Any new ideas to get rid of moles?

[seversont]

My battle with moles in my lawn has continued for about 5 years. I have not tried too many products and my best weapon against moles has been a spring loaded trap which drives 2 sets of prongs (about 4 prongs) down into a tunnel when a mole is under the trap. I kill about

2 moles each summer with these spring loaded traps but I still get moles in my lawn the next summer.

Has anyone tried Tomcat Mole Killer? It is a mole bait shaped like an earthworm. You place it in an active mole tunnel and the mole eats like it is an earthworm.

Two different times I have heard this product recommended on the home and garden show broadcast on our local public radio station by the garden expert.

Has anyone found success with this product?

TIA

[William Wagner]

Ground glass and Wrigley's juicy fruit gum.

Bill

[Peter]

Jeyes Fluid

[Pat Kiewicz]

You get the young ones moving out into unoccupied territory every year...so it will be a constant battle.

What I'd like to know is, exactly what trap and any tips for setting it up you might have to offer. I've not been successful with traps. This year I got lucky and managed to get one with quick shovel work. (I'd been clued to it's presence by a robin that was taking advantage of all the worms the mole was chasing to the surface.)

I get some spots that get hazardously soft from constant mole tunnelling (not good for someone with knee and tendon problems).

I know someone who used it, and it seemed to kill her mole. The mole was tunnelling under her flagstones, and it was (relatively) easy for her to lift a stone and put the bait in a tunnel, then let the stone down to cover it.

[John Bachman]

Moles eat grubs. Get rid of the grubs and the moles will move on to annoy your neighbors.

In our area (NH) the primary grubs are Japanese Beetles and Milky Spore eliminates them nicely. No JB grubs and no moles for 7 years now from one inoculation of Milky Spore.

John

[enigma]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

moles eat grubs (such as the larvae of Japanese beetles). to eliminate the moles, you need to eliminate the food source. i recommend treating your lawn with milky spore. it does take a year or so to show any effect, but it will remain active for

10 or more years. if you continue to use traps or poison bait (which i do NOT recommend at all because any critter that may dine upon your poisoned mole, such as a neighbor cat or a corvid will also be poisoned), you are only prolonging your problem. as soon as you rid yourself of one mole, another will move into it's ecological niche. get rid of the food supply (kill the grubs) & the moles will move elsewhere. lee

[Nanzi]

innews: [e-mail]:

I agree with the last poster. We got rid of the grubs and the moles went elsewhere. And we are next to woods on 2 sides. It has been a pleasure not to see their tunnels and holes the past 2 years.

[loonyhiker]

I hate to sound stupid but where do you get milky spore from? My sister in law has this same problem and I would love to help her get rid of the moles.

[John Bachman]

I get mine at the local agricultural supply store. I am sure that a search on "Milky Spore" will turn up plenty of sources.

John

[nobody]

Rat snakes eat moles.

Alan

[Pat]

Every spring I have to trap one or two moles when they move in. I use a slightly different style of trap. Trapping works well.

[Manelli Family]

I saw Milky Spore at the store but there was no mention to use it on lawns or garden soil. Do you make some kind of drench?

[Manelli Family]

We have plenty of snakes here and the neighbor has 3 cats. We still have loads of moles every summer. This spring was the worst.

[John Bachman]

There are two ways to apply it depending upon which formulation that you buy. One is spread by a broadcast spreader just like fertilizer or lime. The other is spread through a tube depositer in a grid pattern. I used the latter.

I understand that the manufacturers are recommending more than one application. I did only one and am grub free.

MS is not a short term cure. It takes a while for it to inoculate your soil, a year or so.

Remember, Milky Spore is effective only against the Japanese Beetle grub. If your problem is any other type of grub then Milky Spore is a waste of time and money for you.

John

[Manelli Family]

Thank you for saving us $$$. There are several different types of grubs out there plus many earthworms because the soil is on the rich side. It's a smorgasbord for moles. :(

[Leon Fisk]

Hi Pat,

I would recommend reading over this page:

haven't tried the scissors trap but would like to. I just haven't been able to find any sold in my area and really didn't want to mail order just a trap or two. The best harpoon style traps are about 2 feet long/tall. I have two and I don't believe they are sold anymore. You maybe able to find old ones at garage sales and such. The harpoons pictured in the above link work okay, but not as well as the old larger version. The "Nash" style choker trap is only good under specific conditions. It works good in a loose garden soil situation but not so good in lawn/sod. It is really difficult to set in the latter conditions. I have caught moles with it though in the garden.

Follow the above links instructions to set the trap over a shallow run/tunnel. The big pushed up mounds are no good for setting traps. Try to keep human scent away from the tunnel area (ie don't go poking around in the tunnel with your fingers). You should see results (sprung trap or new tunnel around the trap :) in two days or less. If not move the trap to a new spot. It you think you have caught a mole, stick your finger down (a little digging with a hand trowel can help) beside the tines (try both sides) and feel around first for a mole. If you just pull the trap out there is a good chance the mole will be pulled off the tines and it will boogie off pronto. Moles are pretty tuff and quite often are very alive yet with several harpoons rammed through them.

If you still have some specific questions ask away (email is okay too). I've been reasonably successful trapping moles through the years.

[Don Staples]

fill the tunnel with propane, and light it.

[raycruzer]

Several twisting weeders and augers can help you damage the mole tunnels without doing too much visible damage to your lawn and garden. Moles will usually abandon damaged tunnels. These tools can also be useful for setting up your traps or bait, if needed. You can also use these tools to go mole hunting. But you need a lot of time and the patience of a cat, for this endeavor.

Search for twisting weeders in your favorite search engine. _________________________________ At peace with weeds and moles...