Ok, they're kind of cute, admittedly, but I'm not as enamored of the holes in my lawn, and I'm not at all happy that they might move into the house. Is there any way to get rid of moles? I have toddlers and pets, so poison can be difficult to do safely. Advice?
Thanks as always,
Donna
Victor mole traps. Terriers. Cats.
Not necessarily in that order. :-)
(I won't tell my method, folks laughed., so that is off the table.) Someone a wrote open letter for moles in their yard.
Dear Mound Makers-
Look, I am keenly aware that you were here prior to me buying the house. I am also aware that you were here before the house was built. This land is your land?I get that.
The thing is that I?m stressed out about you taking over my lawn. I don?t give a mole?s ass if you come up for air in the nooks and crannies of my yard. They?re yours. But, please, for the love of god and all things holy, leave my lawn alone.
I?ve researched several solutions to our co-habitation challenge: however, experts agree that the only real solution is your demise. I do have a trap out in the garage, in fact, it came with the house. I don?t know if you or your friends have seen these things?they?re terrifying. I?d be happy to show it to you if you?d like. I?ll leave it by the large dirt mound (the one you favor) on my front lawn. Don?t worry, I won?t set it; it?s simply for display and educational purposes. Go ahead, touch it, get a feel for it. You know, I?ll even leave a latte next to it so you can ponder your decision in comfort.
I?m hoping we can work this out in a civil fashion, and so, I would appreciate a meeting of the minds with those in charge. Yes, take me to your leader?the decision maker. Perhaps we can agree to a homeopathic solution; one that won?t cause you any harm or discomfort. Please consider my offer and respond accordingly.
Civilly yours,
Property Owner
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
Come on, tell me. I need something to laugh at other than the swiss cheese masquerading as my front lawn.
Donna
Nope, no way. Not in front of ladies. Given this is your front yard you might be arrested or committed ;-)) There is an old thread where I spoke of this method.
Traps are the best; according to folks that use them.
Sorry!
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
I have, quite seriously, had a lot of luck by just walking on the tunnels and collapsing them. At worst I have had to do this 3-4 times before I either caught it in the cave in or it went out looking for other less destructive areas. Worked 4-5 times over the last 15 years.
A Mossberg 590A1 should work nicely. Pick a mound, stomp it down some, then stake it out and wait for the soil to move.
Is that a 410 model?
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
What is the natural predator for a mole? Something that hunts them as a food source?
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
Dr. Scholl. He hunts them for the moleskin.
Hey Donna...
I have this little cat. Found her when she was a little kitten, starved half to death and had been tossed into a river. Brought her home and nursed her back to health. She has earned her keep and shown her gratitude. She gets moles, gophers, mice, rats and snakes. Even brought home a squirrel the other day. She's a little cat too.
We live in a pretty rural area though, your mileage may vary.
Kate
Thanks as always,
Donna
Nope.
WARNING! I HAVE NOT DONE THIS, SO NO GUARANTEE.
But it *should* have an effect, and is bait / poison / trap free.
You need a cat, preferably an indoor cat, to do this.
Small garden trowel. Excavate both tunnel ends at each and I do mean each, mole hill. Insert half a trowel full of used, urine stained / oaked cat litter in eah tunnel. Replace covering dirt.
Moles have really good olfactory equipment, and cats are among the natural predators. Cat scent, pungent cat scent applied everywhere in the tunnel complex at one time might cause the critters to leave.
Your neighbors may not be real happy when the moles show up in their yards, but this is a mole ridding class, not an ethics class.
I know many mole cures that do not work. The "gas bombs" don't work; flooding tunnels with water doesn't work. The "vibrating" wind things don't work.
For me, a trap has worked. Poisoned peanuts / mole baits may or may not work, you never find the body...
In handling either, use latex / rubber gloves. Moles will smell you on the trap / bait.
A neighbor of mine, back when this area was rural, not suburban sub division as it is now, literally walked around his yard with a
12 ga. 5 round pump shotgun. Mik could "see them tunneling and he'd cut loose with a # 8 load and literally blow them out of the ground.Moles eat worms and grubs and bugs. Seriously poison your lawn with (?) chlordane (?) to kill off the food supply and the moles supposedly will leave
Me, I on't point shotguns near my feet and fire, nor do I turn the grass areas intoinsect free deserts.
YMMV.
Good luck!
Holy Moly! They must big bumps to the head.
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
I once had two cats, they caught and ate rabbits, except the kidney. Always left it on the patio; noting but a kidney there.
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
Get a cat or two. We have two outside cats, and they are ruthless when it comes to moles and gophers.
Almost looks like an 870 Remington used in riot control.
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
Rescue a local prison cat. I've done it three times. They are tough asses.
I have one still alive. She won't take any crap at 13 years!
-- Oren
..through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..
At least visit there and watch the videos.
I have the oxyacetylene welding equipment to build one, and will be doing so in the next year when I move to Utah. I already have a couple of rancher friends interested in my services.
The Rodenator is used more for gophers. I have read here that trapping, flooding, poisoning works good for moles.
One other thing I have heard that works good on any tunneling animal ....... road flares. The chemicals in them produce their own oxygen, so they are hard to snuff out. Placing them in a tunnel causes noxious sulphur fumes that will kill or drive out anything in the tunnel. Don't know how it does on the lawn, though.
Let us know how you finally manage to get ahead of them. That is IF you get ahead of them.
Steve
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