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How do I get rid of moles!

Started by CHARLIE, October 22, 2004, 10:38:21 PM

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CHARLIE

I've got a whole herd, or gaggle of moles in my yard. I'm ready to do battle but not sure what to do to get rid of them. I'm looking for a simple and easy solution.

I bought some mothballs with thoughts of dissolving them in water and pouring the water all along the dirt mounds and runs. But the mothballs won't dissolve. ::)  So, my plan is to poke mothballs down into the dirt deep enough that they'll be inside their tunnels. Then wait til they dig themselves out for fresh air and stomp on them.

I reckon I should call PETA and give them a chance to save them, which I wouldn't mind as long as they took the moles with them when they left. ;D

Anyone got any better ideas?
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

Brad_S.

Ask the co-op extension and they'll tell you to get rid of the grubs that the moles are feeding on. ::)

I decided instead to get mid-evil on their arses with that nasty looking impaling device. >:( It worked. You flatten one of their runs and place the trip plate on the flat spot. When the mole comes by and pushes the earth back up, the spring loaded spikes (4) drop down and impale the little sucker. Gruesome but effective. :o

I hear there is a device which emits pulses into the ground which annoys them, so they leave. I suppose you could do the same by taking an old speaker, putting it face down, and playing rap music(?), thus forcing them to leave. I know that would work on me! :D
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

DanG

There's a bunch of gimmicks on the market, but I ain't sure none of them work. ???  The scientifically accepted way is to spray your yard to get rid of the grubs that are attracting the moles in the first place.  I don't know what you're supposed to spray with, though. There may be some granulated stuff at the garden center that would do the trick, too.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

WoodSmith

If you have good soil which contains huge populations of worms and grubs, the reality is you will never get rid of them for good. If you have someone who can come on a regular basis and live trap them you might keep them down to minimum. The problem is that 200 ft away in your neighbors yard or down the road in the next field there is a female mole who is going to push out her offspring and they will be looking for their own territory to start their own family. It is an interesting circle of life between the moles and there food supply and the territory that they live. You could erradicate their food supply and drive them off to another area, or you can trap them and kill them, however they are benificial in moving sub soils around. I dealt with moles professionally in my yard care business and the only sure fired method that I found was to use the standard scissor trap. Moles are also highly territorial and very fast, one mole can give the appearance that there are several.
Are they in your lawn or garden, this can make a difference in the ease of trapping them. Lawns are easier to trap moles in because of the sod and the soil is compacted?
If you are going to trap them you will want to wear gloves as they have an accute sense of smell considering that they are nearly blind. You also have to find the main runway which is not necessarily directly connected to a mound. 90% of their runways run horizontally from 6" to 2' below the surface. Sometimes if you have several mounds close together you can get a fairly good idea where the main runway is,(you can use a metal rod and push down into the soil until you feel it push through easy) then dig down til you intersect the tunnel digging the hole no larger than your trap. Next put a small stone (about the size of prune not necessarily round, just something to create a mass)under the trap to cause them to have to go over the stone which will cause them to hit the trigger on the trap, and if they happen to be pushing dirt ahead of them this can also cause them to stop pushing dirt and investigate the obstruction which will put them up to the trigger. Without the stone they will either dig beneath the trigger or they will push dirt ahead of them and set the trap off before their body is in postiion.
Hope this helps. You might do an extensive web search on moles.
We have millions of them out here in the pacific northwest, mostly because of the moisture which the worms and grubs thrive in and the fact that we do not get hard deep freezes in the winter.

Erick

Charlie
      The mole traps mensioned here are definatly the way to go. If your not familier with them (I'm guessing your not) you might do a search online to see how they work. You should be able to find them in your local hardware stores or in some of the catalogs you might already have. I know that Forestry Suppliers sells them for $10.00 to $13.00 you can find them on page 310 in their catalog or on their website Part #'s 35816 for scissor type or 35808 for the spike style trap. I like the spike trap myself. Umm  ::) their is one other shurfire way to get rid of the peskie creatures. What you will neeed to do is get yourself two (one will work but two are much faster) German Shorthaired Pointers and turn them loose in your yard. They will sniff out the moles no matter how far down they are and immediatly procede to excavate the creature and proudly parade it around the yard for the other one to see (this is the part where having two speeds the process) this makes the other one jelous and that much more determined to find one of her very own to play with. This process will repeat untill you no longer have a mole problem. Just remember to watch your step and not to fall into any two foot deep holes or trip on one of the many 15' to 20' long trenches you now have in your lawn.  :D Hey it works for me.  ;D
It's better to have it and not need it. Then to need it and not have it.

