Moles

[Caelma]

I have heard so many ways of getting rid of moles.
Does any of them really work?
I can sure use some advice. They even come up with the ground frozen
Can big trees come down cause of underground destruction?
They have made hills all over the yard. We must have a mole family
who moved into the yard and loves the place cause they weren't this bad last year. We;re talking literally 40 to 50 hills in my yard. (Back and front)
and on some days 5 or more new ones a day.

[fishhead]

I've read that they are after the grubs and that if you remove the grubs the moles will leave.

[airotciv]

You may want to check out this artical /www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_diseases_pests_animals/article/0,,HGTV_3578_3910358,00.html it uses a granular castor oil to get rid of the mole/ghophers, doesn't kill them just makes them leave. I think we will try it this year because nothing else has worked very well. Just don't use gas and fire. Had a neighbor do this and set the roots of trees on fire, smoldered for days, killed the trees and he had to call out the fire department. Just not a good idea.

Edit: I thought this web sight would come up so you could just click on it, but it didn't. So you can just go on to www.hgtv.com and in the search put in gopher/moles and then on castor oil artical. Sorry about that.

[bgraham]

We had a horrible mole problem until we got pets. Now our 4 cats and our dog get rid of them.

Beth

[danoon]

Our seven dogs haven't chased them away and neither has putting 7 Dust on the yard 4 times a year to keep the fleas and tics down. It kills the grubs but the moles hang around anyway.
Oh, don't waste your money on that 4 - D battery spike that beeps every 10 seconds and is suppose to drive them away... I think they use it for meditation while they are digging.

Dad used to use that trap with the pitch fork looking device that stabs them when they bump into it but we can't use it because of the dogs.

[farmergirl]

Sevin dust is not anything I would want to be putting on the homestead...horrible toxic crap that kills the good bugs right along with the bad ones. If you are having bug problems, check out an insect growth regulator instead. Just as effective, but not toxic.

[Wendy]

Our feed mill carries a poison worm. It looks like a nightcrawler which is their main food. They eat it & they die. They really do work. Kind of expensive though.

[Quinton]

Originally Posted by bgraham

We had a horrible mole problem until we got pets. Now our 4 cats and our dog get rid of them.

Beth

Yep!!

Our 2 cats get about 1 per week it seems!

Of course we have a bad Japanese beetle problem that I need to work on. :1pig:

[Caelma]

I only have one outdoor cat and she seems to like baby bunnies, mice and
little squirrels. No moles that I know of.
Usually we have a few mole hills here and there, this year they're awful and
the few mounds are literally dozens and dozens.
I'm wondering if there are actually a dozen hills leading up to and
around a tree if I should be worried about the stability of that tree?
How deep do these little buggers do down?

[1GandJ1]

I think maybe Milky Spore Power would be the answer. It is organic and doesn't effect pets or people etc.

Description
An environmentally safe way to control grubs, especially in lawns. Milky Spore is a disease that specifically targets japanese beetle grubs and, once in the soil, continues to control them for 20 years. Milky Spore will not spread in the soil unless grubs are present. The more grubs there are, the faster the disease spreads among them.

How it works
After Milky Spore has built up in the lawn, infected beetle larvae (grubs) will die and decay, releasing billions of new spores into the soil. This process continues year after year. Once the soil is saturated with spores and the grubs are destroyed, Milky Spore remains dormant and viable, ready to go to work once again should new grubs appear.

General usage
Use on lawns, flower and vegetable gardens, and around shrubs and trees.

Directions for use
Milky Spore Powder:
Apply at the rate of 10 lbs per acre (or 4 oz per 1,000 sq.ft.) in teaspoon sized spots every 4 feet, in rows four feet apart (in a checkerboard pattern) on all grassy areas, mulch beds, and gardens.
Use a tube dispenser to treat large areas.

Milky Spore Granular (for spreading):
Use a standard drop spreader to apply the granular product. Apply at the rate of 20lbs per 7,000 sq.ft. Apply twice a year (Spring and Fall) for 3 years to achieve the same effects as the powder product.

