What is the best way to extract or kill a mole tearing up your yard?

[treitz3]

Hello fellow WBF members and good afternoon to you. I have an oddball question/problem that is completely off the beaten path but one I feel many of you may have possibly encountered throughout your life. Moles. Not the kind one might find on their body, I am talking about the little pesky moles that like to dig near the surface of your lawn, wreaking havoc on your lawn. We just moved into a new place a couple of months ago and I didn't think they were that bad. I would joke around and say that I didn't mind them, that they provided "free aeration of my lawn".

Well, that was until I did a little bit of research. Turns out, they are not beneficial at all to lawns and that they have the power to damage small trees and bushes. YIKES!

I have read that moles are territorial and that they will violently fight to protect their turf. With that said, I find it hard to believe that only one mole is causing the trails I see popping up from all over the lawn. Front yard, backyard, sides of the house, doesn't matter. Those trails extend to just about every reach of the yard so to me, this is no longer a joking matter. From childhood memory when I was about knee high to a duck, I vaguely remember a family member that would get a huge steel roller that must have weighed in at around 400 lbs or more and roll it over the entire affected area. I was too young to remember who that family member was or even if it was an effective way of ridding the yard of moles.

I have read on the internet (so take this with a grain of salt) that moles can dig down to around 32". If this is the case, unless they are at the surface, the roller idea won't work....at least in theory. What I am looking for is to pluck the brains of any WBF members that may have encountered this issue before and what they did to eliminate it. Any advice would be welcome because you might as well call me a virgin when it comes to moles and what to do to get rid of them.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Tom

 

[lasercd]

We have a local guy who literally calls himself The Mole Man. I don't even know his real name. He does nothing but get rid of moles.

They can burrow tunnels all over your yard. The only way to get rid of them is to kill them. The Mole Man is an expert in mole removal and he can ascertain where the tunnels begin and end and figures out the branches as well - sometimes they can go off into a neighbor's yard. He sets up traps for them. Ugly little bastards.

I suggest you find your area's Mole Man.

 

[Asamel]

 

[treitz3]

That's what I feel like. LOL.

The best rated trap I see so far is this >>> http://www.amazon.com/Wire-Tek-1001-EasySet-Eliminator/dp/B000SDKGC6#customerReviews <<< It's the Wire Tek 1001 EasySet Mole Eliminator Trap. Anybody with first hand experience with this one?

Hello, Ken and thanks. I didn't think the market was big enough for that but if it boils down to it, I will definitely go that direction. Thing is though, I live next to a farm and neighbors with pretty big lawns. My gut feeling is that after I pay a professional to eradicate them at (from what I am reading) about $80.00 per mole, other moles in the area would just move on in and re-take the area. In theory, that is. I'd like to see what I can do, not only for the immediate future but for the extended future as well....keeping my wallet in check throughout the process. I'd rather devote my money to house or stereo system improvements, if you know what I mean. Thanks again for your comments though. I may very well have to take that route. *prays that I don't*

Tom

 

[DonH50]

I found some environmentally-friendly poison for voles, moles, and pocket gophers. You think moles are bad try to get rid of pocket gophers, and they keep coming back...

 

[DEV]

A Cat will eliminate them quickly and enjoy, I always praise my neighbourhood cats visiting - keeps those pesky peasants in check.

 

[lasercd]

Tom;

Sounds like you are ready to become the neighborhood Mole Man.

Ken

 

[jazdoc]

We've found that chewing gum works well.

 

[DonH50]

Interesting. I read a lot about that, heard from friends with differing success stories, checked the Ag extension site which said it probably would not do anything, and tried it. My neighbor swore by it, but it did nothing for me. I am pretty sure I saw a pocket gopher sitting up and blowing pink bubbles with it at one point...

 

[rockitman]

Let me know how you make out Tom. I have a pesky mole that has been traumatizing my lawn for two years now.

 

[treitz3]

Will do, Christian. It seems as if my lawn is hosting a mole convention.

Tom

 

[rockitman]

Will do, Christian. It seems as if my lawn is hosting a mole convention.

Tom

It's unbelievable how much damage this small rodent can do.

 

[Steve Williams]

I had a mole problem several years ago and I got rid of him with several of these around where he was burrowing



http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sonic-MoleChaser-Underground-Rodent-Repellant-P7900/202103819

 

[treitz3]

Interesting, Steve. Thanks. It looks like they cover 11,250 sq. ft. of area per unit. With the size of my lawn, it looks like with this option I would need 5 or 6 of them. Are they a one time use or can you change the battery in them? If there is no battery, do you happen to remember how long they lasted?

Tom

 

[microstrip]

Tom,

Two friends of mine have been facing this problem for years. Every time we meet the last mole chase episode is part of our talk. As far as I remember the moles are wining ... One of them told me that Persian cats are the best existing mole hunters - once motivated they sit patiently waiting for hours close to the mole hill. Remember that some people are very sensitive to the 300 Hz noise of most electronic stick repellents - be sure your neighbors are not becoming mad, although you do not ear it.

