Soil mounds in lawn

[AdelphiaNewsServer]

Hi All, Last Fall, I started to notice small soil mounds appearing in my lawn. By the time the snow flew, I probably had 7 or 8 of the mounds. I've never had this problem in the 8 years we've lived in this Maine country home.

Each soil mound is about 7 inches in diameter and rises from 4 to 8 inches in height. There is no obvious entrance hole at the top or around the sides of the mound. Each mound appears over night. If I stand back aways from the mounds, I'd swear that they are appearing in one or more rows.I've picked at the mounds to see if there is a tunnel hole that goes through the mound. I haven't been able to see a tunnel.

Since Spring is just beginning, I'd like to figure out what is causing the mounds and what I can do to get rid of them. Any suggestions? Thanks. -Paul

[Charles Schuler]

Yes, they are indeed moles ... little blind rodents with front feet wonderfully designed for digging. An amazing example of Darwinian evolution.

If you try traps, or cats, or poisoned peanuts, they will defeat you (they have Darwin on their side). If you kill their food chain (the grubs, etal) they will soon be back. Plus, the poisons will cause side effects that you might not much care for.

Try to harmonize with the wonder of nature.

[GWB]

Such as??

[Nick Hull]

Typical moles, dig into the mounds carefully and you should find a tunnel. Easier if you dig a little and hose it, the water will find the tunnel you missed. Fill the tunnel with water (might take 50 gal) and the mole will come out. A 22 short will finish him ;) Committees of Correspondence Web page:

[paulf6]

[Charles Schuler]

I think not and pray that you are wrong.

I don't pray to any particular God, but prayers are much cheaper than psychotherapists, and generally work better.

Translate "prayers" to "hope and trust," and you will be uplifted.

The only worthwhile attitude is one that is decidedly positive.

That's my story and I am sticking by it.

[gorehound]

Sounds like moles to me. You need to get rid of the grubs (cut off their food source) and they will move to the neighbors.

[Steve B]

I am not a cynic. I am not a pessimist. I am merely an old man approaching my own sunset.

As a teenager, two of us could take a five dollar bill each, put seven gallons of gas in my car, cruise Fremont Street for four hours, stop for a pizza, and buy two quarts of beer if we found someone who would buy it for us and have around a dollar each left..

I could buy a new nice large house on a golf course in Las Vegas for $42,000. Payment: $205 a month.

Do the math. What is that in today's dollars?

Compare the numbers re: everything like it was 50 years ago and what it is now .......... oil consumption ........ oil reserves ...... CO2 .......... ozone ............ carcinogens ........... pick a category.

Today, both people HAVE to work to make it. You're lucky if you get insurance. And what's on the horizon for our POORLY prepared children? (poorly prepared because of an inferior education system and loss of values) No sun that I can see.

I know that every generation has feared for their children. And every generation has had it harder than the previous.

Look around.

I'm seeing some darkness on the horizon.

All we have left is to make peace with whatever we believe in and go after that, whether a deity or a dollar. At the last moment, about half an hour after we all have breathed our last breath, we will know if we have made the right choice.

Steve

[aspasia]

[...]

What happens in that intervening half-hour? IOW, why not find out immediately?

[Red]

Well, lets see. If God made the universe, he must have started where he was at (heaven). So traveling at light speed to the center of the universe should take....naw, that's more than 30 minutes. Maybe that's why so many souls go to hell...it's probably a lot closer and an easier trip.

Red

[Lawrence]

Where I live we call them gophers. Minnesota is the gopher state!! We have lots where I live and they can be killed if you must. Some people have such a bad problem that they are not able to mow their fields and lawns very easily. Livestock can also be injured by the holes the gophers make. Gophers can also do a lot of damage to crops and gardens. No fence will stop them.

There is one hell of a lot of information out there for those who need it. Poison is the method of choice, sadly since it is just plain mean. Unfortunately that is why it's so effective. According to the proponents, the bait is to be placed in the main tunnel far enough underground to prevent other critters from getting to it. Presumably this makes this type of poisoning safer than most.

Farmers use a tool that they drag behind a tractor and buries bait automatically. My gophers don't bother me enough yet to do all that even though my neighbor across the street offered to kill mine as well as his. I had to tell him no. Man alive, if you google the terms killing gophers you will find tons of info.

[Oren]

(10 January 2007, East Germany) A 63-year-old man's extraordinary effort to eradicate a mole from his property resulted in a probable victory for the mole. The man had pounded several metal rods into the ground and connected them to a high-voltage power line, with the intent of rendering the subterranean realm uninhabitable. Incidentally, the maneuver electrified the very ground he stood upon. He was found dead at his holiday property on the Baltic Sea. Police had to trip the main circuit breaker before venturing onto the property.

The precise date of the sexagenarian's demise could not be ascertained, but the electricity bill may provide a clue.

-- Oren

"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!"