Anybody else have problems with moles or voles?

[HeroOfPellinor]

A couple months ago I started noticing mounds of dirt on the edge of our lawn. Since our street is a popular route to the river, I assumed it was some lazy dog walker or horse rider covering their pet's business, but I didn't see anything inside the mounds. I shoveled them up and tossed the dirt on the side of my house. A few days later I notice the mounds are back and now I think somebody is messing with me. Again I shovel the dirt up and trim the edge of the lawn so it looks nice again. Then a couple weeks ago I go to mow the front lawn and there are tracks of raised dirt leading in meandering patterns in one section. So I'm starting to figure out that I've got some kind of lawn rodent tearing up my yard. We already have a pest control service and when they came out today they confirmed that we likely have voles or moles. I've never heard of anybody in a populous part of Northern California getting voles.

I'm thinking of getting an oversized mallet, creeping out there in the middle of the night, and reliving my childhood memories of parties at Chuck-E-Cheese.

Are these gonna be a pain to get rid of?

 

[Insane3D]

Get a cat. They won't be around much longer...

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Okay, pest control guy says these are definitely moles...probably 2-3. Cost is $120--with no guarantee--to poison them with moisture activated gas pills you drop in their tunnels. Hmm...no thanks.

So, I guess I'm staying up late with that over-sized mallet tonight.

 

[marquee]

somehow, i'm reminded of that tiger woods commercial with the gopher

 

[TheAudit]

I wouldn't call it a problem but I have moles in the yard every year. They make their tracks in the back so it's not a big deal to me.

 

[Eli]

lol, good luck.. you'll never kill them by hand unless you're VERY patient.

There are mole traps.

Relocate them..

 

[Wallydraigle]

Snakes! Stop killing all the snakes people! We need more small predators around, and then we won't have problems like these.

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Moles are just a symptom of grubs. I recommend using grub control products (a friend of mine swears by using "Milky Spore" which is a bacterium which specifically attacks and kills grubs); once the food source is eliminated, the moles will go elsewhere.

Fill the mole burrows if possible, or voles will take up residence in them.

 

[spidey07]

old wise man told me this:

wait until 11:45 and 3:00 - that's when they're active.
Sit patiently with a long shovel - you'll see the ground move when they're in the tunnel. step on their tunnels so there is no retreat.

quietly sneak up behind them.

stab shovel behind them, and pop up the dirt (mole will be in with the dirt)

Whack a mole.

No kidding. it works.

 

[spidey07]

bwahaha! try google. I'm gonna try this!

I found this on wackyuses.com. I don't know if this works, but it's cheap enough and would be worth a try if moles are your problem:
Wrigley's Juicyfruit Gum
"If you have moles tearing up your yard, buy a package of Wrigley's Juicyfruit Gum. Put on a pair of rubber gloves (to avoid leaving a human scent on the gum), unwrap one stick of gum, slide it in the ground where you see the path the mole has been taken. Moles love Juicyfruit Gum! They eat the gum but cannot digest it, so they die. I have no moles in my yard."

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

But moles are not the problem; moles are a symptom. And another symptom is big brown patches in our lawn and if we can grab a hold of that grass and pull it out easily as if it had no roots, then we probably have white grubs and white grubs are what the mole is after.

White grubs are the larval form of scarab beetles also known as May beetles, June bugs or southern mask chaffers. They lay their eggs in May or June and those eggs hatch in July or August. And then they grow up to become white grubs.

These fellows feed on the roots of your lawn. When the weather gets cold the white grubs burrow deep into the soil and spend the winter. They come back up again in March or April and begin feeding on your turf grass.

So those are the important dates to remember. March and April, July and August. If we treat with soil insecticides like Diazinon, Dursban or Oftanol at those times and water it in thoroughly with at least half an inch of irrigation, we'll get most of the grubs.

Next time you see a mole in your lawn, he's not the problem he's the symptom. He's just a messy eater. He's after these grubs, they're sweet, he likes them. Get rid of the grubs, you'll get rid of the moles.

WTF? It's freakin Wild Kingdom at my house.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: spidey07
old wise man told me this:

wait until 11:45 and 3:00 - that's when they're active.
Sit patiently with a long shovel - you'll see the ground move when they're in the tunnel. step on their tunnels so there is no retreat.

quietly sneak up behind them.

stab shovel behind them, and pop up the dirt (mole will be in with the dirt)

Whack a mole.

No kidding. it works.

LOL. you're not kidding...I just read this!!

