DETAILED SERVICES

Moles – Talpa europea

Moles are mysterious animals, which, though not causing direct damage to crops, can create massive damage to lawns and paddocks, both spoiling  the look of the area, and creating a trip hazard for livestock and humans. They can also bring Listeria bacteria to the surface where it is easily picked up by stock, especially sheep.

Methods of control:

There are several mole deterrents on the market, but I have found none of them to be very effective.  I use spring traps to humanely, discretely and efficiently remove the problem mole.

Rabbits – Oryctolagus cuninculus

FerretingA very numerous species, decimated following the introduction of Myxomatosis is the 1950’s, resistance to the disease is now common and numbers are approaching pre-‘mixy’ levels. They can decimate crops and due to the milder winters, now seem to breed all year round. Rabbits also pose a health and safety risk by digging burrows and scrapes, these can represent a trip hazard for people, livestock and horses, and in extreme cases, the collapse of arenas, tracks, hedgebanks and farm roads.

Methods of control:

Depending on the size of the problem and the nature of the site, I usually tackle rabbit problems with a combination of the following methods

Fencing – to exclude rabbits from vulnerable areas, e.g. crops. Rabbit fences can also be used in conjunction with ‘drop boxes’ to reduce the rabbit population in the ‘fenced in’ area

Ferreting – Ferrets are used in conjunction with nets, lurchers or guns as appropriate to drive the rabbits from their burrows where they can be dispatched. Emptied burrows are then backfilled so that any residual rabbit activity can be monitored and addressed.

Cage trapping – Cage traps are baited with carrots (Yes, Really!) to lure the rabbits into a cage with a sprung door mechanism where they are held unharmed until they are dispatched humanely by me.

Spring trapping – Spring traps are hidden in the entrance to the rabbit burrows, when the rabbit activates the trap it is killed instantly.

Shooting – Usually undertaken at night, using rimfire or centrefire rifles, shotguns or air rifles depending on terrain and the type of site, utilising a powerful lamp or night vision technology.

Other methods of control are available, please contact me to discuss.

Foxes – Vulpes vulpes Pest ControlOne of our largest and most charismatic predators, foxes are nevertheless capable of causing enormous damage to agriculture and gameshooting interests, as well as biodiversity in vulnerable ecosystems. They can also be a domestic pest, causing hygiene problems such as Toxocara canis infection, as well as the risk of mange spreading to domestic dogs. Predation of small pets can be a great source of distress to owners.

Methods of control:

Shooting- The main method of fox control in rural areas is shooting. This is usually undertaken with centrefire rifles, but can also involve shotguns and rimfire rifles. Lamping is the usual method, but combinations of night vision, calling and decoying are all employed in various situations.

Cage trapping – This can prove very useful in urban or suburban environments. A large cage with a sprung door is baited with meat, very often tinned dog or cat food. When the fox enters the cage and takes the bait, the door is sprung and the fox is captured unharmed. It is then be humanely dispatched in situ where possible, or can be removed from the site and dispatched elsewhere.

Prevention – Very often, fox predation can be prevented or deterred by the use of electric fencing. I can advise on, supply and fit battery powered fence lines to virtually any enclosure.

Other methods of control are available in certain circumstances, please contact me to discuss.

Deer Management Deer Management

There are 6 species of deer present in the UK; Red, Fallow, Roe, Muntjac, Sika and Chinese water deer. The most common in this area are the Roe, Fallow and Muntjac.


All species are capable of being serious pests to forestry, with fallow often having major impacts on arable crops, while muntjac can devastate the understorey in woodland, severely effecting biodiversity and gameshooting interests. They are very beautiful animals, but adult deer have no natural predator in the UK, so their management falls to man. With professional management, deer populations can be brought to a level beneficial to human interests and those of the deer themselves.


Services offered

I can carry out surveys to ascertain the deer population in an area, and then write a comprehensive management plan for the species present, specific to that particular site. Once a cull plan has been written in consultation with the landowner, the cull will be carried out with centrefire rifles, in accordance with all relevant legislation and best practice. I am then qualified to assess and process the meat ready to go to an approved game handling facility, where it will be put into the human food chain.

In certain circumstances, deer management can be carried out at little or no cost to the landowner. Please contact me for details.


Rats – Rattus norvegicus

Pest Control

The brown rat, not a native species to the UK, is one of the most maligned and feared pests in this country. Profoundly adaptable, they can be found in habitats ranging from occupied houses to open countryside. They cause many problems, not least of which is the spreading of diseases, including Leptospirosis, or Weil’s disease, which is easily transmitted to humans through any small cuts, or through contaminated food. They are also a serious predator of bird’s eggs and chicks, causing losses in gamebird laying pens, and poultry units, as well as fouling and stealing human and livestock foodstuffs.

Methods of Control:

Bait – Rats have traditionally been controlled by the use of Warfarin-based poison baits. However, in recent times, resistance to these baits has become commonplace. There are new generation poisons now available; however, my preferred method is to use a product called Eradirat. This is based on vegetable matter and is deadly to rodents, whilst being completely safe to other species, including domestic pets and livestock. It works by dehydrating the rat, with the result that the carcases are in a desiccated state and therefore emit little or no smell. There is also no worry of secondary poisoning to any creatures which scavenge dead rodents.

Shooting – in certain circumstances, for example where a problem is relatively small, shooting can be an effective tactic in rat control. Sound moderated air rifles are usually used, often in conjunction with a lamp or night vision technology.

Trapping – Cage and spring traps have their place in rat control, especially on sites where shooting is impractical and the customer doesn’t want bait stations on site.

Other methods are available on request, please contact me for details.

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