Norm

Charlie my method only works if you live in the country or if in the city have understanding neighbors. First thing I do is stomp down all of the runs and hills they dig, get a lawn chair and at least a 12ga shotgun (preferably an auto-loader). Sit in the lawn chair and wait for em to start redigging, as soon as you see dirt being pushed up very quietly sneak over and blast the spot they're digging. Works every time and is good clean fun...oh sure some safety nut is going to say this is dangerous but at least your not spraying your whole yard with noxious chemicals.

If you want I can also give you some tips on how to rid the house of mice. ;D

jgoodhart

Buy a cat, cat catches a mole give it a tastey treat, the cat catches on quick and will be mole hunting all night and day and have your porch covered in dead moles and lose body parts :D. Are cats name Trouble II and he does in aleast 4 moles a week, dad has a trap in his yard and has only caught one in the last two weeks now dad wants to barrow the cat.

SwampDonkey

I have 3 stray cats that keep the moles tamed down, and if they get into the garage there is a gauntlet of warfarren and traps to overcome. ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

sprucebunny

I was thinkin cut the end of extension cord ,split wires , one at each end of lawn ,plug it in. Turn on sprinkler.
Have your video camera handy in case they do a dance.And the 12 ga ready in case they run.

Norm F-- I want to know about mice. Unless it involves indoor gun play which I've already considered and ruled out with winter comin an all. :D
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

Texas Ranger

Y'all just  have no sense of fun.

Buy one of the propane torches that has the prizo lighter, where you pull the trigger part way, then as the gas comes out, you pull harder and light the gas.

Open a small hole into a run, insert nozzle, depress trigger part way and fill run with gas, ignite gas.  There is a satisfying "THUMP', the dirt lifts a little, and you move on to the area where the dirt didn't jump, and do it again.  

I had moles in my yard at the office, St. Augustine grass, and got rid of them in a couple of days.  

No loud noises like a 12 Gage, but the neighbors appreciate the Silence of the Moles.
The Ranger, home of Texas Forestry

Corley5

Run a hose from your vehicle's exhaust into one of the mole tunnels.  The carbon monoxide will fix them
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Kirk_Allen

Norm, Norm, Norm,
Tell me your not putting toxic lead into your yard.  Tell me your using steel shot which would rust away.  Using lead your providing a toxic environment for those beautiful critters to live in.  Lead poisoning is a bad way to go, either ingested or driven through the body at a high rate of speed. ;D.  

OK, I'm only kidding ;D  Sounds like a lot of fun.  

I had the chance to go prairie dog fishing in west Texas a few years bag and it was a blast.  Norm if you like that type of shooting you will get a kick out of this.

We would put a slip knot on a fishing line (20lb spider wire works best because it doesn't stretch) and make a loop which is placed around the opening of a prairie dog hole.  Walk back about 100-200 feet then sit down next to your cooler and rifle.  Hold the fishing pole in one hand, cold drink in the other.  When that little sucker sticks his head up set the hook!  I mean the noose ;D

You now have a angry little critter on your fishing line that is scrambling like mad to get back in his hole.  But being the great fisherman we are, we not only set the noose but we reeled him in about 5 feet real quick which means he cant reach his hole.  

Once you know you have control, grab your rifle and let target practice begin ;D  I can assure you when the afternoon is done, you will have never laughed so hard nor had so much fun in you life.  Make sure you do it with a couple friends.  

If this offended anyone im sorry..........a little.  Those critters are a nuisance to farmers and they carry the plague.  Besides, the state DNR folks thought it was a neat way of putting fun back into hunting them pests and though it might be a way to get more folks shooting them.


