Electric mole solutions

[fattogatto]

I have had reasonable success in the past with the battery powered sonic vibrating mole chasers. But, that was in a relatively small yard. I'm now faced with the little buggers in a larger area. Does anyone have experience with hard wired sonic vibrators?

Thanks

 

[Jlbc212]

Moles eat grubs, the larva stage of certain types of beetles, like japanese beetles. Eliminate the food source of the moles and the moles will move to your neighbors yard. I treat my lawn once a year with a grub control/fertilizer. I believe the grub control is made from tobacco. It gets into the roots of the grass, the grubs won't eat it and die off.

 

[astrohip]

I don't have any helpful answers, but will tag onto this thread for a related question: Pocket Gophers

Any ideas on eradicating Pocket Gophers? We got 'em bad. I wake up every day to 6-8 new mounds in our yard (big yard, almost an acre). I use a leaf blower to flatten them daily, but that's just to keep the yard from looking like a war zone; it does nothing to scare them off.

I've tried a few of the "big box store" solutions--spreading granules they supposedly don't like, etc. Nothing works.

Help!

 

[EOC_Jason]

We have moles in the area, I killed two in my yard last year. A third was coming under the back fence from the neighbors yard, it never came more than along the fence line so I could never get to him.

I put one of those sonic spikes in my front yard and one in my back... After a few days my back yard no longer had any new humps from tunnels. Front yard has been clear too.

Two of my neighbors have moles in their yards but probably the last 6 months or so since I installed the spikes they seem to be staying far away from my yard!

 

[ozyborn]

I keep thinking propane/acetylene and a spark.

 

[Warrenator]

I did the propane/oxygen explosion thing. Makes a nice boom. Had lots of fun, probably blew up 40 mounds over the summer. Moles are still there.

The area over my septic field I didn't want to blow up, gave them the gas chamber treatment. Old garden hose, tinfoil wadded around the end, shoved up the exhaust of an idling vehicle that DOES NOT HAVE A CATALYTIC CONVERTER. (We want lots of carbon monoxide, the catalytic converter equipeed vehicles have very little. Look at your smog check printout, it will show CO very low.)

The gas chamber molehill has not come back. Seems to be the best method.

 

[SARG]

I've found the way to get rid of them is the hard way ... individual traps taking care to make a good set and be persistent. I was always surprised by how much damage a single mole could create.

 

[58Yeoman]

This is the style that works best for me, and is about the easiest to set w/o digging.

https://tinyurl.com/ydyombgx

 

[Captain Spaulding]

This is the style that works best for me, and is about the easiest to set w/o digging.

https://tinyurl.com/ydyombgx

This! Give it a day and if it hasn’t caught anything try a new tunnel. They are deadly.

 

[F451]

The only thing that has worked for me, besides my amazing mutt that digs them up, is road flares. Open up either end of their tunnel, throw the lit flares in the holes, cover it back up with dirt and let it do the trick. Cheap, easy, and effective.

I'm skeptical about the sonic things as most moles and underground varmints of their ilk will only stay in an area until the food source is gone. My neighbor was convinced she moved her moles to my yard with her sonic device. I was thinking it was more likely just normal movement of the little bastards as they search for food.

 

[rburke65]

You have electric moles?! I thought they were all self propelled ?

 

[woodvice]

I used to be plagued by moles at a home I used to own. Over the years I managed to trap about 50 of the little varmints. I used one of these traps;

https://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies...MI07KynvGM2QIVg5R-Ch1QrwE6EAQYAiABEgK4sPD_BwE

A few observations.

The fresh soil mound you see is the debris from a fresh tunnel being made. When the mole digs, the soil has to go somewhere. When the soil is pushed up the branch tunnel the mole can go back to digging the main tunnel. What you are looking for when you set a trap is the main tunnel, not the branch tunnel where the soil debris exits. A little probing with a long screwdriver will locate the main tunnel.

The absence of fresh mounds of soil does not mean no moles. It means that the food supply in the existing tunnels is enough for the moles.

Place the trap in the main tunnel. Dig a hole that is centered over the main tunnel. The hole should be only large enough to fit the trap. If the tunnel collapses while digging it, use a different location. Otherwise the mole is as likely to go around the trap as through it.

The trap should be placed in such a way that a mole using the tunnel will pass though the trap and trigger the trap.

You can increase the likelihood of the trap being triggered by placing a small mound of moist soil topped with a tin can lid under the trap's trigger. The slightest activity in the tunnel near the trap will now trigger the trap.

Be sure to remove the trap safety catch. I don't know how many times I have found the trap upended but not triggered.

Place a bucket securely over the trap. The trap doesn't know the difference between a mole, your dog or your neighbor's kid.

