Voles and moles!!! Help...

General Brown · #1 04/14/13, 09:53 PM

Our yard is full of half dollar sized holes, which I assume come from voles. We also have a mole problem. We can see the tunnels everywhere. Is there a easy and cheap way to deal with these pests? My garden is going well, and I hear that the voles can eat the roots of the plants. Any thought, opinions, and ideas are greatly appreaciated.

Vosey · #2 04/14/13, 09:56 PM

Cats, cats , cats....but please treat them well, feed and love them and give them someplace warm to sleep. They don't need to be starved to kill every mole on your land, it's all a game to them : )

I have also heard marigolds help protect your garden from moles along with from slugs.

General Brown · #3 04/14/13, 10:04 PM

I think I will pass on the cats. I absolutely detest working in a garden where a cat makes their toilet. Thanks for the advice, tho.

Harry Chickpea · #4 04/14/13, 10:07 PM

Could be other things. Ant lions... field mice...

randy in central missouri · #5 04/14/13, 11:43 PM

i grew caster beans last year just to try to feed them to the voles and moles.

boerboy · #6 04/15/13, 12:55 AM

I use caster based mole repellants
They work for a few weeks
So we plan to apply it once a month
It is totally organic so I don't mind

I has also place a sonic device last week will report after few weeks whether that is effective

Forlane · #7 04/15/13, 01:16 AM

My recommendation for mole/vole control starts with castor bean oil repellent to push the critters out of the yard. After a week or so and having pushed them out, place a sonic spike down to prevent them from coming back in. Spikes don't usually work on their own to push out and castor bean repellents can get pricey for long term use.

randy in central missouri · #8 04/15/13, 02:37 PM

anyone know how to make casterbean oil. got lots of beans

General Brown · #9 04/15/13, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randy in central missouri

anyone know how to make casterbean oil. got lots of beans

So do I, it would be great to learn.

Danaus29 · #10 04/15/13, 07:12 PM

A bit of chemistry involved and they don't warn you that heating releases the ricin;
http://www.iaeng.org/publication/WCE...p1586-1589.pdf
I did find one site that said the beans could be cold pressed and the oil wouldn't be contaminated.
These were my google search terms:
castor oil extract from beans

Awnry Abe · #11 04/15/13, 08:19 PM

A good balanced coyote and fox population keeps voles and moles in check.

Rita · #12 04/16/13, 09:08 AM

The trouble is that usually gardens are fenced so predators can't get in to take care of the voles. Voles hollow out beets from the bottom and chew giant holes in potato tubers. I got a terrier but so far she hasn't earned her keep.

ronbre · #13 04/16/13, 09:34 AM

cats....

Kel T · #14 04/16/13, 12:22 PM

Four of our dogs reign absolute destruction on those things. One of our neighbors up the road was so desperate he asked to borrow them and then sat back laughing as the dirt flew and the bodies piled up. Unfortunately, they won't kill them, just flip them out of the ground and we have to collect them to do the dirty work.

Reb · #15 04/19/13, 07:49 AM

I've found that if you kill their food supply they will leave. Moles love grubs, those fat white nasty things as big as your pinky. If you have a lot of dead spots in your yard, usually round areas, peel up the some of the area and I'm sure you'll see the grubs. My chickens make short work of them.

**Terri** · #16 04/19/13, 09:54 AM

Crawdads make holes about that size: has it been very wet at your place? You might google crawdad holes!

Tabitha · #17 04/19/13, 06:41 PM

Cats do not make a dent. We have seven of them, the voles are carrying the farm away. I can not lift a shovel of dirt without uncovering a vole hole. The mole repellent pellets may be fine for someone with a small yard. I could spend a fortune on them. Our dogs keep the foxes away. I have yet to see the cats catch one vole. They prefare song birds. Actually I am glad they keep the mice out of the feed room and barn.
Years ago we once got rid of voles using desperate measures. I want to do it again, I am desperate. Open a run and put a piece of papertowel in it with Diesel on it, keep doing it until you have covered a certain area. Then go from run to run with a squirt container with gasoline, squirt a bit of gasoline on top of the diesel, have another person follow behind with a torch and light each paper towel. You can feel it like a little detonation going off under your feet, I saw one vole being blown out of a hole about 18 inches high. I knocked it with a shovel. This most certainly worked. there is a gizmo to blast them out of their holes, sure looks impressive, but so is the price.

I think it is called a rodenator.

Sparkie · #18 04/19/13, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Could be other things. Ant lions... field mice...

I think vole is another name for field mouse.

Mulegirl · #19 04/19/13, 08:36 PM

Borrow someone's terrier or another small dog--we had Chihuahua cross when I was growing up who was absolute hell on voles and moles.