Moles ruining the lawn, local farm-store said spread "Milky Spore" where ever I noticed their holes and tunnels, so sprinkled that per instructions. Took a while, but the milky-spore got rid of the food sources for the moles and they left -- no moles for several years now, and lawn is looking good. Definitely worth a try for a small lot (under 2 acres), relatively cheap, and eliminated the need for traps and trap-cleaning.
Anyone have a solution to eradicating moles ??
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Some states you can buy poison for them. The easiest and cheapest way I have found is to get a can of lye at the hardware store. Take a old screw driver and use it to make a hole in the runs wherever they are about 6 feet apart. Just a small hole nickel or quarter size. Use a plastic spoon and put a teaspoon of lye in each hole. Any time you see a new run do this. I gaurantee it will get rid of the moles. My Dad taught me this many many years ago. It works everytime. If you have dogs or cats make sure they don't dig in the runs after this. You won't see any dead moles but they will be gone.
John Joseph McVeigh
Gold Member
We have installed two of these:
<Mole Chasing Windmill>,
in one section of our property. To install the windmills, we used steel pipes rather than grounding rods. (The instructions suggested using the latter.)
When the blades are turning, the device makes a rattling sound that gets conducted into the ground. The moles reportedly find the sound disconcerting. The moles seem to have headed back into the woods. We have had these in the ground for coming up on one year now.
Maintenance-free other than lubricating the roller bearings (one bearing per windmill), twice a year, per the instructions supplied with the windmills. We use White Lithium Grease that comes in a spray can to lubricate the bearings. The can comes with a small-diameter plastic concentrator tube that is a good fit for the bearings' races.
<Mole Chasing Windmill>,
in one section of our property. To install the windmills, we used steel pipes rather than grounding rods. (The instructions suggested using the latter.)
When the blades are turning, the device makes a rattling sound that gets conducted into the ground. The moles reportedly find the sound disconcerting. The moles seem to have headed back into the woods. We have had these in the ground for coming up on one year now.
Maintenance-free other than lubricating the roller bearings (one bearing per windmill), twice a year, per the instructions supplied with the windmills. We use White Lithium Grease that comes in a spray can to lubricate the bearings. The can comes with a small-diameter plastic concentrator tube that is a good fit for the bearings' races.
Last edited:
jayroget
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I have a unconventional way I get rid of mine. I’ll take a 4’x4’ piece of old plywood and lay on ground in area that they are active. Couple times a day, basically morning and late afternoon I flip it over and stomp the nesting buggers. Works best if good grass is there and not shaded all day.
scootr
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I've taken this method to the next level by introducing a little forced air to push the smoke deep into the ground.
john_leslie
New member
Lots of good advice so far. Here's my two bits worth. I have 3 approaches that I have used. All of them successful.
1. Trapping. Previous posts have given good advice on this.
2. Blow them up. By far the most satisfying approach. I open up as many holes as possible then dump old gasoline down them and light them up with a rag on a stick. Lots of fun. It not only blows up the ones the concussion reaches, but also sucks all the oxygen out of the runs and asphyxiates them. Problem is, their buddies from afar eventually just reoccupy the runs. Does keep them subdued for quite a while though.
3. Kill the bugs. Its not just grubs, but if you have them. They're like a big beefsteak to them. Just running a good general purpose insecticide seems to reduce the food supply enough that I almost never see any moles for at least 6 months or so after treatment. It has been the most effective and least time consuming.
I still like blowing them up though.
1. Trapping. Previous posts have given good advice on this.
2. Blow them up. By far the most satisfying approach. I open up as many holes as possible then dump old gasoline down them and light them up with a rag on a stick. Lots of fun. It not only blows up the ones the concussion reaches, but also sucks all the oxygen out of the runs and asphyxiates them. Problem is, their buddies from afar eventually just reoccupy the runs. Does keep them subdued for quite a while though.
3. Kill the bugs. Its not just grubs, but if you have them. They're like a big beefsteak to them. Just running a good general purpose insecticide seems to reduce the food supply enough that I almost never see any moles for at least 6 months or so after treatment. It has been the most effective and least time consuming.
I still like blowing them up though.
Fuddyduddy1952
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If I could only clone Reggie our Tomcat. He died 10 years ago at 21. He loved moles...not eat just kill. He would sit on a fence post and as soon as a blade of grass moved he pounced popping them out of the ground.
When he was a kitten I tied a mouse cat toy on fishing line and cast it out in the yard. Maybe that trained him.
Get a kitten from the shelter!
When he was a kitten I tied a mouse cat toy on fishing line and cast it out in the yard. Maybe that trained him.