J_T

Charlie no problem You put on a cook out every one come over and try out all these things at once I bet there won't be a mole left in a hundred miles  :D :D  Call Holleywood first  8)
Jim Holloway

J_T

Just rembered .I liked the LP trick I got to know a manager at a LP place once. He said an employe of his once had the same mole problem so he took the delevery thuck home and proceded to put the hose in the main run and turn it on . He waited a while then lit it took them moles and half the house out  :D :D. Seemes the runs went past a sewer line and under the house too. So if we get together bring Dogs cats guns load of LP traps and a few more thinges Call Tom we fix you right up .PS sell tickets 8)
Jim Holloway

Fla._Deadheader

  NOW we know why Patty is always fixing up Norm's house. ;D :D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

CHARLIE

Thanks for all the ideas.  This might be fun and sporting all at the same time.  I like the steel spike idea and Norm's idea of blasting them with a shotgun. I was just wondering how long Norm has to sit in his chair waiting for the earth to start moving. How long Norm?  A six pack or a twelve pack? ;D  I also was liking the idea of letting gas flow into the hole and igniting it until I read J_T's post.  It surprises me that they dig as deep as 2 feet deep. I also like Corley's idea of gassing them with exhaust fumes.  No one mentioned my idea of putting mothballs in their run and forcing them to the surface. Must not be a good idea. Well, off to war I go! ;D This is gonna be fun! 8)
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

Bro. Noble

Charlie,

We used to plant a mothball about every foot of row when we planted peanuts.  It at least kept them outta the goobers ;D

I remember grandad waging war on moles.  He used poison peanuts.  Wonder how long ago they outlawed them.

Be thankful you don't have those DanG hardshell possoms-----they root up a yard or garden as bad as a hog >:(
milking and logging and sawing and milking

rebocardo

My neighbor's cat brings over dead moles for me and leaves them at the back door. He gives the chipmunks a work over too. So, I vote for a cat and give him a reward.

I had a Malamute (like a big Husky) and even being a city dog, he emptied the yard of everything including bumble bees, slugs, etc. Basically, anything that moved.

Larry

This place is great! ;D  Few weeks ago we learned the recipe for napalm so I whipped up a couple hundred gallons and now I know what to use it on! :D :D  Watch out moles!
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Norm

When I was pretty young they had bounties on all kinds of pests. Fox ears were a dollar if I remember right, crows feet were something like 50 cents and gophers were a quarter. Took em into the county courthouse, don't remember which department but I would have hated to been the one to empty their trash.

The first time I tried that method for mole removal I used my uzi but after missing once decided that the shotgun gave me more margin for error. If they're active it only takes a six pack for em to show back up redigging their holes. Sprucebunny Patty has banned my method for mouse removal from the house but I have a brother, although I haven't seen him in a few years, I bet is still using it. Of course he probably still lives in a rental house. :D

WH_Conley

    Sprucebunny, inside gunfire will work if small caliber. I have an old .22 revolver that I use snake shot in. Does not do much damage. My wife said that is a matter of opinion, she didn't care for it. I figured a LITTLE bit of paint off the dryer was not too bad for positive results. The house we live in now we have never had any problems. My son-in-law has the pistol now. My daughter is not too crazy about. She said she guessed it was true" You marry a man just like your father"

PS. Pretty good son-in-law, decent shot.
Bill

Patty

Another effective method Norm used to use was back when we had a big yellow lab named Jordon. Well Jordy loved to hunt, so when he saw Norm get out the guns he was always right there at his side. One day he joined Norm out for a ground squirrel hunt, but wasn't having much fun, since Norm was just shootin the ground  ::), so Norm took heart and went after a can of diesel. Norm would pour some diesel down the hole, and out would pop a ground squirrel!  :o
 Jordon thought this was great fun catching the deisel covered little rodents. After that whenever Jordon smelled diesel, he would get all excited.  :D
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

shopteacher

See now my wife's just the opposite. When she smells diesel she get pist :( cause I got it on me and probably getting on something else in the house. Sure wish she was more like Jordy. Getting all excited and such. :D
Proud owner of a LT40HDSE25, Corley Circle mill, JD 450C, JD 8875, MF 1240E
Tilt Bed Truck  and well equipted wood shop.

Patty

Gee Shopteacher, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe if you took her ground squirrel huntin' with ya she'd change her ways.  :D
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

sprucebunny

I like the smell of deisel but I REAlly like the way a person (preferably male) smells when they's been running a chain saw. Will even put up with sawdust and mud for that. Course it might grow old...
Startin to wish I had moles so I could try the propane thing ;D
Mice are living in an outside wall. Can smell them but it might take more than one shot. Might as well disassemble the wall first rather than after it's ventilated.
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

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