Moles!
John P. Hollis
I live in Northeast Florida and I have a mole problem in my vegetable and
herb gardens. Is there a non-toxic, effective way to get rid of them?
Thanks in advance,
John
Dan D.
Moles are probably the most often talked about item on this NG.
If not moles then it's the infamous roundup controversy.
Go to deja.com and search the archives of rec.gardens for moles.
You will get tons of hits.
I'd compile a FAQ for rec.gardens and put moles at the top but I'm
too busy enjoying my garden to spend that much time on the old PC ;-)
I've found the only really effective way is to kill 'em.
Get 2 of the "harpoon" type mole traps.
Leave them out in the weather. I believe the moles actually
smell the new paint on them and avoid them when new.
Mine are old and rusty and work.
Walk down the tunnels in the morning.
Come back a few hours later and see which tunnels are back up.
Place a trap at each end of that tunnel.
Come back later or tomorrow. If there are more tunnels up and your
trap is unsprung. Move it and start over.
When the trap springs, pull it and if you've got a "wet" prong,
you got him. Pre-buried. Walk down the tunnels and look again.
You probably have more than one. If you are persistent, you
will get them all. More will move in eventually but it may
be days, weeks or months before that happens.
They have a KEEN sense of smell, the trap should be as free of
human scent and paint smell as possible. Don't oil or paint it!!
Good luck and
Peace!
Dan D. Louisville KY
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Donald Stauffer
Don Stauffer
John P. Hollis
old subject, I'll check Deja. I've only been gardening for about 4 years
(with enough success that I'm doubling the size of my veggie garden this
year!). Our house was new-built when we moved in in '96 and the back yard
(where my garden is) wasn't fully sodded until 2 years ago. I never noticed
any mole activity until about 2 months ago, so the infestation seems pretty
recent. How obvious are the openings to the tunnels? There are a couple of
dirt piles (about the size of a soft ball) here and there but nothing that
looks like an entrance/exit. Some of the tunnels go under our fence into
our neighbor's yard. Could the openings be there? If I dug out a small
section of a tunnel to place a trap, would the mole fall for this, or just
reroute his tunnel? Are these traps placed in the tunnel or above ground at
the entrances? Are they baited? I've heard about electronic "noise makers"
that you stick into the ground that are supposed to drive moles away, do
they work? Do I need to start molding little animal figures out of
Plastique like Bill Murray in "Caddyshack"? ;-)
Thanks again for the help,
John
Right on the border of Zones 8 and 9, on a barrier island on the east coast
of Florida.
Dan D. wrote in message <8bnnb4$stm$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
Dan D.
"John P. Hollis" <jho...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Thanks for the info. I just discovered this group, sorry for
rehashing an
> old subject,
John, no problem rehashing ;-)
You don't need to find "the entrance" because there
may not be one. Moles spend most if not all their time underground.
A harpoon trap is ..... hard to describe. Go to your hardware store
or garden shop and look at one. Buy 2 like I said for best results.
They simply are set above ground straddling over an existing tunnel.
They have a flat trip plate that sits right on the top of the tunnel.
Push the roof of an existing tunnel down at the point where you place
the trap.
When/if the mole comes back down this tunnel, he will re-raise
the dirt and push up the trip plate.
Snap, stab. Dead pre-buried mole.
Careful setting these things, wear leather gloves, they can really
pinch a misplaced finger.
Good luck, I try to get along with most of nature but we have
dry summers here. If I let the moles tunnel up my yard, they
destroy a lot of roots and when it turns hot and dry the
grass dies. Sooner or later crab grass and weeds move in where
I used to have grass ;-(
Good luck with your new home and garden!
Paul Onstad
Step on a tunnel and if it's raised again, it's an active runway. That's the
place for the trap. Step down a final time and place the trap. It has a
trigger that activates as it's raised again.
Redistribute any mounds with a rake. Use them to fill low spots. Forget the
noise-makers.
Or just step down all the tunnels and forget the moles. That's what I do.
-Paul
John P. Hollis wrote:
>
> Thanks for the info. I just discovered this group, sorry for rehashing an
> old subject, I'll check Deja. I've only been gardening for about 4 years
> (with enough success that I'm doubling the size of my veggie garden this
> year!). Our house was new-built when we moved in in '96 and the back yard
> (where my garden is) wasn't fully sodded until 2 years ago. I never noticed
> any mole activity until about 2 months ago, so the infestation seems pretty
> recent. How obvious are the openings to the tunnels? There are a couple of
> dirt piles (about the size of a soft ball) here and there but nothing that
> looks like an entrance/exit. Some of the tunnels go under our fence into
> our neighbor's yard. Could the openings be there? If I dug out a small
> section of a tunnel to place a trap, would the mole fall for this, or just
> reroute his tunnel? Are these traps placed in the tunnel or above ground at
> the entrances? Are they baited? I've heard about electronic "noise makers"
> that you stick into the ground that are supposed to drive moles away, do
> they work? Do I need to start molding little animal figures out of
> Plastique like Bill Murray in "Caddyshack"? ;-)
>
> Thanks again for the help,
>
> John
> Right on the border of Zones 8 and 9, on a barrier island on the east coast
> of Florida.
>
> Dan D. wrote in message <8bnnb4$stm$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
> >In article <vvID4.2460$9M5.1...@news3.mia>,
> >"John P. Hollis" <jho...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
Zaphod & Trillian
after two years the moles are gone! It is not an immediate
remedy, but it works!
S. Tom
ST
"Dan D." <ddobs...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8bnvro$6i8$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> In article <ZJKD4.2874$9M5.1...@news3.mia>,
> "John P. Hollis" <jho...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> > Thanks for the info. I just discovered this group, sorry for
> rehashing an
> > old subject,
>
> John, no problem rehashing ;-)
>
> You don't need to find "the entrance" because there
> may not be one. Moles spend most if not all their time underground.
> A harpoon trap is ..... hard to describe. Go to your hardware store
> or garden shop and look at one. Buy 2 like I said for best results.
>
> snip <
Paul Onstad
>
> Harpoon trap ... will this type of trap work on rats living in my composter?
No, since the trap depends on a burrowing animal that pushes up the sod.
Rat traps look like big mouse traps.
-Paul