A DIY method that has been known to work, is to put a hose pipe into a tunnel and leave it running for an hour or so. The mole will probably have to come to the surface - where it can be dispatched!!!!

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor

Originally posted by: spidey07
old wise man told me this:

wait until 11:45 and 3:00 - that's when they're active.
Sit patiently with a long shovel - you'll see the ground move when they're in the tunnel. step on their tunnels so there is no retreat.

quietly sneak up behind them.

stab shovel behind them, and pop up the dirt (mole will be in with the dirt)

Whack a mole.

No kidding. it works.

LOL. you're not kidding...I just read this!!

A DIY method that has been known to work, is to put a hose pipe into a tunnel and leave it running for an hour or so. The mole will probably have to come to the surface - where it can be dispatched!!!!

Yeah! Haven't you seen the movie Caddyshack?

"Kill all the gofers? But if I kill all the gofers they'll lock me up an throw away the key."

 

[screw3d]

I demand pics after you have done some mole whacking

 

[StageLeft]

Home depot has some products. I'd take a varied approach and throw as much poison at your yard as you can without causing a health risk to human. Moles will die!

 

[DanTMWTMP]

gas 'em!

i remember we tossed a couple of gas canisters (forgot what they were called, i was too young too remember) in a friend's backyard...

all of a sudden, we see smoke coming out of a whole mess of holes that we've never seen b4, and the hilarity insued. My friend's dad had a bunch of bibi guns and 2x4's and hammers and what not..and we went mole hacking.....roflmao....yes soo inhumane, but for that little boy in me, it was hilarious..boys will be boys.

moles scurrying around everywhere and getting smacked, shot at.. etc...

 

[shimsham]

i think my dog killed all mine. he dug up about 5 last year, and none so far this year.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw
Moles are just a symptom of grubs. I recommend using grub control products (a friend of mine swears by using "Milky Spore" which is a bacterium which specifically attacks and kills grubs); once the food source is eliminated, the moles will go elsewhere.

Fill the mole burrows if possible, or voles will take up residence in them.

That's what I read too. Grumbs are just as bad for the lawn if not worse apparently.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Maybe I just have too dark a sense of humor, but does anybody else find this trap a bit humorous? It looks like a medieval device!

http://www.molepro.com/

I don't know that I could endure digging for mole-kabobs either.

http://amos.catalogcity.com/amos/cc/main/catalog/pcd/6324844/prd/9050408/ccsyn/1

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

They left the front yard...yay...and moved to the back.

Well, I went all Caddyshack on them and just dropped a hose in their tunnels and let it run until water was gurgling up everywhere. Then I stomped all the tunnels down. No sign of them since. I pretty much took the annoy-them-and-hope-they-get-tired-and-move-to-one-of-your-neighbors-instead approach. We'll see if it worked. In any case, I decided to roto-till both yards and re-seed in a few weeks. If they're still down there, they won't be happy.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Combine 2 fluid ounces of Castor oil and 3 tablespoons of liquid detergent in a blender. Blend until frothy. Add 8 tablespoons of water and blend again. Then, use an Ortho Dial n' Spray to spray the castor oil solution over your lawn. Dial the setting to 1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon per gallon and apply by walking at a slow pace. Then, finish by watering in the solution with a sprinkler for 20-30 minutes. Apply in spring when the ground is soft and repeat when you see new mole activity. One or two applications a year

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
Combine 2 fluid ounces of Castor oil and 3 tablespoons of liquid detergent in a blender. Blend until frothy. Add 8 tablespoons of water and blend again. Then, use an Ortho Dial n' Spray to spray the castor oil solution over your lawn. Dial the setting to 1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon per gallon and apply by walking at a slow pace. Then, finish by watering in the solution with a sprinkler for 20-30 minutes. Apply in spring when the ground is soft and repeat when you see new mole activity. One or two applications a year

Is that for the grubs? I don't think we have any. We do, however, have tons of earthworms which they're probably subsiding on.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
Combine 2 fluid ounces of Castor oil and 3 tablespoons of liquid detergent in a blender. Blend until frothy. Add 8 tablespoons of water and blend again. Then, use an Ortho Dial n' Spray to spray the castor oil solution over your lawn. Dial the setting to 1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon per gallon and apply by walking at a slow pace. Then, finish by watering in the solution with a sprinkler for 20-30 minutes. Apply in spring when the ground is soft and repeat when you see new mole activity. One or two applications a year

Is that for the grubs? I don't think we have any. We do, however, have tons of earthworms which they're probably subsiding on.

It's a mole repellant. I think Eli has one (although I haven't read that thread yet) Maybe he can send it to you for a test