Tunneling moles

[PitbullMidwest]

If you can locate the main tunnel, "Giant Destoyer" poison gas bombs work well. Open up the tunnel about 3 feet from the mound, light the fuse and insert. I buy them at Farm King, 4 for $5.00. The only real problem is you don't know if you killed them or not unless the burrowing stops.

I've never had moles like this year.

 

[PBinWA]

Yup - the Victor Out-of-sight traps are the ones that work. I'll second MossRoad's recommendations. You can use some rebar and poke it down into the ground to find out where the tunnels are. The big deep tunnels are the best. I get better results finding a long tunnel than using the mounds. Typically, the mounds are intersections of 3 or more tunnels so they are harder to isolate.

I bought some Out-of-sight traps at Home Depot for around $7 recently. I think the proce dropped. They are painted now too. Hopefully, that helps with the rust. The traps tended to rust up pretty fast and wouldn't "spring" as easily. Not sure how to keep the traps all clean and fast without coating them in oil and then I just suspect the smell of the oil would repell the moles.

Not sure which I hate more Moles or Deer. At least there isn't any sort of restrictions on killing moles. I wish I could get a big Victor trap for the deer. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[woodlot]

I don't think this has been mentioned. One way to rid the moles is to rid thier food source, grubs. Use grub killer on the lawn in conjunction with traps for a more effective approach to the problem.

 

[PBinWA]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I don't think this has been mentioned. One way to rid the moles is to rid thier food source, grubs. Use grub killer on the lawn in conjunction with traps for a more effective approach to the problem. )</font>

I'd respectfully disagree. The moleman link that MossRoad provided above explains this very well. Apparently, moles primarily eat earthworms so killing the grubs doesn't really affect their food supply that much.

 

[beenthere]

I have had good results using the grub killer in areas of lawn next to my woods. Seems to keep the moles working in the woods, and they don't venture far into the lawn.

Where they have been the biggest pest and working up the lawn, is where there is evidence of grubs working. The grub killer probably does a number on the earthworms in those areas as well. So it may be a toss-up, if wanting to keep the earthworms vs. the grubs/moles.

The moles can sure destroy a nice looking lawn /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

 

[PBinWA]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have had good results using the grub killer in areas of lawn next to my woods. Seems to keep the moles working in the woods, and they don't venture far into the lawn.

Where they have been the biggest pest and working up the lawn, is where there is evidence of grubs working. The grub killer probably does a number on the earthworms in those areas as well. So it may be a toss-up, if wanting to keep the earthworms vs. the grubs/moles.

The moles can sure destroy a nice looking lawn /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. )</font>

I think it has something to do with the "taste" of the soil. During the rainy times of the year, if I heavily lime my lawn then the moles seem to avoid it. They will come in so far and then don't seem to hang around. There has to be enough rain to wash the lime down into the dirt so it only works during the rainy season. It also takes a lot of lime for my big lawn.

Just an observation and the best explanation I can figure out.

 

[MossRoad]

Funny thing a bout moles is they really are neat little creatures. They have twice the red blood cells in a given amount of blood than a human. That's why they can survive in tunnels with 1/2 the oxygen. They are super strong. Somewhere, I read that if a mole was 6' tall it could stand between cars in a parking lot and push them apart. YIKES! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

They don't eat vegetables or flower bulbs as they are carnivores. If you see small, nickel sized holes in their tunnels, chances are mice-like voles are using their tunnels and damaging your bulbs and/or root crops. Moles don't make open holes to the surface. They don't like light.

Apparently after they dig their tunnels the worms and insect larvae like their tunnels because it is dark, damp and easier to move through than hard packed soil. Then the moles come back through the tunnels several times a day to pick up the feast.

Moles don't hibernate. They just go down deeper as the worms go down deeper when the surface starts getting cold.

They only have 4-6 babies once a year. Makes me wonder what kind of population lives in the woods behind my house as I killed so many over the last 3-4 years. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Personally, I don't mind them that much. They aerate the soil and are neat little creatures. But I have lost two pool liners to them. My sidewalks are undermined. My asphalt driveway has cracked over their tunnels. My concrete steps in front of my house have to be re-shimmed every year... and so-on. They also have tunnels down the side of my foundation that could lead to water damage if not taken care of.

 

[Inspector507]

I think that's what I have are voles. Smallish black creatures that scurry ahead of the TC18 when I'm mowing. They try to stay in the taller grass to escape detection, but I still see them running everywhere. One did get in the house one year though. I usually have a few mice too, and I use a baggie over my hand, corner it, nab it, and pull the baggie back over my hand so their trapped inside. Seal it and toss out in the garbage. DON'T try it with a vole. They bite hard, real hard. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[MossRoad]

Voles are nasty, toothy beasty things with a very short tail. We use to find them under boards in fields, catch them with a very thick leather glove, and feed them to a friend's garter snake, named Gertrude, of course. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[ns_in_tex]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( They also have tunnels down the side of my foundation that could lead to water damage if not taken care of.

)</font>

I think I may have this problem, since dirt is disappearing at a couple locations by my foundation, inside the flower bed. Do you do anything other than try to control the moles or gophers, which ever I may have?