This approach works. When you pull a dead mole carcass from the jaws of the trap and "airmole" it into the woods you have proof of success.

Good luck

John

 

[Lhorn]

I used to have a real problem with them. Tried all the different traps and never caught a thing. It was very frustrating. I'm a days time several new mounds would show up and they'd take weeks for the grass to heal. For lack of a better solution i just starting poisoning the mounds and tunnels with the pellet type poison you can buy at home depot. I use a long HF screw driver to probe around surrounding areas for tunnels and use a funnel to dump some poison in. Eventually things got better and now they aren't a problem anymore.

 

[Certified Drunk]

Those thing don't work...
I have gotten rid of every mole in my yard with a molecat.
It may seem expensive, but it works.

http://molecat.com

 

[Done That]

I don't have any helpful answers, but will tag onto this thread for a related question: Pocket Gophers

Any ideas on eradicating Pocket Gophers? We got 'em bad. I wake up every day to 6-8 new mounds in our yard (big yard, almost an acre). I use a leaf blower to flatten them daily, but that's just to keep the yard from looking like a war zone; it does nothing to scare them off.

I've tried a few of the "big box store" solutions--spreading granules they supposedly don't like, etc. Nothing works.

Help!

Buy a couple of sets of Trapline traps and learn to set and place with some practice. They make a gopher size, its what golf courses use.

 

[Done That]

Trapline mole traps, a few from last summer.

 

[Git]

In the past - I have hired a pro and when I saw what he used, I just started doing it myself.

The pro used bait and applicator to get it down into the hole/tunnels. You load the bait into the compartment near the handles. Then you probe with the pointy end and when you find a tunnel, you turn the lever at the top - it opens a little rotating door and the pellets come out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RYL1NE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I used this bait - it looks like Amazon does not sell it anymore, but here is a link
https://www.harmonyfarm.com/gopher-getter-type1-bait-5-lb/

Haven't had any problems since

 

[Tynee]

Outdoor cats?

 

[Toothaker]

Juicy Fruit gum works just fine. Get a pack or two, walk around and place unwrapped sticks of gum in their tunnels. They love the smell and taste but can't pass it out. You could say it gums up their guts.

Yeah, you'll feel silly putting gum in your yard, but it does work. Then you need to treat for grubs so they don't return.

 

[gnpenning]

Exhaust, truck, tractor, car, lawnmower, generator, etc.
Cover the other holes.

 

[Kevin54]

I bet most on here that I can get a mole quicker using a garden hose than the **** sold on the market. Walk the runs down and keep notice where the ends of the runs are. If they are active, once the run is stomped down, the mole will shortly return. Jab a garden hose in the run behind the mole and turn it on. As soon as the water hits him, it is natural instinct for them to come to the surface. As soon as you see the dirt move, jab him with a pitchfork.

 

[Kevin54]

Juicy Fruit gum works just fine. Get a pack or two, walk around and place unwrapped sticks of gum in their tunnels. They love the smell and taste but can't pass it out. You could say it gums up their guts.

Yeah, you'll feel silly putting gum in your yard, but it does work. Then you need to treat for grubs so they don't return.

Juicy Fruit does not work.

 

[Tynee]

Outdoor cats?

I know most on here thought I was joking, but my daughter’s cat killed another one today.

 

[Landscraper83]

Moles eat grubs, the larva stage of certain types of beetles, like japanese beetles. Eliminate the food source of the moles and the moles will move to your neighbors yard. I treat my lawn once a year with a grub control/fertilizer. I believe the grub control is made from tobacco. It gets into the roots of the grass, the grubs won't eat it and die off.

This is actually a myth. Moles DO eat grubs, but they eat a lot of different insects too that grub control doesn’t kill. Not to mention earthworms.....which you wouldn’t want to kill anyway.

Here’s what I’ve found to work the best. Takes a little time to find the right runs, but if you’re patient and do it right you’ll definitly fix the problem.

https://www.domyown.com/talpirid-mo...MIsKyv8-2P2QIV2IWzCh04BA2yEAAYAiAAEgLCd_D_BwE

 

[EOC_Jason]

I bet most on here that I can get a mole quicker using a garden hose than the **** sold on the market. Walk the runs down and keep notice where the ends of the runs are. If they are active, once the run is stomped down, the mole will shortly return. Jab a garden hose in the run behind the mole and turn it on. As soon as the water hits him, it is natural instinct for them to come to the surface. As soon as you see the dirt move, jab him with a pitchfork.

I was lucky walking out of my house one day and noticed the dirt moving in my flower bed so I got a shovel from the garage quickly and was able to take a big scoop quickly, once he was on the surface I quickly dispatched him.

