moles seeking new territory create fresh tunnel systems - Surface activity increases as invertebrate prey moves closer to the surface - New lawns and recently turfed areas are particularly vulnerable at this time ### Autumn activity As autumn rain softens the ground again after summer, moles push deeper feeding tunnels and activity picks up for a second time in the year. This is often when paddocks and hay meadows, quiet through a dry summer, suddenly show fresh hills again. ### Paddocks, hay meadows and machinery risk For landowners running horses, livestock or making hay, mole hills and shallow tunnels are more than cosmetic — a hidden tunnel can be a trip hazard for a horse at pace, and a hill in the path of a mower or baler can damage machinery blades. Timing mole control ahead of cutting season or before turning livestock out onto affected ground is worth planning for. - Trip hazards from tunnels close to the surface in grazing fields - Machinery damage from hills in hay meadows before cutting - Uneven ground affecting horse exercise areas and arenas ### Why moles are territorial, and why that matters Moles are largely solitary and territorial, meaning a single mole is often responsible for a surprising number of hills across a lawn or field, and there may only be one animal to deal with even where the damage looks extensive. Correctly identifying whether one or several moles are active affects how a site is treated and how many traps are needed. ### Reading the hill pattern The size, freshness and spacing of molehills gives useful clues about where the mole is currently active versus where old, disused tunnels remain — this is central to placing traps effectively rather than by guesswork. - Fresh, dark, loose soil indicates recent, active tunnelling - Hills in a straight line often follow a main run between feeding areas - Scattered, smaller hills can indicate surface feeding tunnels rather than a main run ### Related services - Rabbit Control - Rats, Mice & Rodents - Squirrel Removal - All services ### Areas covered Mole Control across mid and south Cornwall, from the Par, St Austell base. - St Austell - Par - Charlestown - Lostwithiel - Polgooth - Fowey - Mevagissey - St Mawes - Truro - Newquay - St Columb Major - Bodmin Our work ## Mole Control jobs in Cornwall FAQs ## Mole Control — your questions Still unsure? The line is open 24 hours, 7 days a week — call 07974 278830 and describe what you have seen. How much does mole control cost?There's no fixed published price, since the cost depends on the size of the area, the number of moles likely involved, and how established the tunnel system is. A description of the lawn, garden or field gives an early idea, with a firm price confirmed after seeing the ground and the pattern of hills. How long does it take to clear moles from a lawn or field?A single mole in a domestic garden can often be caught within a week or so once traps are correctly placed in active tunnels. Larger sites, such as paddocks or fields with several moles, can take longer and may need a few visits to check and reposition traps as activity is confirmed. Do sonic mole deterrents actually work?Generally not for long. Moles typically just tunnel around a small area affected by a sonic or gel deterrent rather than leaving the territory altogether, so while some people see temporary changes in hill location, the mole usually remains active nearby. Trapping the animal is the only reliable way to actually resolve the problem. Will the moles just come back afterwards?Mole territory doesn't stay empty forever, since good ground conditions can attract another mole to move in over time, particularly during the spring dispersal period when young moles are looking for new territory. There's no way to permanently mole-proof open ground, but dealing with fresh activity promptly each time keeps disruption to a minimum. What happens to the lawn or field after the mole is gone?Once activity has stopped, molehills can be levelled and any affected turf reseeded or returfed. On paddocks and hay meadows, hills are usually best flattened before any mowing or cutting to avoid machinery damage. Can you deal with moles on a working farm or smallholding?Yes — farms, smallholdings and paddocks are dealt with regularly, and larger sites with multiple fields are approached by mapping activity across the whole area rather than treating each hill in isolation. Is mole activity worse at certain times of year in Cornwall?Spring and autumn tend to be the busiest periods. Spring brings young moles dispersing to find new territory, and autumn brings a second wave of activity as the ground softens again with the season's rain after a drier summer. Activity can continue at a lower level through the rest of the year too. Is this an emergency service?Moles aren't typically an emergency in the way a wasp nest or rodent infestation in a kitchen can be, but the phone line is open 24 hours, seven days a week, so a call can be made whenever it suits, including for time-sensitive situations like a paddock needing sorting before cutting or turnout. Do you cover rural areas and farmland, not just gardens?Yes — coverage includes St Austell, Par, Charlestown, Lostwithiel, Polgooth, Fowey, Mevagissey, St Mawes, Truro, Newquay, St Columb Major, Bodmin and the surrounding farmland, smallholdings and villages. How many moles are usually involved in a garden problem?Often just one. Moles are largely solitary and territorial, so a lawn covered in hills is frequently the work of a single animal working its tunnel system rather than a larger population. An assessment of the hill pattern usually makes this clear before trapping begins. ## Get your lawn, garden or paddock sorted Call 07974 278830, any time, and describe where the hills are appearing. Whether it's a single lawn, a horse paddock or several acres of hay meadow, the same methodical, experience-led approach applies, built on 15 years of reading how moles move through Cornish ground. Call 07974 278830Request an estimate - Open 24 hours, 7 days a week - Par, St Austell, Cornwall - p.clarkey84@gmail.com Owner-operated pest control across mid and south Cornwall. 15 years on the tools, poisons avoided wherever possible, bees rehomed rather than destroyed. ## Services - Rats, mice & rodents - Moles - Squirrels - Rabbits - Air rifle pest control - Wasp nest removal - Gull & bird proofing - Pigeons - Bees — rehomed, never killed - All services ## Areas covered - St Austell - Par - Charlestown - Lostwithiel - Polgooth - Fowey - Mevagissey - St Mawes - Truro - Newquay - St Columb Major - Bodmin - All areas covered ## Get in touch - 07974 278830 - p.clarkey84@gmail.com - 74 Polgover Way, St BlazeyPar, St AustellCornwall PL24 2RD - Open 24 hours, 7 days a week ## Popular pest control searches in Cornwall - Rat control St Austell - Wasp nest removal Cornwall - Mole catcher Cornwall - Bee removal and rehoming Cornwall - Seagull proofing Cornwall - Air rifle squirrel & rabbit control Cornwall - Pest control St Austell - Pest control Truro - Pest control Newquay - Pest control Bodmin © 2026 Pest Management Cornwall. 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