Since this January, moles appear to have taken over our yard. There are dozens if not hundreds of holes from top to bottom, except over the septic field. One of my dogs has gone after a few of them and created even bigger holes. My main concern is destruction of the soil and the possibility that one of my dogs may injure themselves by stepping into a hole. Also, with a history of ankle sprains, I'm not that comfortable walking through my yard for fear of another sprain. I've ordered some of the Victor traps online. My questions are 1) which holes to start with? and 2) how do you begin to repair the damage from the holes? Thanks, Jay

I had problems with moles digging tunnels through the root system of my dahlias. In the hot summer this would cause my dahlias to wilt so bad in the afternoon because of so much damage to the root system. Many would just die out after a few weeks, even with water every day. My solution was to get that small mesh chicken wire, small enough that moles can't get through the holes in the wire. Then I dug a hole about 12 to 14 inches deep, about 12 inches in diameter. Then cut the chicken wire to put around the wall of the hole, and cut another one in a circle shape to put in the bottom of the hole. Then just filled in the hole with dirt and planted the dahlia. Worked great. No more problems with wilting dahlias in the hot summer sun with reasonable watering.

Yeah, we know. That's the problem. Not for me, of course. I live in a blackland prairie. It would take quite a strong vole to make it through that dirt (un-amended, it's like concrete, except when it rains. Then it's like black goo.) A few years ago, a gentleman who grows/sells heirloom flower bulbs in East Texas (where they have sandy loam) was having a vole problem. Someone suggested he get a pair of ferrets. You let one out at a time. That one will always come back as long as you don't release them together. Whether he got the ferrets, I don't know. He's still in business, though. It appears that his business is thriving according to the emails I get. bk

Don't get your knickers in a twist, kimmsr! lol...you just left out part of the helpful information. Actually, plain water and castor oil won't make an emulsion either, but a bit of soap would help the process. By the way, ladybugfalcon, the castor oil treatments really can help...unlike some of the other 'home remedies' you've heard of. I really like the chewing gum fable. I've heard that it MUST be Juicy Fruit, though different sources dictate that either needs to be chewed up a bit OR that it must never touch human hands. What a riot. Most people, however, find that mole traps are very effective, once you get the hang of them. They aren't for everybody, though. Unless you fear that you have a severe problem, you could simply keep the tunnels stamped down and hope that they lose interest in your yard. A few mole visits don't necessarily mean that you have to take action.