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12/21/06, 06:17 AM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: In beautiful downtown Sticks, near Belleview, Fl.
Posts: 7,102
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Ground mole problem
These creatures may be unique to Florida, they are mice sized tunnelers that leave mounds of sand on the surface, this is not wanted because the area is an airstrip runway. Any suggestions as how to get rid of them?
The second problem is gopher tortoise, they also tunnel and leave holes that are not desirable around light aircraft. Both are a constant annoyance, the gopher Ts are a protected species so this makes them harder to deal with, we just wait until they leave their burrows and then fill them in, again, and again, and again, ect.
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12/21/06, 07:22 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 160
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The only way I have found to control the critters is to take away their food source. You will have to put down insecticide and grub killer. No food, and the critters move somewhere else.
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12/21/06, 07:37 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 75
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Our cats devour the moles on our property....before we had cats here we had surface tunnels everywhere.....3 cats later, no moles, no mice, no birds, no squirrels, no living creatures on our property with the cat patrol on duty.
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12/21/06, 11:47 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: WA
Posts: 459
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Plant in surrounding edges a plant called "gopher purge" and both gophers and moles will leave within about 2 months. We had those lil' tunnels everywhere when we moved here-couldn't cross what was left of the lawn without either tripping or sinking in, now it's a rare sight to see any mounds or tunnels. These are very hardy plants, thrive on neglect and propagate well on their own. It's cool when they seed out in late summer here in WA., they form little seed balls and when they get hot enough they pop open and sound like popcorn popping away, the plants can get to 3ft. tall if they're happy but even at that height they are only about a foot wide and single stalk. Good Luck!
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Last edited by rio002; 12/21/06 at 11:50 AM.
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12/21/06, 11:49 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: WA
Posts: 459
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Btw this plants doesn't kill them, they just don't like the smell or taste and will leave of their own accord--should legal to plant to deter even a protected species.
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You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him float on his back.
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12/21/06, 12:44 PM
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TMESIS
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Zone 6 - Middle TN
Posts: 1,220
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A stick of spearmint gum down the holes.
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"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back..." Maya Angelou
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12/21/06, 03:15 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 7,154
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Mothballs put into holes about 3 inches deep and spaced in a grid pattern at about ten foot spaces between the balls will drive them away.
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12/21/06, 05:42 PM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: In beautiful downtown Sticks, near Belleview, Fl.
Posts: 7,102
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Ground moles are tiny burrowing critters that do not leave a hole entrance to their tunnels, there is no way to install any foreign substance into their tunnels. Digging into the tunnels causes the tunnel to collapse. The recognized way to get rid of them is to install sound annoying devices or poison their areas. I was hoping for an alternative approach.
They will create an exit area and bring out the sand to build the mounds, which they then stack, it becomes a small mound about 8 inches high and similar to a basketball in size. These could easily trip a light aircraft, causing it to overturn.
__________________
If you can read this - thank a teacher. If you can read this in English - thank a veteran.
Never mistake kindness for weakness.
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12/21/06, 05:55 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Clarksville TN.
Posts: 890
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Go out at day break and stand or sit very still (they can feel your foot steps)near a visible tunnel and you can see them working/pushing the ground up at the end. Now either shoot with a shot gun or shove a garden hose in (a few ft') behind them. Assuming there tunnels look like moles, you can just stick it right into the tunnel as it is close to the surface and visible. Now the fun part waiting for the little sucker to come popping out of the ground to escape the water. Shovels or garden hoes work well for dispatching the little darlings.
Don't waste your time trying to fill any old (or finished) tunnels with water they dig (U's) into there tunnels to prevent flooding. You have to catch them near the end most of the time.
Would think the turtles would come up if flooded as well. You could them relocate them. (quietly!)
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12/21/06, 08:39 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 12,448
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by moopups
Ground moles are tiny burrowing critters that do not leave a hole entrance to their tunnels, there is no way to install any foreign substance into their tunnels. Digging into the tunnels causes the tunnel to collapse. The recognized way to get rid of them is to install sound annoying devices or poison their areas. I was hoping for an alternative approach.
They will create an exit area and bring out the sand to build the mounds, which they then stack, it becomes a small mound about 8 inches high and similar to a basketball in size. These could easily trip a light aircraft, causing it to overturn.
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If you will carefully remove the pile of dirt you will see the tunnel. We used to have mole traps. They are just a spring loaded fork that is put in the tunnel, when the mole comes through the tunnel it will spring the trap and spear the mole.
If there is a food supply they are real hard to get rid of. As soon as you kill the first bunch another bunch will move in to replace them. Removing the food supply is the easiest.
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12/21/06, 10:44 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 479
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The moles we had here (NY) are here to eat the grubs in the soil. With heave lime, it helps the grass anyway, the grubs find the soil not to their liking. No grubs, no moles. This trick took me most of the summer to acheive, but no poison, or traps for the kids and pets to get into. I had to lime the lawn about every two weeks. Just use a drop spreader and lay it down until the lawn is fairly white. Not like a baseball field, but dusty white. Water it in, or just wait until just before a rain. Mike
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