Moles Taking Over

[Leroy Brown]

Here is a real effective method. Roll up a piece of Juicy Fruit chewing gum. And stick it in a run. The Mole is attracted to the gum eats it and it swells in it's stomach killing it. This method is recommended by a master Gardner that does a radio show in our area. Besides if your dog or cat gets hold of the gum it won't harm them.

 

[s219]

Don't mean to hijack the tread, but I've had a sudden reappearance of moles in December. I don't ever remember having problems with them in the winter. Maybe because we have had such a wet and mild fall/winter. Are they normally active in cold weather?

I am seeing the same thing here, and I suspect it's because we're having a mild winter so far here in Virginia. Normally they taper off activity by November, but I saw fresh tunnels in the field behind my yard just last week.

 

[Bird]

Here is a real effective method. Roll up a piece of Juicy Fruit chewing gum. And stick it in a run. The Mole is attracted to the gum eats it and it swells in it's stomach killing it. This method is recommended by a master Gardner that does a radio show in our area. Besides if your dog or cat gets hold of the gum it won't harm them.

Real effective? I used 15 sticks of Juicy Fruit before I realized the moles liked it so much, they were inviting their friends to come here from the neighbors' yards.:laughing: Well, it sounds logical that it would work, even if it didn't.:laughing:

 

[flyerdan]

A long time ago my dad told me that one of the most effective 'set and forget' methods of dealing with gophers was to make little bundles of lye in kitchen wrap. Bury it in their runs and they'll come along and claw through it, getting it all over themselves and start to dissolve.

Animal rights whackos would whiz orange juice if they got wind of that, but then they live in cities where they don't have to deal with varmint damage or having their kids harvested from the school bus stop by encroaching wolves.

 

[Pilot]

The car exhaust probably won't work these days unless you have an old car. It's been decades since I have read about anyone committing suicide in their garage with their car exhaust. Pollution control system keep the exhaust too clean.

 

[brokenknee]

The car exhaust probably won't work these days unless you have an old car. It's been decades since I have read about anyone committing suicide in their garage with their car exhaust. Pollution control system keep the exhaust too clean.

I would think a gas lawn tractor should do the trick.

 

[Depmandog]

I use a product made from castor oil called Scoot Mold. It comes in a sprayer you attach to a garden hose - simply spray it on your lawn. I use it at most once per year. Something in the castor oil they don't like and WILL NOT enter my yard.

I will see there runs along the fence, but the only time they will venture into my yard is a year later when it's time for another application.

Wasn't particularly expensive. I have a 1/3 acre lot here at the house and one container usually will give me a full yard application. I have been using it for years, and now I usually just do an 8' wide swath around my perimeter - and I can get three years per container. I want to say I paid $12-$14 at Westlake Ace Hardware for the last batch. I have used a similar product called Mole Medic, but recall that I couldn't locate that brand the last time.





Dean

 

[MossRoad]

Here we go again! :laughing:

This subject comes up a couple time a year. I respond with a long winded reply because I like to hear myself talk. So... I'll try to make this short...:licking:

FIRST!
Go to this website and READ everything...
Moleman
The guy is a professional mole trapper. Its a good read. :thumbsup:

Second, go out and purchase several Victor Out O Sight mole traps and learn how to use them. They work exceptionally well and tend to kill moles faster and much more humanely than any other type of trap.

There are basically only two ways to get rid of moles: eliminate their food source or eliminate the moles. That's about as simple as it gets.

Eliminating their food source involves turning your lawn into a sterile growing medium for grass through the use of chemicals. Moles are carnivorous. They eat all bugs, grubs, earthworms, etc... with earthworms being their primary source of food. Once you eliminate their food source, they will move on. Once you kill them, they will not come back. :laughing: However, others will move in as they are opportunistic loners, taking over abandoned tunnels when they find them. So, trap them out of your yard aggressively then trap the perimeters to keep them out.

I say this with some authority of experience. We lost our above ground swimming pool when moles undermined the liner and it broke, causing 12,500 gallons of water to exit through our garage in about 1 minute. Before that, I did not take the moles seriously. That summer I trapped 29 moles in our yard. The following 4 years I stopped counting at 50 dead moles each year. That's over 229 moles in 5 years on ONE ACRE! :shocked:Then they started diminishing. I got less than a dozen a year for a few years after that and have trapped none in the past couple years, although I see their activity in spring and fall, it is only one tunnel and I think they are moving through my property rather than staying on my property now. I still put out the traps at first sign of activity. I do not want them back.

The biggest tip I can give is to trap the tunnels and don't trap the hills or feeding areas. Read the Moleman's page and follow his advice. :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

And for those that recommend chewing gum I have one thing to ask...

Has anyone EVER found a mole that has died from ingesting chewing gum?

Please, oh please find me a link. Please. :licking:

 

[Leroy Brown]

I never said I used the chewing gum method. I merely reported what Master Gardner Dick Crumm has said on his gardening radio show. I've not had too much trouble with moles.