Mole question

Tdog · Jun 13, 2002

My vegetable garden is pretty close to the woods & I have mole tunnels running all through it. As near as I can tell, they don't harm the veggies. I gather they are after worms & grubs. Does anyone know if these critters are harmful to gardens? I could take up trapping, but I have touble finding enough time to play in the garden - - can't afford to take up a new "hobby".

I've got moles in my yard too, & my dogs have a great time digging for them. Makes a mess of the yard, but I have so much shade that there is no grass or lawn to screw up. I just occassionally rake the caverns over to smooth out the surface some. Drives my wife crazy.

Thanks

StoneHeartFarm · Jun 14, 2002

Tdog

I've heard that Castor beans will clean out the moles. If I recall right, there is a castor bean oil that you can spray down the holes.

SHF

RobS · Jun 14, 2002

MossRoad provided an interesting Mole link in the swimming pool thread. According to <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.themoleman.com/>The Moleman</A> the only permanent remedy for moles is to trap them. I'm just glad I don't have them after reading this /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

MossRoad · Jun 14, 2002

They don't eat veggies and actually help aerate the soil. The only reason that I trap them is that they are undermining my swimming pool. If it wasn’t for that, I’d just leave them alone. My lawn is no showplace, so I’d just roll or tamp down the tunnels when they pop up. They can cause problems around house foundations. Their tunnels can make a good place for water to follow. They are really very interesting little creatures. They don't hibernate; they just follow the worms deeper in the winter. By the way, worms is their primary food, not grubs.

Follow that link that Rob posted to <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.themoleman.com> The Moleman </A> and read up on them. You’ll be surprised to see how strong they are.

By the way, it is funny to read some of the “information” sites on moles. Most of them state that a one acre plot of ground will support 3-4 moles. Two years ago I killed 29 on my 1.1 acre. Last year I killed over 50. This year I have already taken out 8(I got another one this morning).

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.pestdetour.com/moletrap.htm>Here's a link to a site that sells mole traps.</A> It is a good price. You should be able to find them locally for less than $15.00. Scroll down to the Victor Out O'Sight mole trap. I find this trap most effective. It kills the mole very fast, so it doesn't suffer. The only bad part is it takes arms of steel to set it and it could easily take off your finger. You can set this thing way down under ground in just about any soil type and it will work. It is very powerful.

TerryinMD · Jun 14, 2002

In our neck of the woods, another critter also uses the moles superhighways - voles. This critters are about as big as a mouse and WILL damage your crops.

We've had the buggers damage our potatoes, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and any other root crop.

Dogs and cats are great for controlling moles. Our cat and dog help a lot. They make a mess getting to the moles, but that is easy to fix and we have a lot less moles. I'll gladly take the trade off. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Plus, the entertainment factor is great. We watched our Border Collie play with a mole for about 10 minutes. I had to go over and dispatch the mole. Rather not have the dog eat it - yuck!! His breath is bad enough as it is!!! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Terry

MossRoad · Jun 14, 2002

You're right. VOLES are a menace. The eat veggies and flower bulbs. You can usually tell if voles are using the mole holes because you will see holes the size of a nickel or quarter coming out of the mole tunnels every so often. Voles use them to get air and to get in and out. Moles do not like the light or need the air, so they plug up all of the holes. If you find these holes in the tunnels, you can sprinkle some de-con in the holes and the voles will eat it and croak.