I think my wife will freak out if I bring a snake home and put it under our deck.
Too many kids over at our house playing.
anyone know how to get rid of a mole?
- Thread starter jlindy
- Start date
I think my wife will freak out if I bring a snake home and put it under our deck.
Too many kids over at our house playing.
No need tell them. The snake will go where the food is. They don't like kids any more than kids like them. Although I liked them when I was a kid.
I prefer nature over poison. Just trying to help.
I prefer nature over poison. Just trying to help.
perhaps some willing primer has an ex wife / husband they are willing to volunteer in lieu of the snake... sometimes - but not always - they're more kid-friendly.I think my wife will freak out if I bring a snake home and put it under our deck.
I've been fighting moles all summer. I starting in the spring with grub killer mixed with mole repellent to try and keep them away.
I've stepped up to poison pellets and that seems to work the best. You can buy them at any hardware/garden store.
I used to get new mounds every morning, now I get a new one about once every 2 weeks... use the pellets and I'm good. I think I'm slowly taking out the population. Not what I wanted to do, but they're playing hardball.
:redface:
My neighbor said he's been using traps with success... but seems like more effort. He also got one with a pitch fork. Go figure.
I've stepped up to poison pellets and that seems to work the best. You can buy them at any hardware/garden store.
I used to get new mounds every morning, now I get a new one about once every 2 weeks... use the pellets and I'm good. I think I'm slowly taking out the population. Not what I wanted to do, but they're playing hardball.
:redface:
My neighbor said he's been using traps with success... but seems like more effort. He also got one with a pitch fork. Go figure.
I use a few of the solar powered vibrating stakes that work well to keep them out of the property..they seem to work well as when the rechargeable batteries die they come back and I know the batteries need replacing...
over 15 years ago, they used to sell these short sticks that look sort of like dynamite. You stuck the fuse in it, lit it, tossed it down the hole, and covered it up with dirt. Poison gas. Worked great. But that was a LONG time ago too.
Another option I've used, shove the garden hose down the hole and wait for it to pop up out of another and smack it with a shovel. I think they ended up drowning though, however I got a crazy surprise when a ground hog looking thing came out of a hole instead of squirrel. That scared the hell outta me.
Another option I've used, shove the garden hose down the hole and wait for it to pop up out of another and smack it with a shovel. I think they ended up drowning though, however I got a crazy surprise when a ground hog looking thing came out of a hole instead of squirrel. That scared the hell outta me.
I was thinking "see a dermatologist" but I guess we're past that.
Moley Moley Moley..lol
Alright, my neighbor found his and killed it by putting the hose in the hole and it came out again and got stabbed by a shovel. It is not a shrew or a mole, but a vole. It looked like a field mouse as voles do so I am certain this is what i have in my back landscaping as the hole was the same size. I tried putting water in new holes, but nothing. I am going to try either traps or poison, probably poison first. I am gonna get this sucker.
Moley moley moley!!!
Moley moley moley!!!
Last edited:
I used to have a mole problem until we got a west highland terrier. He killed all of them. And he's cute.
I'll remember that if I have mole problems. I can't believe those Terriers are so ferocious
.
In an earlier post in this thread ( #20 ) for jlindy I gave some tips for Vole control. Some of the other posts from readers have alluded to having at mole problem at their location.
Here is how you control moles ~
First , a disclaimer -
There is a lot of myth , folklore and old wives tales about moles.
Some myths -
Broken glass , razor blades , barb wire put in a moles tunnel will cause it to cut itself and die from it's wounds.
Moles are very tactile animals . They hunt by smell and feel. They would notice a sharp object quickly and just dig around it.
Put mothballs , human hair , animal urines , mint , Castor oil or other repellents in the tunnel to make them move away.
Again , they will just dig around it.
Put chewing gum in tunnel so animal will eat it and clog it's digestive tract and die.
Moles don't eat chewing gum , they are insectivores.
Use sulfur smoke bombs to kill them.
This might work , but it is for agricultural use only. It is made out of sulfur and it stinks , not for use anywhere near a house.
