My girlfriend has a terrible problem with moles or voles digging up her yard. It is very soft and inviting soil, unlike most of the clay here in coastal Virginia. How do we get rid of them? She's not particularly fond of varmints, so lethal methods are acceptable. She tried putting down grub poison to remove the food source - didn't do the trick.
My grandmother swares by putting a piece of Rigglys Spearmint Gum in thier holes! I guess there is somthing in the gum that they cant digest and it kills them,but the caster oil seems alot easier then digging up and putting a bunch of gum in the ground!:laughing:
#4
RockHound
We fortunately have three cats who LOVE moles for dinner. We stopped having any problem with them after the cats moved in. Plus the cats run off snakes, frogs and lizards. We don't have many critters since the cats are here.:thumbsup:
#5
Grass ala Mowed
She tried the gum, no success and doesn't want any pets, aka cats. She had an old can of starting fluid, it's mostly ether, which we sprayed in the holes and it seemed to slow them down (literally) but they're back. She also tried garlic powder in the holes with no luck. We'll try the castor oil.
#6
rmancini
Here in Washington State, moles are ALL over the place. In the past I've tried all the "chemical" treatments: Gum, castor oil, smoke bombs, etc,etc.
The only thing I've had success with is the spring-type traps. Started using them years ago and I'm up to 271 confirmed kills. Moles are so cute ---When they're dead. Be careful - the traps can be dangerous. Read the directions.
It is said that the moles are after grub worms which later turn into June bugs. We use diazonon on the grass and the moles don't seem to be as bad this year.
#9
Hand2ThePlow
Moles are difficult to get rid of, you have to find the active run or you're wasting your time. Trapping is the best method because you know when you're successful. Poison gas is hit and miss and you never know the results unless all the activity stops which is unlikely.
Moles are carnivores and voles are vegetarians, so it is important to know what you are dealing with. There's a granual product called Mole-Max by Bonide, that I've heard works, the main ingredient is castor oil though so you could probably save some money and make up a mixture yourself. I've also heard coffee grounds will help, if you put them in the mole trails. They upset the grubs, which are what the moles feed on. :smile:
I posted this answer to another question but, I bet you have grubs in your yard, probably lots of grubs. As I say below, the only, ONLY way to get rid of moles is to get rid of their food sorce. They love grubs and will stay as long as they have food.
I used to have such a severe grub problem that they practically destroyed my yard. And besides the grubs, moles came looking for an easy and plentiful meal thus helping to tear up my yard. I researched and talked to anyone who knew anything about the blasted creatures. A VA Tech extension agent suggested that in order to get rid of the moles I had to get rid of their food source which were grubs. He said that Milky Spore would rid my yard of grubs and would last for up to 15 years. Milky Spore is rather expensive but I gave it a try. You can apply it anytime but I would not apply it during the dry summer months. It will not hurt plants or animals since it is organic. Guess what, the stuff really works. I applied it to my yard about 14 years ago and have had no grub or mole problem since. Am getting ready to bit the bullet and pay for another treatment. You can buy it in powder or grandular form. I purchased powder and had to drop a teaspoon of the stuff every 3 feet in my yard. It then needs to be watered into the ground. Just Google Milky Spore and it will take you to web sites where it can be purchased. Its also available at many garden centers.
I have battled Moles since moving onto my current rural property 25 years ago. I have tried smoke bombs, chewing gum, moth balls, pincher traps, and plunger traps but the most success I have had is with a simple "BlackBox" trap sold by Victor traps. They are available at just about any farm store here on the Canadian side of the border and, I assume, would be available in the U.S. as well.
OMgosh. I just posted something very similar. I am in Virginia too! What is it with these things in Virginia?!! This year seems to be worse for us. I feel like I am tripping over the mounds of grass every day from their tunneling.
#18
RockHound
I would just start trapping them like you do with mice in the house. I haven't had any success with any of the chemical products that are out there but I have caught quite a few. Like another poster said, be careful of the knife like plunger traps, they can be dangerous but they are quite effective.:thumbsup:
You might check with the government and see if you can still get Cherry-Bombs. That's what they're for (gophers, actually) and they are only given to agricultural people, so I don't know what the requirements are, i.e. whether you need to be subsidized, etc. It's possible all you need is to have some land and a real problem with tunneling creatures. And it'd be a real blast to rid youself of them in this way.:laughing:
You can't get rid of the food source without sterilizing the earth. You could never kill all the worms and grubs in your yard. If you did it would be worse for your hard than the moles. It is good to treat for the grubs that feed on the grass roots but there oare other thing deeper in the ground that moles like to eat. I battled these things for years and tried everyhing, noisemakers/vibrators, sprintraps, poison of various kinds, gum, flooding, gas, exhaust, 12 guage. Only after I tried talpirid did the problem go away.
expensive but I would have been way ahead had I started with it.
I used half the package and gave my neighbor the other half as he had problems also.
4 years now with no problems. Had to treat one run last spring but that was it.
Get this, follow the directions EXACTLY and be done with them.
