You may have noticed the recent increase in molehills – and if you are unlucky, in your own garden.

Whilst they are active all year-round searching for food, these busy little creatures are at their most active at this time of year, digging new tunnels in search of a mate. They are solitary creatures that only ‘socialise’ at this time of year, and will need more food to do so, hence the increased activity.

Whilst the bane of most gardeners lives, the good news is that moles are both an indicator and a creator of healthy soils, as they need a plentiful supply of earthworms, their main food source, and something only good soil can supply. Their burrowing also helps aerate the soil making it easier for plants to spread their roots and establish themselves. Unfortunately, this aeration often leads to the soil being undermined and collapsing, causing divots and ruts in the lawn and damage to root systems.

Most digging is done because the mole detects vibrations from nearby insects, they tunnel towards the source, with most of the soil being compressed against the sides of the tunnel walls. Percentage-wise, only a small amount of soil is actually pushed up to the surface to form a molehill.

They dig tunnels, not only to move around but to act as a trap for any invertebrates or worms that find themselves in the system. The solid tunnel 'wall' they create means that worms and grubs find it difficult to leave and will get snapped up as the mole patrols their system.

Mole hill soil is usually great quality and I vividly recall Granddad going out into neighbouring farmer’s fields and ‘harvesting molehills’ to add to his own veggie beds.

Whilst I know they create havoc in a garden, I still get depressed by mole-catching and killing and despite the ‘dubious’ title, I actually highly recommend reading ‘How to Catch a Mole: And Find Yourself in Nature’ by Marc Hamer. He describes his U-turn from mole-catcher to mole appreciator during his time working in the Welsh countryside and learning more about the fascinating, hardworking creatures. It’s a beautifully written book, as Marc tells his story and explores what moles, and a life in nature, can tell us about our own humanity and our search for contentment.

There are lots of ‘natural’ ways to deter moles, each with their own stories of success (and failure). They include putting various things into fresh runs to act as deterrents – amongst those things recommended are coffee grinds, mothballs, garlic, peppermint, tobacco, and red peppers.

Moles don’t like daffodils, marigolds, and plants in the allium family because of their strong scents. So you can create a natural barrier in your garden by planting these species in borders and along boundaries.

My favourite way to deter a mole was told to me by an old, roughty-toughty farmer who had lots of respect for the moles, despite their bad press. He told me that he had had continued success by writing a polite note to the moles asking them to leave his land as they put his livestock at risk of ill health. He then pushed the note into a fresh run. He swore it worked. It may just have been that the moles smelled the scent of his hand – which to be fair would have been quite strong! Anyway, it’s a nice story.

And if you are still not convinced - another old farmer told me that you should never, ever kill a mole on your own land ….. as all the other moles will come along to his funeral.