Author Topic: moles..... (Read 566 times)

myronman3 · « **on:** August 04, 2011, 09:52:19 AM »

my neighbor is having problems with moles destroying her yard. i figured i would enlist the help of the folks here. so what say you? what is an effective way to rid your yard of moles?

DDZ · « **Reply #1 on:** August 04, 2011, 11:42:13 AM »

A product that really worked was Diazinon. It kills the grubs in your yard that the moles are after. When all the grubs are gone the moles leave. I don't think you can by Diazion anymore because the EPA has deemed it dangerous for children and homeowners. Figures, you can't buy anything that is good at killing pests anymore because of the EPA trying to protect us from dangerous stuff. It was the same with DDT, and Chlordane. Chlordane worked wonders for termites. If you had some of that stuff you didn't need to call a pest control company for termites. The stuff worked great. Now its treated like plastic explosive or something.
You may be able to get a different product to kill grubs. I haven't looked into it, since I used Diazion on my yard and it becoming a banned product. Anyway it killed the grubs and the moles left.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #2 on:** August 04, 2011, 12:37:29 PM »

http://www.youtube.com/user/moletrap (picture not the YouTube commentary) is the one that comes to mind immediately.

Another is to post hole dig in an active more run. Place a size 10 pork and bean can in the post hole so the open mouth is just below the mole run. Check it in the AM. You will see the little devil in the bottom of the can. Determine an active run by depressing a portion of the run with your shoe in the PM. Don't crush it completely flat and ruin it, just flat enough. Check it in the AM. If the run is complete again, it is active.

DDZ · « **Reply #3 on:** August 04, 2011, 12:51:38 PM »

Some of the gimmicks like sound devices, traps, etc., do work to some extent, but will never rid your yard completely of moles. Its like trying to kill all the pests that invade your garden with traps, and .22's you kill some, but they keep coming.
The only way you will get rid of all the moles in your yard is to take their food source away. Been there done that.

Sourdough · « **Reply #4 on:** August 04, 2011, 04:04:04 PM »

My grandpa used a mole trap. Step partially on the mole run. Place the trap over the run. Next time the mole comes through and pushes the dirt back up it springs the trap. A series of little spikes drive into the ground along the run, killing the little begger. Mole stays underground and there is no problem with disposal. Flatten the area and keep tabs to see if another mole moves in.

ironglow · « **Reply #5 on:** August 04, 2011, 04:13:59 PM »

Apparently mole catching is a big sport and/or avocation in the UK. Ther are all kinds of traps and methods;
http://www.moletraps.co.uk/mole_trap_supplies.html

There are even professional "mole trapper" guilds..
http://www.guildofbritishmolecatchers.co.uk/

Perhaps a Google search can find traps here in the US....

Old Syko · « **Reply #6 on:** August 04, 2011, 04:55:11 PM »

I have a couple traps like Sourdough mentions and yes they do work, but only after the critter has done the damage. DDZ is tellin it right. Get rid of the grubs and the moles go away. Malathion, Diazinon, and other chemicals that will effectively get the job done are no longer available. Gee thanks big brother. Although sevin and merit are said to work, they don't work well at all. I wish ya luck. If you find anything that works I would be grateful if you'd pass on the info. They're a real problem here.

hunt-m-up · « **Reply #7 on:** August 04, 2011, 06:18:54 PM »

Spike type traps or one called the choker loop both are pretty effective.

gypsyman · « **Reply #8 on:** August 04, 2011, 07:29:25 PM »

Go down to your local welding supply house. Get a small tank of acetylene, and a short hose. Say about 6-8 feet. And, you'll need about 15' of cannon fuse. Find the biggest hole that the moles are using, and stuff the hose from the acetylene and about 5'-6' of the cannon fuse down the hole. Use your foot to tamp the dirt in around the hose/fuse cord. Turn on the gas, and let it fill up the mole runs, about 5-10 minutes should do it. Light the cannon fuse, pull the hose from the acetylene out of the hole, and run like hell!!! In less than a minute, your yard might look like North Vietnam per 1969, but, by God, you won't have any moles in it.

gypsyman

DDZ · « **Reply #9 on:** August 05, 2011, 12:35:33 AM »

Quote from: gypsyman on August 04, 2011, 07:29:25 PM

Go down to your local welding supply house. Get a small tank of acetylene, and a short hose. Say about 6-8 feet. And, you'll need about 15' of cannon fuse. Find the biggest hole that the moles are using, and stuff the hose from the acetylene and about 5'-6' of the cannon fuse down the hole. Use your foot to tamp the dirt in around the hose/fuse cord. Turn on the gas, and let it fill up the mole runs, about 5-10 minutes should do it. Light the cannon fuse, pull the hose from the acetylene out of the hole, and run like hell!!! In less than a minute, your yard might look like North Vietnam per 1969, but, by God, you won't have any moles in it. gypsyman

Now that sounds like fun.

Slowhanddd · « **Reply #10 on:** August 05, 2011, 12:40:32 AM »

Quote

Go down to your local welding supply house

That sounds like a"Hold my beer and watch this"!I have buddy that did just that.was using a cutting torch.snuffed it out and turn on the acetylene.Stuck the tip in the dirt and left it for about a half a beer.Pulled it out and lit the torch and started cutting again.Sparks set the gas off under ground.I swear the whole back yard lifted two feet and settled back down.He didn't have moles in there for awhile either.Nothing much else grew for the rest of the summer.

blind ear · « **Reply #11 on:** August 05, 2011, 01:05:20 AM »

won't get rid of them but will afford a lot of entertainment. Get a chiwawa and hunt the moles with it. ear

ironglow · « **Reply #12 on:** August 05, 2011, 01:12:16 AM »

Where I formerly lived I had a real problem with moles in the lower, more constantly wet portion of my lawn. My blacksmith shop was closer to that area than any other building. Acting upon advice from a writer in an organic gardening magazine, I kept a can in my smithy..no longer went to the bathroom to do "number one"...used the can instead and poured the contents down the mole holes. It worked for me...

Conan The Librarian · « **Reply #13 on:** August 05, 2011, 06:42:43 AM »

If you've got a retired neighbor who likes to trap moles as a hobby, have him come over.

If not, you've got a bit of a problem. I had a positive plague of them one year and they were smart too. None of the traps worked after I caught the first couple of them. However, I kept after them and I think the harassment drove them away. Every day I would go out and flatten their runs, set traps, lay poison pellets, smoke bombs, etc. They apparently got tired of it and went to a more peaceful yard. It took about a month.

myronman3 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 05, 2011, 12:50:26 PM »

i was teasing her and came up with the idea of having a beer party with pitchforks.

The Hermit · « **Reply #15 on:** August 05, 2011, 05:53:07 PM »

Blacktop.

The Hermit

myronman3 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 06, 2011, 05:21:03 AM »

i told her to get a case of beer, and invite all her friends over with their lawnchairs and pitchforks. i doubt it would work though, as once people started to drinking, the conversation would pick up, people would be getting up left and right and pretty soon the moles would be an afterthought. i shudder to think of how things could go sideways with alcohol and pitchforks present.....lol.