Flood tunnel with car exhaust to kill them.
This might work but modern car exhaust contains very little carbon monoxide. The animal would probably die of heat stroke before CO poisoning.
Sonic mole repellers.
I set traps right next to these things on purpose in customer's yards. Heck . I even check to make sure it is turned on and with fresh batteries. Catch moles next to them all the time. Waste of money.
Treating the whole yard for grubs.
Mole do eat grubs. However , over 50% of a mole diet is earthworms. Grub killer does not get rid of earthworms. You want earthworms in your yard anyways.
Standard mouse /rat poison.
Moles are insectivores. They will not eat a nut or grain based bait. This makes as about much sense as trying to get a human to eat a sandwich made out of an oak plank.
I'm donning my flame suit now because I am sure someone is going to tell me one of the above things worked for them. If it worked for you , great. However , I will bet you just got lucky. Something may have happened that you were not aware of the caused the problem to go away. A predator may have caused it's demise for even illness.
If any of these things worked on a constant basis , I would use them. My job is to get rid of the offending animal as quickly as possible. If these things worked , My customers would not need to call me after using these things. A lot of the people who hire me have already tried the things and failed before calling for my expertise.
Mole Control
There was a university professor ( I can't remember the name ) who was once quoted saying -
" The most effective form of mole control is a trap in the hands of someone who knows how to use it . "
This is very , very true.
First make a proper ID of the animal problem.
Moles will have raised tunnels that are closed to the surface. Primarily found in lawn areas and some parts of mulch beds.
Voles , mice and shrews will use an abandoned mole tunnel , but it will have holes to the surface. Primarily in mulch beds and some parts of the lawn. Chipmunks , rats , ground squirrels use holes , no tunnels.
Mole facts -
Moles can make a new tunnel up to 18 feet per hour. Moles can travel in existing tunnels 80 feet per minute horizontally or vertically. Average 1 acre lawn with a mole problem will have only 1-7 moles causing all the damage. Mole do not hibernate , they go below the frostline in winter.
To trap moles effectively you need to understand how to read their tunnel systems. This will help you put your traps in the best places to catch a mole.
Straight long tunnels - These are the tunnels the mole are using on a regular basis. They are also called travel tunnels.
Tunnels with no direction and dead ends - You will see spots on the lawn where the mole has just gone willy-nilly in circles and a bunch of dead ends. This is a feeding area. It is used once or twice then abandoned.
Boils or mounds of dirt. This is the sign of a deep tunnel. Anywhere from 6-12 inches to several feet deep.
Walk your lawn and look over the tunnel system carefully. Some times if you have just the right shade of sunglasses it will highlight yellowed areas of the lawn to see the tunnels more clearly.
You need to find the longest , straightest tunnels.
I am going to say that again ~
You need to find the longest , straightest tunnels. Very important.
You will be setting your traps in the long , straight tunnels. Setting them in a feeding area rarely produces because these areas are quickly abandoned. Setting traps in the boils or dirt mounds requires lots of digging to set the trap.
There are several mole traps on the market , you may have seen these in a hardware store -
The Victor spear trap http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/B0645-2
The Victor Out-Of-Sight trap http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/B0631-2
Both of these traps are effective. Both of them require a bit of practice. Both of them can be hazardous if set incorrectly , be careful. I have met one person who ran a spear trap through his finger , his wife hired me to keep him out of trouble..lol
I use a different trap , it is called the NoMol. They are made in Switzerland. I don't suggest you try this trap , it takes much longer to learn how to use it properly than the two Victor traps . Plus the Victor traps are available locally. NoMols are only available by mail/web order.
NoMol trap http://www.nomol.com/
You will need at least 3 traps or better yet 6 traps to remove moles from your yard. Using any less than this will prolong the time it takes to capture the moles. You need to give the animals multipliable chances to get caught. This stops the damage to your lawn quickly instead of just using 1-2 traps.