From http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/moles.html:


Moles are here to stay and extermination is impractical, especially if your property borders an area that has historically served as a source of moles. While you may be able to remove an existing mole population or drive moles elsewhere, if suitable conditions exist and moles occur nearby, other moles will eventually move into vacated areas. In addition, it is important to understand that mole problems rarely can be resolved by a quick fix method, but that a continuing commitment to whatever solutions are adopted is required.

To prevent conflicts or remedy existing problems, consider the following:

Repellents: No repellents currently available will reliably protect lawns or other plantings from moles. However, people mistakenly think they have successfully repelled a mole because they don't see new molehills for long periods following use. My note - do we see some bias expectation here? The reasons for this are simple: moles are relatively solitary animals except for when breeding and rearing young, and they have large, complex tunnel systems that may extend for several hundred lineal feet. Moles may work one portion of their tunnel system for a few days and then move on some distance away to another portion of the system, which may be in the neighbor's yard. Hence, the application of some obnoxious substance just prior to or immediately following the mole's shift in its feeding location will be credited to the effect of the repellent. When the mole returns a week or two later, the gardener is convinced it is a new mole.

Mothballs, garlic, or spearmint leaves placed in the tunnels, and a perimeter of mole plants (Euphorbia spp.) planted around gardens, have all produced mixed results. Similarly, ground or broken pieces of glass, used razor blades, sections of barbed wire, or thorned rose bush canes have all been placed in mole tunnels. Some of these are actually more hazardous to the gardeners themselves than to the moles.

When moles run into the unfamiliar foreign object in their tunnels, they may simply circumvent the object by blocking those tunnels off with soil and then proceed to dig new tunnels, just as they do with a poorly set trap. There is no convincing evidence that these sharp, potentially harmful items cause any mortality or that they have resulted in the mole leaving the immediate area

 

[Mosin]

I suppose I'm lucky. I have an American Dingo named Oliver. He specializes in mole removal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Dog

 

[treitz3]

Two friends of mine have been facing this problem for years. Every time we meet the last mole chase episode is part of our talk. As far as I remember the moles are winning....<snip>

Ouch! *bangs head*

Hello, microstrip and thanks for taking the time to bring up the point about others being able to hear that frequency. Those would probably drive me nuckin' futz, seeing as how I can hear a tube TV power up, even if it is nowhere near where I am at. Perhaps I can get an associate at HD to let me test one prior to purchase. That right there would tell me whether or not "I" can use them. My neighbors are retired, so I *may* be okay there. I'll tell you right now, cats are NOT an option. While I love me a cute, cuddly little kitten? I can't stand me a full grown cat. They are as problematic as the moles I'm trying to get rid of (to me, I have owned one), so that's a no-go. My friend told me to get dogs, as his dogs (he has 4) eradicated every living thing in his backyard. Naw, that's not a feasible option either. We have a beautiful Vizla right now that must be reaching 100 years old and the wife and I were thinking that we would like to take a break from a dog or dogs for a while. We have both owned dogs all of our lives and we would like to experience life (if only for a short stint, if that's what ends up happening) without the responsibility of a dog to take care of.

Another thing that has me wondering....am I thinking of the right animal? I have not one mole hill throughout the yard. I have spotted a couple of holes that are about an inch and a half to two inches in diameter. These can be found *usually* at or near foundations, concrete borders or something hard, like the pad for the well house but I have spotted a couple as well out in the middle of the yard. The holes are always level with the ground with no hill whatsoever. Kind of makes me wonder whether or not I'm even talking about the right kind of creature. I really don't know.....like I said, I'm a virgin when it comes to this issue. I do feel for your two friends though.

Hopefully I won't be still chiming in on this thread years from now with stories of rigged up shotguns to eradicate them.

Tom

 

[Mosin]

Another thing that has me wondering....am I thinking of the right animal?

Tom

You may have chipmunks, AKA ground squirrels. They dig holes like that, and the bad part is that enough of them can damage the foundation of your house. We have a lot of them in this area. They are cute, but they are also very destructive. The good news is that an outside cat will rid you of them in short order.

 

[treitz3]

Hello, Win. It was my understanding that chipmunks and ground squirrels hibernated during the winter. Whatever is out there, is definitely not in hibernation. I just spotted another 25 or so feet worth of new tunnels yesterday at the front of the yard while I was throwing a Frisbee with the young man of the house. I will have to take a photo of the known holes to show you exactly what I am seeing. Whatever is out there, I haven't ever seen them. They are always underground and stay underground even when I go to stomp down the tunnels....of which there are many!

I knew they were present when I purchased the house but it seems to me that they are spreading out or multiplying....one of the two. Dry areas, wet areas, it doesn't seem to matter to them.

I grew up in Springfield, VA and Chipmunks were a common sight. I have even held a few of them in my hand and fed others. Down here, I haven't seen but a handful of Chipmunks the entire time I have been here (about 25 years). I don't recall any yards up in Springfield that had tunnels like I have in my yard currently and I would be the one to know this as I was always the one cutting the yard (and many neighbor's yards as well) from the age of 10 on up.

An outdoor cat may be a good option but where would it stay when it gets down to 8 degrees at night? It dang sure ain't staying in the house. Been there, done that! Not again.

Tom

 

[DEV]

New business - rent a cat Won't take long for a cat to get rid of them.