# Moles! the burrowing kind.



## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

has anyone had an infestation and have been successful with get riding of them? i don't care if you killed them or chased them away. i just don't wnat my yard to look like an armoured battalion tore through it. dealt with this last year and the year before. really would like to eradicate the problem.

i'm also thinking it could be voles. in the fall, i saw a small mouse-like animal run under the garage door. i chased it and stomped it. looked like a mouse, no more than 1.5" from nose to rump. that's a vole. right? 

here is what i've tried thus far and all have failed:

my neighbour and i laid down that grub-killer thing in late spring/early summer since everyone was saying that once you remove the food source, the mole will go somewhere else. but it is obviously not working, or maybe we both just did it wrong. 
i also used the little sulphur bombs things available at HD with no results. 
a guy at work suggested that i use Juicy Fruit chewing gum. just roll it into little balls and drop them in the holes. the idea is that the mole eat the gum, and it screws up their digestive track. terrible way to die, and i try to not think about it. the gum disappears, but the mole problem continues. 
i've also used commercially available "MoleTox" from HD. again, nada.
tried the guillotine trap. didn't work.
some home-made concoction of castor oil, cheap cooking oil, chili powder. didn't see any improvement.
mothballs. nothing. the mothballs get pushed to the surface and the little turds go on their merry way.

going to try:

ultra-sonic stake
mouse-trap baited with peanut butter. just gotta put a crate or something over it so the dog doesn't get its nose or tongue caught in it.
Juicy fruit gum with foil still attached. apparently, that's what screws up their digestive tract.

NB: since i live in a suburban neighbourhood, blowing stuff up (rodenator, http://youtube.com/watch?v=2umEFHeo6mw) is NOT an option. and don't bother suggest using a BB gun; i've never heard of anyone actually getting a visual on these sneaky little bastards.

all-in-all, gil is thoroughly


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

gil_ong said:


> and don't bother suggest using a BB gun; i've never heard of anyone actually getting a visual on these sneaky little bastards.


Perhaps an *AK47* would be appropriate? :evil: :evil: :lol: :lol:


go: getting serious now, although doubtful that I can help, do you have a link to a photograph/description of one of these critters.

Also, although I am no where even close to what would be described as a "green" person, the only instance when I allow toxins to be injected into the food chain is when rabid coyotes are prevalent and the typical helicopter/jeep method is not functioning adequately.

Just throwing the above out for your consideration.

TR


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## Chrispy (Oct 28, 2007)

mole trap. Just like a bear trap. remove the dirt from the top of thier hole and place the steel mole trap. put a 5 gallon bucket over it and next time they come up they die. simple fast and effective. used it and they were gone in a week. had to clean the trap, but wasnt too hard. better then expensive alternatives


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

TR:

i have no pics of the animals. holes are approx 1.5" across, and i also see the "raised tunnel roofs" like you'd expect to see when bugs bunny tunnels somewhere. you can somewhat see it in between the 2 holes in the first picture, and going off in the 10 o'clock direction form the top hole. and there are soft spots in the yard. it's almost walking on a soft sand beach.

these pics were taken last year.




























i'd rather not poison them either for a more selfish reason. my dog runs around in the yard and i don't want her eating whatever is left out for the critters.


Chrispy:

i'm beginning to think that they might not be moles since i don't see any "mole hills."


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## FlatLine (Dec 30, 2008)

Ok, here's what you do.... You need to remove the reason the moles are there, the grubs. Yes I know, you tried grub killer, the problem is, it can take up to 4 years for that stuff to have an effect. What you need to do is aerate your lawn, and use lime on a regular basis, this will remove the grubs, it could take season as well to do.

This is the only method I have had great success with, and the method I usually tell our customers when they come back after exhausting the chemical supply we sell. They as well come back with success. I use the pulverized lime as opposed to the pelletized.

Just like our aquariums, your lawn is a small environment you have to manage. 

The downfall to this, is that depending on your grass, you may loose some due to the change in PH.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

where do i buy this lime? how much do i put down?

i aerated my lawn last spring. will do it again this year.


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

My best gardening book (Jon Jeavon's "How to Grow More Vegetables") recommends planting Mole Plant (Euphorbia lathyris) here and there to deter them.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

Ammonia is useful in driving out a lot of garden pests, and it won't kill your grass. Last year I had some moles and mice digging about. I dumped several gallons of the cheapo ammonia from the bottle shelf of the supermarket and bye bye critters.

Another oddly effective product is that anti-Deer spray that you can find in any garden shop. Unfortunately it smells like 4,000 rotten eggs per spray.

I bought some of those ultra-sonic pest deterrents as well. They seem to be working.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

Still like that AK47 method of eradication! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

TR


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## FlatLine (Dec 30, 2008)

gil_ong said:


> where do i buy this lime? how much do i put down?
> 
> i aerated my lawn last spring. will do it again this year.


You should be able to pick it up in 40 or 50lb bags at any garden center or even Home Depot. 

I agree, AK47 is the best method, I prefer my 10/22, nice and relaxing...


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

i would not mind taking them out with some sort of hig-velocity projectile if i actaully saw them. but chances are slim. i've seen only one in the 2 years we've been at this house. besides, it's too damn cold right now to be on a stakeout/ambush.


i set up some mouse traps last night, but was running late and forgot to check this morning!!!

i'm planning on buying some of those ultra-sonic stakes this weekend.


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

i should have thoguht about this in the beginning and asked my boss. he was the head of a dept that included grounds-keeping for a long time, and he grew up on a farm in WI, so he has fairly intimate knowledge of all things related to critters and such.

i described to him the tunnels and before i could show him the pics of the tunnels, he said, "meadow voles."

his problem at home went away when they "adopted" two neghbourhood stray cats. at work, they got rid of the problem by using poison bait. he also warned me of the voles' reproduction cycle and how prolific they are.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

gil_ong said:


> i would not mind taking them out with some sort of hig-velocity projectile if i actaully saw them. but chances are slim.


go: think *30_378* with muzzle break and a *Trijicon Night Sights*.




gil_ong said:


> ... besides, it's too damn cold right now to be on a stakeout/ambush.


YOU "cannot say the word"! Really good hunting only comes when ice is on the gun and your outer wear.

TR

BTW: just kidding here but am having a ton of fun here in doing so!


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## 207lauras (Jan 28, 2009)

We have voles at our hotel, the holes they dig really suck, especially with guests tripping up in them. Also the little rascals were eating the heads off of all our flowers  We got rid of most of them with something called a "have a heart trap" (yeah yeah, I know this wont go over well with you hunters). Anyhow, placed the trap right outside one of the holes and baited it with almost anything you could think of (cheese doritos with peanut butter anyone?). We caught 4 in a day though! You just have to drive them REALLY far away and let them go... we probably trapped about 15 within a 2 week period. The problem certainly lessened. We closed for the season in October so will be interested to see if they come back this spring...
Good luck!


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## gil_ong (Apr 15, 2008)

the more i think about it, but i'm beginning to think that i'm going to have to bust out the poison bait.


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## Againsthecurent (Jan 22, 2009)

Give this guy a call! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv87T1CQF8E


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