Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
49 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How do you get rid of moles in the yard? (Original Post) CountAllVotes Aug 2017 OP
You don't...you go to the doctor. ret5hd Aug 2017 #1
Get a cat Lunabell Aug 2017 #2
three cats CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #6
get a pit bull DBoon Aug 2017 #27
I've had luck with LakeArenal Aug 2017 #3
Will check into that CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #4
There's also dry repellent. sinkingfeeling Aug 2017 #5
Thanks CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #7
I also get rid of them with mole pellets at the hardware store get a few pa ks FloridaBlues Aug 2017 #21
I want to get rid of the moles in D.C. Sanity Claws Aug 2017 #8
Creepy damn thing! CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #12
Check your state and local laws GP6971 Aug 2017 #9
Where I live it's against the law Mr.Bill Aug 2017 #25
That must be the law here CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #34
Northern California is where I live. n/t Mr.Bill Aug 2017 #43
:) CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #44
Lots of dry ice down the holes might work Warpy Aug 2017 #26
Black snakes TEB Aug 2017 #10
You Might Want To Compare Notes With Ag Jefferson Beauregard Sessions global1 Aug 2017 #11
What about gophers? CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #15
I expect a tweet from Trump soon DBoon Aug 2017 #28
Chew a huge bunch of bubblegum and shove the wads down the holes. sprinkleeninow Aug 2017 #31
Get a Teddy Roosevelt Rat Terrier (also called Type B, Short-legged Rat Terrier) populistdriven Aug 2017 #13
My family raised terriers CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #16
You might learn safeinOhio Aug 2017 #14
I used milky spore. Glamrock Aug 2017 #17
Where to you get milky spore? CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #18
I picked it up at the local garden center. Glamrock Aug 2017 #22
use a shovel SWBTATTReg Aug 2017 #19
They don't allow that where I live CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #40
The best luck I've had Bob Loblaw Aug 2017 #20
What yard? CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #41
All the more reason to Bob Loblaw Aug 2017 #42
Just get a mallet and wack them. It might take a while. brush Aug 2017 #23
Moles eat the grubs in your lawn - the kind that turn into Japanese beetles. The Velveteen Ocelot Aug 2017 #24
So as others have suggested, cats and dogs can work wonders... Docreed2003 Aug 2017 #29
They do not have it where I live but ... CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #45
Uncover the mole hole and stick a old time gopher (wire) trap in the hole - cover it back up and demosincebirth Aug 2017 #30
Get a comfortable lawn chair, a good spot light, a bag of chips, Doreen Aug 2017 #32
I read on a blog where a fellow from the UK uses "petrol", Lint Head Aug 2017 #33
Thanks for that idea CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #35
The moles, ground hog and skunk JustAnotherGen Aug 2017 #36
I can't have a dog CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #37
Ahhh I missed that JustAnotherGen Aug 2017 #38
Update CountAllVotes Aug 2017 #39
Sweeney's mole and gopher sonic spike Rocinante Sep 2017 #46
Thanks for the idea CountAllVotes Sep 2017 #47
This may have gotten rid of them! CountAllVotes Oct 2017 #48
My cat ran away! CountAllVotes Nov 2017 #49

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
6. three cats
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 06:28 PM
Aug 2017

I have three cats but if some one nearby is putting poison out, they stay where they are, indoors. None of them are hunters best I know anyway.

I wish I had a cat I had years ago. He'd catch anything/everything but this pack I have now -- asleep all day waiting to be fed.

DBoon

(23,022 posts)
27. get a pit bull
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 11:45 PM
Aug 2017

it will keep the pit bull occupied and the moles will be too terrified to come anywhere near your yard

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
7. Thanks
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 06:30 PM
Aug 2017

Going to a garden store tomorrow.

I will ask about his approach.

The rabbit stuff didn't quite do the job.

Lots of money spent without any results.

FloridaBlues

(4,357 posts)
21. I also get rid of them with mole pellets at the hardware store get a few pa ks
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 08:07 PM
Aug 2017

You need at least 6 in each hole and make sure you put them 1-2"in the ground everywhere. We have them all the time in Florida
Hope that works for you. Be careful Dodd don't get in there

GP6971

(32,786 posts)
9. Check your state and local laws
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 06:40 PM
Aug 2017

I've had the best success with traps, but they could be illegal in your area.

Whatever you do, stay away from the "Vehicle Exhaust System"....basically tubing that connects to your car exhaust that you put in the mole's surface hole to kill them by carbon monoxide. Trouble with that is you have to race the car engine for about an hour and still only produces questionable results.....if any.

Mr.Bill

(24,753 posts)
25. Where I live it's against the law
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 11:36 PM
Aug 2017

to trap and relocate animals because of the possibility of introducing a disease into a new area.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
34. That must be the law here
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 02:49 AM
Aug 2017

in no. Calif. as well, the land of moles and every other damned thing it seems.


Warpy

(113,130 posts)
26. Lots of dry ice down the holes might work
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 11:42 PM
Aug 2017

CO2 is heavier than air and deadly. Of course, then you get the aroma of dead moles all over your lawn, but most methods will produce that.

