Ever Had Moles invade your Lawn?

18 years ago

DH and I just discovered moles are digging up our lawn. We are going to try to trap them and move them to another location.

Anyone here have problems with moles? How did you get rid of them?

Samkaren

your resident DJ

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Comments (15)

Mystical Manns
18 years ago
No suggestions for you, samkaren, unfortunately, just sympathy.

We've had moles for a couple of years now. I thought our dogs had just gotten the last one about a week ago, but saw a new mound of dirt this morning ... so either there's still one left, or a new family has moved in.

Blast them!
Pieonear
18 years ago
The only sure way is a mole hating dog.
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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.
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Looks like it could possibly be mole crickets, those things love bermuda. I currently have a problem with these insects. They are normally most active in early spring and then resume activity late summer or early fall. I can usually pull the grass up along these tunnels and it has no roots left. I hate all the lumps they leave where the tunneling occurs not to mention the bald spots. They have been a little difficult for me to control but I'll admit I haven't been consistently hitting them with insecticide through the spring and summer when they are immature and supposed to be easier to obtain control. They become more difficult to control when fully matured. I have used a granular and liquid insecticide containing bifenthrin last year and the year before applied in late May with decent results. This year I used the liquid bayer complete insect killer which contains imidacloprid and beta-cyfluthrin. I don't feel this year's treatment was as good as the previous year when I used bifenthrin but this may be due to the timing of my application with the different active ingredient and I only made one app. Everything I have read states timing is critical in obtaining control. Here's a couple examples of my mole cricket damage. I haven't attacked them since they have reemerged this fall but I may give them a dose of liquid bifenthrin and see if it gets some of them. I plan to be more proactive next season and hopefully eradicate the mole crickets. Anyone here have experience with these?
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Linda Wayman
18 years ago
I saw a mole tunnel in our front yeard last year that went across our neighbor's yard and then disappeared.

A few weeks ago I saw a tunnel circling my daylily bed. That made me mad!! I heard on a garden radio talk show that there is now something on the market that is supposed to really get rid of them. Before I bought it the dogs had dug where the tunnel is and I haven't seen any further signs of one. They are so difficult to get rid of. Good luck to you.

Linda
okwriter
18 years ago
The only sure way is a mole hating dog.

Cats.
And I did get lucky with the .22 one time.

:-)
donna_oh
18 years ago
My cats have taken care of my yard & the neighbors!

Donna (^_^)
cherbo
18 years ago
We have them in our yard this Summer too. It makes mowing the grass harder. I don't know what to do. We are just living with them.
lydia1959
18 years ago
DH and I used a product (one containing castor oil) a few years ago and our moles went to a neighbor's yard. We haven't had moles since. I don't think it works for everyone, but it did for us.

We did buy the product from GardensAlive, but I am not sure this is the exact thing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mole Relief
susie53_gw
18 years ago
Our cats have caught 4 in the past week. If you have one, you have many more. They are about as bad as mice. A guy at a gargen center told me to put lime on the yard. It sure helps. Also get rid of the grubs... They can tear up a yard real quick...

Susie
iowagirl2006
18 years ago
Trap and release? Good luck with that, LOL! Moles are not easy to trap - not even in a kill trap. I do believe moles are some of the smartest creatures on earth. And who would want them when you release them? Don't just take them out in the country and dump them. That is one of my pet peeves. I live in the country and get all kinds of wild and not so wild animals dumped off. I am sorry, but I don't keep them.

The only way I have controlled moles is to watch where they are digging - slam a shovel down on either side of the tunnel (as it is digging) and kill it with another shovel. Even that is hard to accomplish. You think they are a slow moving animal, but they aren't.

And they have VERY SHARP TEETH and they DO BITE! If you are going to handle them in any way - wear heavy leather gloves.

All the wives tales about gum, hair, etc., in the tunnels does not work. Neither does a castor oil spray. Noise makers, windmills, sonic devies, and such, also don't work.

You can treat your lawn for grubs - but you will have to kill every crawly creature to get rid of the moles. They dine on earthworms and grubs. I don't want all my earth worms gone (although I wouldn't mind getting rid of the grubs).

DH wanted to fill the tunnels with propane and blow them up (DS was keen on this also) but I nixed that idea. Why do they love explosions so??? I had visions of Caddyshack on that idea.
nanny98
18 years ago
I'm sorry that so many things haven't worked for you and wanted to post that I have had success with both Juicy Fruit Gum and the the Castor Oil, soap and water mixture. The Gum, you have to be very careful to not get any "human" smell on it. Using gloves, I would roll the gum into smallish balls and place plenty of them down every hole I could find.... to give the guys a bellyache. They did leave. Although I am not positive if they were moles or gophers. Good luck
carol_in_california
18 years ago
I have been trying to get rid of the moles for months and months.......they are way too smart for my mole trap.
I poured some old cooking old down the main tunnel and it just went to a different part of my garden.
It only took me about 20 minutes to catch the gopher but I have decided I have to live in harmony with the mole.
God much have a lesson for me.
Sorry it is messing up your lawn.
ronf_gw
18 years ago
I've had some success with rags soaked with ammonia shoved into their runs and then seal them back up.
But, being a guy, the propane idea sounds like a lot more fun.

Ron
curlysue
18 years ago
I'm not an expert, but I am a certified exterminator, long story-don't ask. According to all of our training, juicy fruit gum is the biggest myth out there. Moles are blind, they only only only eat worms, there is a product on the market and a product that we use that works. The product we use is called Taliprid, I'm not sure what the name is for the product that Walmart, TSC, or Southern States or any farm supply store is, but they all have the the same ingredients. The product is a worm, it looks like a gummy worm, the reason for this is because moles are blind, they go by feel. If they pick this up and it feels like a worm then they will eat it-it kills them. Most important of all-do not touch this bait with your hands-use gloves or the mole won't take the bait. When you see mole tunnels in your yard, mash them down with your foot or whatever and then mark the spot (we use spray paint), check back in a couple of days, if the tunnel is back up, you have an active tunnel, poke a hole in the tunnel and place the worm (using gloves) inside-laying it flat on the ground if possible. Works for us. You buy the bait and do it yourself for about $25-call somebody like us and it cost about $500. Cats and dogs are the cheapest route to go LOL
iowagirl2006
18 years ago
Also - if you sprinkle some grass seed over the tunnels before you smash them back down, then keep the area damp....you will have some gorgeous new sod!

I use the wide back tires of my mower to smash the runs back down. I mow somewhat short (not scalped) over the areas, then I can see them better when they are digging.

They seem to only be active during certain times of the day and of the season. Sometimes I think I have them taken care of - then weeks later they start digging again.
kathi_mdgd
18 years ago
A couple years ago we had Gophers that not only dug up our lawn,but also all our bulbs.Dh tried everything,smoke bombs,flooding,poisons(i know) spearmint gum,.You name it,he tried it,nothing worked.Then one day on the radio they were discussing it,and the guy says go to the Mexican market and buy the hottest peppers they sell and drop them down the holes.DH did this and it did the trick.

We then had to take out our lawn,and garden and start from scratch again.
Kathi

Ever Had Moles invade your Lawn?

Comments (15)

Mystical Manns

Pieonear

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curlysue

iowagirl2006

kathi_mdgd

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