Second one was going up & down my neighbor's house / driveway. I would stop down the tunnels then check back constantly while I was working in the garage. They move freakishly fast underground because I would do a quick scoop and miss him, took me a few tries but finally got him.

For some reason I couldn't find a definitive entry hole going down. I guess I could have just poked a hole in one of the tunnels and used a hose then. My neighbors still have an active mole in their front yard, it's funny the stuff it's pushing up and building a mound, little chunks of mortar and a lot of sand. They don't clear the lots of all the **** the builders leave, they just dump a layer of decent dirt on top then lay sod. I might have to try the hose trick when the weather warms up on their mole and see what happens.

 

[My Old Tools]

I don't have any helpful answers, but will tag onto this thread for a related question: Pocket Gophers

Any ideas on eradicating Pocket Gophers? We got 'em bad. I wake up every day to 6-8 new mounds in our yard (big yard, almost an acre). I use a leaf blower to flatten them daily, but that's just to keep the yard from looking like a war zone; it does nothing to scare them off.

I've tried a few of the "big box store" solutions--spreading granules they supposedly don't like, etc. Nothing works.

Help!

learn to trap. My wife trapped 116 in 6 years on our 2 acre lot. These are the traps. you need several.
http://www.victorpest.com/victor-ea...3vUeEUI-QgGFLNhyxaraFIALFdDA2bDkaAsq2EALw_wcB

If you want to come to Tyler she'll teach you the course. She's the gophinator.

 

[mizzoutrover]

Moles eat earthworms, they may snack on an occasional grub, however, grubs don’t attrack them and moles are not an indication of a grub problem. I have had good luck killing them with the spring loaded scissor traps

 

[Tynee]

I don't have any helpful answers, but will tag onto this thread for a related question: Pocket Gophers

Any ideas on eradicating Pocket Gophers? We got 'em bad. I wake up every day to 6-8 new mounds in our yard (big yard, almost an acre). I use a leaf blower to flatten them daily, but that's just to keep the yard from looking like a war zone; it does nothing to scare them off.

I've tried a few of the "big box store" solutions--spreading granules they supposedly don't like, etc. Nothing works.

Help!

Back in high school, we had a pocket gopher problem on a 6 acre lot. Every day for a week, I’d come home to Mom sitting in the yard in a lawn chair with her trusty .22. With a little patience, she got all of them.

Obviously this solution is less desirable if you live in town.

 

[EOC_Jason]

It's just an excuse to buy a suppressor for your .22 Makes them so quiet it's just a ppfft sound.

Back in high school, we had a pocket gopher problem on a 6 acre lot. Every day for a week, I’d come home to Mom sitting in the yard in a lawn chair with her trusty .22. With a little patience, she got all of them.

Obviously this solution is less desirable if you live in town.

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

I had a huge issue with moles years ago. I moved.

I managed to kill 1 in the 7 years I was there. For some reason it was on the surface wandering around. I had a shovel. I won.

 

[LS1-IROC]

This is the style that works best for me, and is about the easiest to set w/o digging.

https://tinyurl.com/ydyombgx

+1 These things are deadly if you take proper care setting them up. I killed 7 moles 2 summers ago and 2 this past summer. Moles are gone for now. I only had one miss-trigger over the 2 summers I have used them.

 

[jpinca]

For pocket gophers: The only thing I've found to work reliably is the gopher getter and subterranean bait. I'm using the Type I bait, but I see where Type II is more generally available and non-toxic to predators.

I kick over the mounds after I've baited that area. If I see new mounds, I know to bait again.

For moles, I use the bait worms (now avaiable at Home Depot) and a pick and reach tool.

\

I find the tunnel and use the tool to place the worm deep inside.

After I sure the mole is dead, I use the water hose to wash all of teh dirt back into the tunnel.

 

[acer66]

You have electric moles?! I thought they were all self propelled ?

 

[isb cornbinder]

I did the propane/oxygen explosion thing. Makes a nice boom. Had lots of fun, probably blew up 40 mounds over the summer. Moles are still there.

The area over my septic field I didn't want to blow up, gave them the gas chamber treatment. Old garden hose, tinfoil wadded around the end, shoved up the exhaust of an idling vehicle that DOES NOT HAVE A CATALYTIC CONVERTER. (We want lots of carbon monoxide, the catalytic converter equipeed vehicles have very little. Look at your smog check printout, it will show CO very low.)

The gas chamber molehill has not come back. Seems to be the best method.

I used the carbon monoxide treatment 30 years ago. It worked really well. The engine I used was a 1920 Fairbanks 503 cubic inch kerosene motor with an automotive shop exhaust hose into the nearest hole. We had rats in the drain tile around the shop. The drain tile got the same Fairbanks treatment.