Lord Percy Fawcette-Smythe. asked:
I have tried, poison, gassing, traps, expolsives, ultra sonics, low frequency sound, burning, mothballs and urine, I am at my wits end, my lawn looks like the 2nd battle of the Somme, please, please help.
I have tried, poison, gassing, traps, expolsives, ultra sonics, low frequency sound, burning, mothballs and urine, I am at my wits end, my lawn looks like the 2nd battle of the Somme, please, please help.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I have always heard that the best thing to get rid of moles is vibrations. Those little lawn decorations that the wind blows and they spin, they are called pinwheels. I heard they drive moles out of the ground. My neighbor uses them all around her veggie garden and my other neighbor isnt even messing around and has a windmill instead of pinwheels lol! thats the only thing i have heard of…good luck.
They don’t eat the grass. They eat the bugs off your grass, The best way is to spray your yard each week with bug killer, and the moles will go somewhere for food. Have to do it once a week without fail until don’t see them anymore. The continue often between seasons. Scott lawns bug killer works great. Have to keep your pets and children off the grass for awhile.
Moles eat grubs and other bugs in the ground. If you kill the other bugs, the moles will leave. combine 1 gallon of bleach with about 10 gallons of water. Spray it on your lawn, and it will kill the bugs. It won’t cause your lawn to change colors either. I’ve seen farmers sitting in a lawn chair with a gun shooting the holes when they move as well.
I had the same issue… and after they killed a better part of my expensive St. Augustine grass, I had to get ‘extreme’ to finally resolve it.
Do NOT continue reading if you are squimish.
Because of all their tunneling they are very difficult to find.
So one day I stomped down on all the tunnels so that I could watch out for the new ones. (Watering down your yard will come in handy later)
Then, I made some special ‘shoes’. I took a strip of 3/4 inch wood (about 4 in wide and 12 in long) and pounded several 5 inch nails thru it, spaced about 1 inch apart. Then I fastened an identical sized board on top of all the heads.
Then I attached some rope so that I could tie the ‘shoes’ to the bottom of my sneakers. (think ‘golf shoes’ on steroids)
Now, if its been a day or two since you stomped down the tunnels, you should now be able to find some newly made tunnels – THAT’s where they are.
Now put on your special ‘shoes’ and start walking slowly over those new tunnels, from one end to the other, without missing any spaces. (you might need some poles, brooms, shovels, or something similar to help you keep your balance while you’re doing this). This will also be easier if you watered your lawn to make the ground softer. If its too hard walking with both shoes on, then just use one, but don’t miss any spaces.
This sounds pretty grizzly, but you won’t see a thing. Its all happening under ground, out of site.
I haven’t had a new tunnel since then.
Added: Yes, its true they don’t eat the roots, but their constant tunneling does severe damage to the roots and can kill a nice lawn.
LOL the shoes answer is cool. Kill the grubs. Use diazinon or enzymes if you want to go green. I use diazinon crystals and spread them with a fertilizer spreader. After that, do the spiked shoe thing, it sounds fun. LOL. Use a lawn roller to press down all the tunnels.
The quickest way I’ve found is the tail pipe adapter from Ace Hardware. It hooks to a water hose and run the engine for 15-20 minutes. It won’t hurt the soil or vegetation either. It’s worked for me and several neighbors.
Do you pay to have your lawn aerated? If so- leave them alone! I’m no animal hugger, but it means you have a healthy yard!
My cat population is high so the moles are few this year. I think the little guys are cute in a hedge hog kind’a way. They’re good for aerating the soil and turning grubs into high nitrate fertilizer. Stomping down the fine loose soil with your bare feet is kind’a fun. The only thing that is more fun, is watching people try to out smart them. RScott
Milky Spore. Can be found at most hardware and garden stores. It is a three year process, that is not cheap but a proven method. It helps if your neighbors are close that they also use it. The fastest easiet and cheapest way to just chase them away for a while is a rodent deterrant. You can either by this in a spray or powder form to put around the perimeter of your property. Hope this helps. Good Luck.
I’ve had really good luck with a product called Molemed. This is an emulsion of castor oil and water. You need an application about once per month. This stuff was supposedly developed by Michigan State University. I like it because it is non-toxic to humans and animals. But appearantly the moles **** it. Good luck!