Moles have overrun our lawn!

Discussion in 'Lawn Care' started by Ronni, Jun 30, 2020.

  1. Ronni

    Ronni Hardy Maple

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    Ron doesn’t know what to do anymore!! :(

    He says there’s been a slight mole
    Problem every year but this year is the worst ever and he’s out of his depth

    He tried a couple different kinds of mole deterrent sprays that you spray on and then water in, and the first time it seemed to help slightly but this last time appears to have done nothing and the mole problem just continues to get worse.

    what do we do???? :eek:
     
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  3. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Just go to Lowes and get mole and gopher bait ! It is toxic to those critters ! They have been bad here this year too ! Don`t let your dogs dig till they are gone ! Its never bothered our dogs but it is poison ! Get the kind that you poke a hole along the trail and put a pellet or two in,, then cover up !
     
  4. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Are they ruining your lawn Ronni? Unsightly?
    Can you possibly just live with them? Rodent populations tend to be cyclical, they build up some years and then just collapse. Some disease gets them. It might not be a problem next summer.

    If it is moles you have, they eat grubs, worms etc
    so you must have quite a few grubs in the lawn.
    These moles are ridding your lawn of them.

    Was the powder Ron used a Milky Spore? That is a biologic control for Japanese beetle grubs.

    Just some random thoughts here Ronni.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2020
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  5. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Moles are one of the critters we do not have in my part of the state.
     



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  6. mart

    mart Strong Ash

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    Would you like me to send you some Toni ? I have plenty !:)
     
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  7. Jerry Sullivan

    Jerry Sullivan Garden Experimenter Plants Contributor

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    I once had moles in one of my garden beds....:(a family had set up residence. I only discovered them by lifting a rock and discovering their tunnel. I dropped in some Decon replaced the rock and waited.....the next day the Decon was gone so I put some more in the exposed tunnel......again the Decon was gone.......I added more.... it remained in the tunnel, no more moles. :)

    Jerry
     
  8. DichondraFan

    DichondraFan New Seed

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    After several different eradication techniques I tried failed, I finally had complete success by pouring a small amount of gasoline into several of their tunnels, waiting about a minute for the gas to diffuse underground and then igniting it using a torch (long stick with small cloth at the end dampened with lighter fluid). The underground explosion killed all the moles, evidently the subterranean shock wave was very lethal. Take care to have removed the gas can far away before lighting the torch.
     
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  9. trg12

    trg12 New Seed

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    I've had a mole problem for several years, but this year it was really bad. I looked at all the conflicting advice online--some things work for some people but not others ("poison gummy worms work," "poison doesn't work because moles won't eat poison," "traps are the only thing that work") and concluded that I didn't want to deal with traps or disposing of dead moles, and the main problem was that I couldn't figure out where these supposedly obvious mole tunnels were.

    So I hired a service, and the guy turned out to be kind of a mole whisperer. He had no trouble finding tunnels, even when I couldn't see the entry and exit holes, and he said licensed exterminators have access to poisons that aren't available in big box stores (which he said don't work). These are small plastic packets that look like ravioli.

    He can tell by sticking his finger in a mole hole and probing whether it's active or collapsed. If it's active, he puts a packet in (after scoring it several times with a utility knife) and closes up the hole. The moles don't eat the poison, but they do dig through it, and this is apparently enough to finish them off, because the number of new holes has dropped dramatically just in the couple of weeks he's been coming.

    He's really conscientious--he's come twice a week, because I have a half acre. I was skeptical at first, but it seems to be working.
     
  10. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    I don't understand. Why are moles a problem?
     
  11. Odif

    Odif Young Pine

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    I have moles all over my garden. I can’t be bothered to do anything about them.
     
  12. DichondraFan

    DichondraFan New Seed

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    Mole Infestrations tend to leave Mounds of unearthed dirt all over ones yard, Vole Infestrations tend to leave Ridges randomly over the landscape which are basically a history trace of their subterranean tunnels. We eradicated our moles via an underground (gasoline induced) explosion, Moles are blind but have a very sensitive auditory system that can be destroyed by the resulting shock wave. One of the newer Vole Eradication techniques uses Solar Powered Underground Sonar Emissions which drive the Critters away. It works very well but is rather expensive (e.g. $100 for 5 Emitters).
     
  13. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Dichon, unfortunately I am intimately familiar with voles and the damage they do to gardens: vegetable, perennial & trees & shrubs. Very destructive. We've had an occasional mole but all they seem to do is make tunnels, eat grubs. They leave my plants alone, so my attitude is live & let live.
     
  14. DichondraFan

    DichondraFan New Seed

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    If you have the Mole species that do not destroy your lawn, I agree. The ones that leave a countless number of Mounds on your lawn are unacceptable, it becomes very tedious hauling their excavated dirt away on an almost daily basis and the turf soon becomes uneven.
     
  15. DichondraFan

    DichondraFan New Seed

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    IMG_1829.jpeg
    Here is photo of lawn with Mole Infestation.
     
  16. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    @DichondraFan WOW!!! My goodness, now I see the problem. Wow, that must be quite an infestation. Okay, I get it.
     

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