Advisories
Contrary to some reports, milky spore does appear to overwinter well in the northern U.S. However, it is susceptible to drought conditions.
The time required for milky spore to become established at the site depends on several conditions, including the maturity of the grubs, the size of the grub population, and, most influentially, the temperature of the soil. The organisms develop most rapidly at temperatures between 60 and 97 degrees F. In parts of the country where soil temperatures remain above 70 degrees F for several months, a considerable buildup of the disease may occur in one year; in colder parts, it may take 3 to 5 years. When milky spore disease bacteria become established at the site, they spread naturally into adjoining, untreated areas.

Application rates
Powder, apply at 10 lbs per acre or 4oz per 1,000 sq.ft

Granular, apply at 20 lbs per 7,000 sq.ft.

[firefly81]

we found a great mole killer and that was a lab mix, she allways got alot. havent had any luck with chemicals, and before her tried everything

[earlsfarmgirl]

The two I have heard about:
1. Grandma Lucy used to take the trimmings from my red-headed cousin hair/beard and put that down the holes. She swore by that although I also thought it was her way of getting my cousin with the long hair/beard to get trimmed up while he was staying at grandma's!
2. I read recently (Farmer's Almanac?) that putting used kitty litter down the holes would also drive them away.
Good Luck!

[indypartridge]

Originally Posted by Caelma

I have heard so many ways of getting rid of moles.
Does any of them really work?

Sorry to say... NO. When we bought our place the barn was full of every gizmo ever invented to kill moles. The seller said none of them worked. Of course we had to try ourselves for awhile. Sometimes we'd seem to knock down the population a bit, but they always came back. Our cats and dogs occasionally get a few, but we've just accepted that since we live in the woods, there's gonna be critters. Got better things to spend money on than fighting moles.

[MelissaW]

My husband bought me a "mole chaser" wind mill. It makes some sort of vibration in the ground that they don't like. I didn't think it would work, but I like watching the blade spin around, so it didn't matter. When the moles stayed away all summer I thought, "oh, it's a coincidence". Then when fall came, we took it down to protect it from the winter weather. Next thing I knew, the beds were full of tunnels again! My husband stuck it back on the pole. I'm not sure how it's working now, as the snow is too deep to see, but I sure hope they went away!

[mainer]

has anyone heard of putting castor beans down the holes? I'm afraid that the chickens will eat them(the beans)& die. are they safe???

[anniew]

very poisonous. I wouldn't use them if there are children or animals in the area.
1GandJ1: do you have a link regarding your post about milky spore's reputation of not working well in northern areas being inaccurate?

[1GandJ1]

I tried the milky spores on my NJ property 3 years ago and so far I don't have them but the next door neighbor does.....big time.
I had found the articles through yahoo.com back then. My first post I just typed the words in to find some info for you. Look around google or yahoo and there is alot of reading. The local landscapers supply house had it and I tried 1/2 acre front area. It was easy and organic and the dog is safe. Cheap compared to other packaged items. Good luck and let us know if it works for you.

Oh, man, it's cold outside today.

[Ford8N]

Originally Posted by Quinton

Yep!!

Our 2 cats get about 1 per week it seems!

Of course we have a bad Japanese beetle problem that I need to work on. :1pig:

I read an article in Mother Earth News where a guy bought a Japanese beetle trap that attracts them with pheremones and hangs it over his chickens and take the mesh trap bag off. The beetles fall through and fall to the hungry chickens. I haven't tried it but sounds like a great idea.

We get so many Japanese beetles and box elder bugs that sneak into the old farmhouse. I keep trying to seal it up and they get in anyhow. So song as they aren't roaches, I'm OK I guess.

[Jack_IA]

we tried all the other wives tales and no luck.cats and dogs do not bother them.they are after the grubs.
here is what we used and it worked.found out from a guy who does it for a lving.hate to do it but it beats poison that may or not work and then others getting into it.
caught 5 with in an hour.
http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.c..._Code=NWSNMT01

[Caelma]

I was just outside letting the dogs do their business so had time to count.
Literally 27 mole hills around and between 2 trees that are
maybe 30 feet apart.
That doesn't include the others in the front, sides and back yards.
We didn't have this problem before, I'm kind of wondering if someone enarby didn't do something to get rid of them and they moved over to our place.
And many of you mention summer but it's been cold and rainy and freezing
and January and they are still popping up.
Can something be causing these grubs they're going after?
I hate using any chemicals or nasty stuff cause I have goats and sometimes I let them graze the down leaves and pine tree branches that drop in the yard.