Using the longest , straightest tunnel for your trap location , trap as many moles as you can until the are no freshly raised tunnels. Punch some holes in the tunnel system and see if they get repaired or the tunnel collapses. After your yard is mole free , keep an eye on your neighbor's yard. If they have moles , they will migrate to your yard and you will have to catch them as they come. I have seen this many , many times. I try to get my customers to talk to their neighbors about hiring me for mole control. I can use the extra work , plus it keeps the original yard from getting re-infested.
It is important to catch all the moles in your yard. Any leftover moles can breed.
Poisons ~
As I stated before standard mouse/rat poison does not work for moles because it does not look or smell like insects.
Through the wonders of modern chemistry they have developed a poison just for moles - The Gummy Worm.
Bell labs has spent a fair amount of time on this new product called Talpirid. http://www.talpirid.com/
This is a gummy worm with poison. It supposedly smells and tastes like a worm. ( I will take the manufacturer's word on that , I 'm not going to test it .) There are a bit pricey at approx. $2 per worm. You will need a tray of ten for an average sized yard. This is also a professional product that may or may not be sold to the public in your state. However , you can get an over the counter version with the same ingredients. http://tomcatbrand.com/mole_control/1-mole-control-overview
The Tomcat brand is a little cheaper and available at Home Depot or Lowes and other places.
Application of the poison will again be in those long and straight tunnels. Poke a hole in the tunnel with a dowel and slip the worm in the hole while wearing gloves. Seal up the tunnel where you made the hole. Watch the tunnel system for activity , reapply as needed.
Make sure you read the directions. Basic rule of thumb for pesticides - ' The label is the Law ' any other use or misuse is considered ' Off-Label ' and probably illegal.
Here is how you control moles ~
First , a disclaimer -
There is a lot of myth , folklore and old wives tales about moles.
Some myths -
Broken glass , razor blades , barb wire put in a moles tunnel will cause it to cut itself and die from it's wounds.
Moles are very tactile animals . They hunt by smell and feel. They would notice a sharp object quickly and just dig around it.
Put mothballs , human hair , animal urines , mint , Castor oil or other repellents in the tunnel to make them move away.
Again , they will just dig around it.
Put chewing gum in tunnel so animal will eat it and clog it's digestive tract and die.
Moles don't eat chewing gum , they are insectivores.
Use sulfur smoke bombs to kill them.
This might work , but it is for agricultural use only. It is made out of sulfur and it stinks , not for use anywhere near a house.
Flood tunnel with car exhaust to kill them.
This might work but modern car exhaust contains very little carbon monoxide. The animal would probably die of heat stroke before CO poisoning.
Sonic mole repellers.
I set traps right next to these things on purpose in customer's yards. Heck . I even check to make sure it is turned on and with fresh batteries. Catch moles next to them all the time. Waste of money.
Treating the whole yard for grubs.
Mole do eat grubs. However , over 50% of a mole diet is earthworms. Grub killer does not get rid of earthworms. You want earthworms in your yard anyways.
Standard mouse /rat poison.
Moles are insectivores. They will not eat a nut or grain based bait. This makes as about much sense as trying to get a human to eat a sandwich made out of an oak plank.
I'm donning my flame suit now because I am sure someone is going to tell me one of the above things worked for them. If it worked for you , great. However , I will bet you just got lucky. Something may have happened that you were not aware of the caused the problem to go away. A predator may have caused it's demise for even illness.
If any of these things worked on a constant basis , I would use them. My job is to get rid of the offending animal as quickly as possible. If these things worked , My customers would not need to call me after using these things. A lot of the people who hire me have already tried the things and failed before calling for my expertise.
Mole Control
There was a university professor ( I can't remember the name ) who was once quoted saying -
" The most effective form of mole control is a trap in the hands of someone who knows how to use it . "
This is very , very true.
First make a proper ID of the animal problem.
Moles will have raised tunnels that are closed to the surface. Primarily found in lawn areas and some parts of mulch beds.
Voles , mice and shrews will use an abandoned mole tunnel , but it will have holes to the surface. Primarily in mulch beds and some parts of the lawn. Chipmunks , rats , ground squirrels use holes , no tunnels.