I once encouraged a family of groundhogs to move away when I located their den and stuffed some used disposable diapers down it.

global1

(25,889 posts)
11. You Might Want To Compare Notes With Ag Jefferson Beauregard Sessions
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 06:46 PM
Aug 2017

I hear he's working to eliminate moles from the White House.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
15. What about gophers?
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 07:09 PM
Aug 2017

It could be a gopher as well. Whatever they are, they are destroying the yard and the planting in the fall won't happen unless we get rid of them!

Is he looking for them too? If so, he can have 'em!



sprinkleeninow

(20,540 posts)
31. Chew a huge bunch of bubblegum and shove the wads down the holes.
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 12:06 AM
Aug 2017

Last edited Sun Aug 6, 2017, 12:39 AM - Edit history (2)

No joke! They'll eat it and it'll 'gum' them up.
Moles did a number on our acre and a quarter property in CT back in the eighties.

We lean toward catch and release or have a heart traps, but moles are a whole 'nuther ball game. We just relocated a squirrel who was wreaking havoc in our not big fenced back yard. I'm not fond of killing living creatures, but sometimes ya have no choice.

GO MUELLER! GO TEAM! 🗽🇺🇸

populistdriven

(5,679 posts)
13. Get a Teddy Roosevelt Rat Terrier (also called Type B, Short-legged Rat Terrier)
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 07:00 PM
Aug 2017

Teddy Roosevelt Rat Terriers are awesome pets. YouTube has videos of them hunting.

They catch mice, rats, pocket gophers, moles, raccoons, opossums and any other small varmint. They are a very loyal and lovable dog. They will dig and not give up until prey is caught and then your little friend will proudly bring it to you!









Other options are American Rat Terrier, Cairn Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
16. My family raised terriers
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 07:11 PM
Aug 2017

We had a couple of them.

Nice dog for the most part but get an inbred one, good luck!

I have 3 cats & doubt they'd stand for it.

Glamrock

(11,994 posts)
17. I used milky spore.
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 07:14 PM
Aug 2017

It's a naturally occurring bacteria that kills grubs. Each dead grub creates, like, a million more spore (if memory serves correctly). Didn't get rid of the moles, per se, but they stopped tunneling near the surface where the grubs used to be. I still get the occasional mole, but it's rare. Before I put it down, I constantly had tunnels all over the yard.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
18. Where to you get milky spore?
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 07:24 PM
Aug 2017

I've never heard of it.

I guess there are a lot of worms, etc. in the yard being the drought is over. Everything is coming back to life, including these moles.

As it stands now, my backyard is a tunneled up mess.

Glamrock

(11,994 posts)
22. I picked it up at the local garden center.
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 08:28 PM
Aug 2017

There were a few different applications. 1 was put it down every year for a few years. I went full on nucular ( in the parlance of W). One application good for 10 year minimum. DON'T buy the applicator tube! It's shit. I started with it, realized it was shit, and went to a teaspoon (or tablespoon, don't remember. Did it in like 2004 or 5. Haven't needed it since.) Anyway, you put it every foot. So, I put one at my feet, 1 a foot in front of me, one to my left, one to my right, and one behind. Move forward, repeat process. I will say, it took a season or two to really see results, but now 12 years later? No moles. Great permanent solution. You may want to look into temporary fixes as well if you're in a high viability area. Good luck! Did wonders for me.

SWBTATTReg

(24,011 posts)
19. use a shovel
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 07:31 PM
Aug 2017

on my grandma's yard, I'd walk around and you can see where the moles tunnel while they're actually doing so...when I saw movement, I'd plunge my shovel into the ground and dig the critters up. We'd take them to a spot by the river and release them in the woods...kind of different, but it worked...

edited...forgot to mention that you'll need leather gloves or tough gloves of other material to pick up the critters and place into a bucket...they have sharp teeth/claws...

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
40. They don't allow that where I live
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 12:50 PM
Aug 2017

You could be relocating a sick/rabid mole you never know.

That is why it is against the law.

Thanks for the idea in any event.


Bob Loblaw

(1,900 posts)
20. The best luck I've had
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 08:06 PM
Aug 2017

involved killing, not relocating. I don't generally begrudge an animal doing what is in their nature to do, and I don't like killing, but I do draw the line at moles and animals that destroy our gardens. With moles I have had sucess by eliminating their food source of grubs with Grub-X or the like. The other method involves two shovels. When you see active movement of the ground from tunneling, plunge a shovel into the ground as close behind the movement as possible blocking their escape. Then plunge the other (sharper?) shovel into the ground where the mole is trapped. A good sharp potato fork will do as well. You'll know when you've made the kill and you can leave it where it is, already buried. I know it sounds barbaric but look at what they've done to your yard.

Good luck.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
41. What yard?
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 12:52 PM
Aug 2017

Yard is a goner as it now stands.

Seems some progress is being made getting rid of them however.

I really dislike these ugly things.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(120,405 posts)
24. Moles eat the grubs in your lawn - the kind that turn into Japanese beetles.
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 09:55 PM
Aug 2017

So maybe you could live with a lumpy lawn so Japanese beetles don't eat your roses.