Get a kitten from the shelter!
SheepdogRD
New member
I like the idea of carbon monoxide as a mole/vole/gopher eliminator. Here's the commercial version: Rodent Control | Glendale, AZ - Gopher Heaven
Gopher Heaven is a 3 hp engine that sips fuel, mounted on an inverted pan. Exhaust is routed down into the pan (or separately in the "snake" edition). Set the engine and pan on the hole -- or route the exhaust into hole -- and run the engine for 5 minutes. The exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and heavier than air. It simply puts the pests to permanent sleep. They're already buried, so there's no corpse handling required.
Gopher Heaven weighs 21 pounds, and costs $500 delivered. I think the inventor is onto something.
I wonder if we couldn't just route the exhaust from a lawn tractor or mower through a flex pipe and accomplish the same thing. My solution is a Honda engine on a wheeled cart -- originally a power washer with a failed pump that I bought cheap -- plus a length of flex pipe. It's a lot bigger and heavier -- and probably a lot noisier, but it uses materials I have on hand. It will get tested in a month or so when I go up to my family's farm in Michigan.
Gopher Heaven is a 3 hp engine that sips fuel, mounted on an inverted pan. Exhaust is routed down into the pan (or separately in the "snake" edition). Set the engine and pan on the hole -- or route the exhaust into hole -- and run the engine for 5 minutes. The exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and heavier than air. It simply puts the pests to permanent sleep. They're already buried, so there's no corpse handling required.
Gopher Heaven weighs 21 pounds, and costs $500 delivered. I think the inventor is onto something.
I wonder if we couldn't just route the exhaust from a lawn tractor or mower through a flex pipe and accomplish the same thing. My solution is a Honda engine on a wheeled cart -- originally a power washer with a failed pump that I bought cheap -- plus a length of flex pipe. It's a lot bigger and heavier -- and probably a lot noisier, but it uses materials I have on hand. It will get tested in a month or so when I go up to my family's farm in Michigan.
dpauly
Member
What MossRoad said. All I'd add is the 'main' tunnels he cited are often along cement walks, driveways, etc., and several secondary tunnels usually branch off of them. the secondary tunnels are only used a time or two by the mole, then abandoned. A guy who used to call himself The Mole Hunter out of Kansas City used to sell some killer (see what I did there) traps. He was on youtube also. However, last I tried to buy some more, he seemed to be locked up in a patent or legal fight of sorts and wasn't putting any out at the time. A Rat Terrier or cat might also help.I have a lot of experience with moles, as documented several times here on TBN over the years.
Over 300 in 6 years on 1 acre. Yep. You read that right. Then they finally got down to just a couple a year.
In the past, I've always recommended the Victor Out O Sight mole trap. However, in the past couple of years, there has apparently been a change to the spring tension, and they are not getting good reviews anymore. Too weak to work. The original ones will darn near break your finger. If you can find them, they are the best.
2nd best is the one you have.
If you don't already know, don't try and trap the mounds. That doesn't work. That's a place where the moles push soil UP to clear their tunnels. Pushing UP triggers the trap well before the mole gets there.
If you see an area that looks like a wrinkled up carpet all over the place, don't try and trap there, either. It's too random.
The only place to try and set a trap is across an active tunnel.
Find the tunnels in your yard, then use your heel to press down a spot every so often. Then check your heel marks every day. If a heel mark gets pushed back up, that's an active tunnel and a good place to concentrate.
I like to buy a bundle of the little marking flags at Lowe's that have about a foot of wire and a little flag. That helps me to relocate my heel marks VS walking all over the place. The neighbors might be concerned you're laying out new construction, though.
Once you've located an active tunnel, you need to find out how far down under the soil the tunnel is. Take a small garden trowel and cut out about a 3" slice from the tunnel and expose both ends of the tunnel. So you'll have an open U-channel with a hole at each side.
Take the plug of sod that you dug out and put it at the bottom of the trench, so that it lays flat across the U-Channel and blocks just a bit of the side tunnel openings.
Now set your trap across the tunnel so the trigger pan is flush against the top of the sod plug. When the mole comes through from either side, it will encounter the sod plug blocking the tunnel, and try to go under it, pushing the plug up against the trigger and POP that should get it.
ttener
Bronze Member
I went that same route, with the same results. They’re after the grubs, which are mostly jab beetle larvae. Try milky spore. You can get organic types an Amazon. Once you inoculate the yard, you’re good for 2-3 years. The moles will move to your neighbors lawns when they can’t find any food in yours. It takes a few months and patience, but the stuff really does work. I’m about 10 years out from my last application and they’ve moved back in. I need to do the same thing myself!