Mole facts -
Moles can make a new tunnel up to 18 feet per hour. Moles can travel in existing tunnels 80 feet per minute horizontally or vertically. Average 1 acre lawn with a mole problem will have only 1-7 moles causing all the damage. Mole do not hibernate , they go below the frostline in winter.
To trap moles effectively you need to understand how to read their tunnel systems. This will help you put your traps in the best places to catch a mole.
Straight long tunnels - These are the tunnels the mole are using on a regular basis. They are also called travel tunnels.
Tunnels with no direction and dead ends - You will see spots on the lawn where the mole has just gone willy-nilly in circles and a bunch of dead ends. This is a feeding area. It is used once or twice then abandoned.
Boils or mounds of dirt. This is the sign of a deep tunnel. Anywhere from 6-12 inches to several feet deep.
Walk your lawn and look over the tunnel system carefully. Some times if you have just the right shade of sunglasses it will highlight yellowed areas of the lawn to see the tunnels more clearly.
You need to find the longest , straightest tunnels.
I am going to say that again ~
You need to find the longest , straightest tunnels. Very important.
You will be setting your traps in the long , straight tunnels. Setting them in a feeding area rarely produces because these areas are quickly abandoned. Setting traps in the boils or dirt mounds requires lots of digging to set the trap.
There are several mole traps on the market , you may have seen these in a hardware store -
The Victor spear trap http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/B0645-2
The Victor Out-Of-Sight trap http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/B0631-2
Both of these traps are effective. Both of them require a bit of practice. Both of them can be hazardous if set incorrectly , be careful. I have met one person who ran a spear trap through his finger , his wife hired me to keep him out of trouble..lol
I use a different trap , it is called the NoMol. They are made in Switzerland. I don't suggest you try this trap , it takes much longer to learn how to use it properly than the two Victor traps . Plus the Victor traps are available locally. NoMols are only available by mail/web order.
NoMol trap http://www.nomol.com/
You will need at least 3 traps or better yet 6 traps to remove moles from your yard. Using any less than this will prolong the time it takes to capture the moles. You need to give the animals multipliable chances to get caught. This stops the damage to your lawn quickly instead of just using 1-2 traps.
Using the longest , straightest tunnel for your trap location , trap as many moles as you can until the are no freshly raised tunnels. Punch some holes in the tunnel system and see if they get repaired or the tunnel collapses. After your yard is mole free , keep an eye on your neighbor's yard. If they have moles , they will migrate to your yard and you will have to catch them as they come. I have seen this many , many times. I try to get my customers to talk to their neighbors about hiring me for mole control. I can use the extra work , plus it keeps the original yard from getting re-infested.
It is important to catch all the moles in your yard. Any leftover moles can breed.
Poisons ~
As I stated before standard mouse/rat poison does not work for moles because it does not look or smell like insects.
Through the wonders of modern chemistry they have developed a poison just for moles - The Gummy Worm.
Bell labs has spent a fair amount of time on this new product called Talpirid. http://www.talpirid.com/
This is a gummy worm with poison. It supposedly smells and tastes like a worm. ( I will take the manufacturer's word on that , I 'm not going to test it .) There are a bit pricey at approx. $2 per worm. You will need a tray of ten for an average sized yard. This is also a professional product that may or may not be sold to the public in your state. However , you can get an over the counter version with the same ingredients. http://tomcatbrand.com/mole_control/1-mole-control-overview
The Tomcat brand is a little cheaper and available at Home Depot or Lowes and other places.
Application of the poison will again be in those long and straight tunnels. Poke a hole in the tunnel with a dowel and slip the worm in the hole while wearing gloves. Seal up the tunnel where you made the hole. Watch the tunnel system for activity , reapply as needed.
Make sure you read the directions. Basic rule of thumb for pesticides - ' The label is the Law ' any other use or misuse is considered ' Off-Label ' and probably illegal.