Docreed2003

(17,720 posts)
29. So as others have suggested, cats and dogs can work wonders...
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 11:54 PM
Aug 2017

If you're not willing to poison them, put some Tony Chachere's down their holes...trust me, they won't come back. If you're in an area of the country that is, sadly, without the gloriousness that is Tony's, just put some Louisiana Hot sauce, i.e. Tabasco, down their holes and it serves the same purpose. It works for moles, rabbits, chipmunks, and deer....just my 2c

demosincebirth

(12,740 posts)
30. Uncover the mole hole and stick a old time gopher (wire) trap in the hole - cover it back up and
Sat Aug 5, 2017, 11:55 PM
Aug 2017

wait overnite. You might get lucky

Doreen

(11,686 posts)
32. Get a comfortable lawn chair, a good spot light, a bag of chips,
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 12:41 AM
Aug 2017

a pack of good beer ( soda is fine also ), and a gun. Get all settled in and wait. Well, being in a small red county that is how I heard it is supposed to be done. Oh yeah the other way is to poor gasoline down the hole throw a match down and run. Another hick trick.

Lint Head

(15,064 posts)
33. I read on a blog where a fellow from the UK uses "petrol",
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 01:17 AM
Aug 2017

It may not be a good thing environmentally but gas does come out of the ground in the form of oil. I tried it on a couple of mounds just to see. He said don't light it. Just carefully remove the mounted dirt. That's where they usually stop and dig down after traveling through their trails. Then locate the hole or holes under the mound. Just pour a small amount down the hole. The fumes seek the lowest point and either overcomes the mole or it goes elsewhere.
It has worked for me. Moles seem to be gone. But if a new one appears just repeat the process.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
35. Thanks for that idea
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 02:58 AM
Aug 2017

I've been using Orange Glo as spray around the foundation of the house for years.

A little goes a long way & it does keep those ants away!



JustAnotherGen

(33,339 posts)
36. The moles, ground hog and skunk
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 06:29 AM
Aug 2017

Stay away now that we have a Maltese. Ours isn't a frofrou lap dog. He gets stuck on the fence letting squirrels know what's what. He killed a baby garden snake yesterday.

Clean dogs, don't take up much space - give him/her a puppy or sport cut and easy to take care of.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
37. I can't have a dog
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 11:47 AM
Aug 2017

As stated, I have three indoor cats (with NO FLEAS).

An outdoor dog would catch the fleas and oh goody, time for another infestation!

It costs money to care for a dog and tends to be a lot more in costs than a cat is.

So, what I am saying is that I wish I could but I cannot. This is a good reason NOT TO ADOPT a dog if you really do not want one.



CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
39. Update
Sun Aug 6, 2017, 12:45 PM
Aug 2017

Seems the rabbit stuff is working!

They have been gone from the front yard for four days now.

Two holes were found in the backyard today (compared to eight of them yesterday).

We are running low on the rabbit treatment so if we run out we are going to try something different.

Thank you to everyone that responded! It is great to have such a myriad of treatments that I have never considered.

Will keep ya'll posted on this highly interesting topic if you like!

I'll admit it, I freakin' hate moles as I find them to be freaky as all hell!

Next life maybe?


Rocinante

(1,270 posts)
46. Sweeney's mole and gopher sonic spike
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 02:18 AM
Sep 2017
https://www.amazon.com/Sweeneys-S9014-Gopher-Solar-Spike/dp/B0013E3TXC

There are mixed reviews on Amazon but this has worked very well for me.

I had groundhogs and skunks burrowing under the outbuildings in the early spring. I tried the powder type of repellant with no luck. They ignored it.

I bought two of these spikes for a two acre yard and another two acres of outbuildings. It took a couple of days for them to charge. After another two days or so I saw no groundhogs even around the apple trees . More importantly I didn't see or smell any skunks. Another plus is the moles have disappeared.

Read the reviews. The spikes are a bit pricey but so far I've had good luck with them.

CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
47. Thanks for the idea
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 07:23 AM
Sep 2017

Still fighting them with the urine of a rabbit. It keeps them on the move but there are still a few holes to be found.

Still not sure what is being dealt with, moles or gophers??

In any event, thanks again!


CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
48. This may have gotten rid of them!
Mon Oct 2, 2017, 02:35 PM
Oct 2017

Home remedy to get rid of moles

Just a few ingredients too!

1. Castor oil
2. Dishwashing liquid
3. Cayenne pepper
4. Water

Spray this combo after you blend it up into one gallon of water per 2 tablespoons.

No new mole holes found today it seems!

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/RoomForImprovements/get-rid-moles-using-home-remedies/



CountAllVotes

(21,044 posts)
49. My cat ran away!
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 10:16 AM
Nov 2017

I was so very upset!

Seems he ran away for a reason -- he had a job to do and he wanted to get those moles OUT OF HERE and ...

he did just that!

He was gone for 2 days and came back ~dinner time.

Haven't seen a mole since!

Glad my kitty came back unscathed!



Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Gardening»How do you get rid of mol...