What does Russ have to say about all this? (assuming Russ is the Rotty in your avatar) They do know more about subjects of this nature than we. My money is on him tearing the sh*t out of this furry creature.
Feed Det-cord into every entrance you can find. Voila, it doesn't matter if it's a mole, vole, squirrel, fox, chupacabra, etc. that will solve your problems so long as you have a good land scaping company.
In all seriousness, my neighbor had a mole problem and bought a terrier. That fuzzy little guy solved the mole problem very quickly and his kids loved the dog.
In all seriousness, my neighbor had a mole problem and bought a terrier. That fuzzy little guy solved the mole problem very quickly and his kids loved the dog.
I can't get any Det-cord but I could get this baby .......
http://www.rodenator.com/
The Rodenator Pro
The only REAL way to get revenge , blow'em up.
I really don't know that much about insects , just animals.
However , here are a few links of interest ~
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worm_grunting
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/545255/
Why bother learning about worm grunting when you can just skip the bait and go Catfish noodlin ' ...lol
Dunno much, but I believe I nailed one of these underground bas-ard- today. :biggrin:
I know. It didn't happen without pics. Pics tomorrow upon pulling the trap.
sca037 will vouch.
I know. It didn't happen without pics. Pics tomorrow upon pulling the trap.
sca037 will vouch.
I've stepped it up to the next level... bought some of those "Tomcat" fake gummy worms.
The pellets worked well for the first part of spring/summer, but it appears whatever I have now (vole/mole) is not taking the bait.
I just placed two worms in what I believe are main tunnels (after educating myself with other members posts on the difference between "feeding grounds" and tunnels.). Maybe it's time for another spread of grub killer... get them back into the neighbors yard...
Anyhow, I had some collateral damage... I lost my glass of whiskey somewhere out in the yard while I was digging/prying mole/vole mounds. I really wasn't prepared for this sort of carnage. :wink:
The pellets worked well for the first part of spring/summer, but it appears whatever I have now (vole/mole) is not taking the bait.
I just placed two worms in what I believe are main tunnels (after educating myself with other members posts on the difference between "feeding grounds" and tunnels.). Maybe it's time for another spread of grub killer... get them back into the neighbors yard...
Anyhow, I had some collateral damage... I lost my glass of whiskey somewhere out in the yard while I was digging/prying mole/vole mounds. I really wasn't prepared for this sort of carnage. :wink:
Too funny, DrVolkl, the gummy worms and esp. the collateral damage confession! :biggrin:
But back to serious mole biz........ I applied Grub-Ex to 80 % of my yard in early July. Stuff is expensive, but the benefits of defense against moles, and even worse (oh, so much worse), skunks, makes the expense worth it. The skunks are quite fond of grubs! And I get really tired of shooting those stinky ba-tards.
In 1990 when I moved here, the moles were so prevalent that I had to spend 30 minutes just trampling down their paths/mounds before I could even mow.
Shortly thereafter, I discovered the "BEST"!!! ChokerLoop mole traps by the Nash Company.
See: http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies....1&Product_Code=WDCNMT01&Category_Code=WDCMT01
Lots more on it when you google it.
The first season I began using this ChokerLoop, I nailed 27 of these varmints!
I am at six kills this year (so far). As my neighbors don't really care about mole damage, I only catch moles now when they venture into my yard!
SO, once you buy two of these dudes (you'll want two), READ THE DIRECTIONS! It only takes a couple of minutes to learn so much more about the mole's lifestyle and habits. Realize that THE SET is everything (as Crager clearly explained above!).
Now, the photos:
Thumbnail 1 = Trap set, side view, the wickets go down into two slits you have cut into an active mole tunnel.
2 = Trap set, top view. Note trip pan, that when pushed up by the mole as he tunnels, activates to pull the wickets up to the trap body.
3 = Two traps set, closer one has been sprung. Flagged so I don't ever get stupid and hit it with mower.
4 = Close view of sprung trap.
5 = Sprung trap now pulled up.
6 = Mole success!
Last edited:
Similar threads
