Hello - My front field looks like an Earth Dog Trial course. Does anyone know a SAFE and EFFECTIVE way to get rid of these pesky varmits? The area I am talking about is at least a football field length. TIA!

I was told ages ago that the only way to really get rid of moles is to get rid of the grubs that they are looking for.

Get a couple of cats OR I could rent you ours! Real cheap.

Really no ideas but our cats do kill them and leave them as presents on a daily basis . We have our home built in a field that was pasture for a farm . Good luck!

That is true. They feed on grubs. Generally it takes a good pesticide to eradicate the varmits. There are many good products on the market, however you will have to be mindful of your animals of they are allowed in the area. Check with your local farm store or nursery and they should be able to help you out. You will need to determine what kind of grub is affecting your yard to determine what pesticide will be needed.

It looks like this time of year there are several pests that voles/moles will feed on. Your choices are Adult Annual Bluegrass Weeveil (doubtful), Bluegrass Billbug-adult and grub, very (possibly this one), Hairy Chinch bug-adult, (possible), Black Turgrass Atanius Grub-(very possible). The good thing is you can purchase "sevin" and it should take care of the insect problem which in turn will take care of the vole/mole problem. It will be easier and safer for your animals to eridacate the insects first. There are some other products that are stronger and will work quicker but with animals I would try the "sevin" first. Good luck!

Although I don't have a good answer to how to get rid of moles, the question brings back fun memories of living at our house in Petaluma.

The 1/2 acre lawn was filled with gophers and gopher holes and mounds. Peekaboo would spend what seemed like ages standing by a hole, waiting like a cat, for a gopher to emerge. Sometimes her patience would pay off and she would catch one. Ohter times Ron would like to get in on the fun, and would run water down a hole. Gophers would pop up other holes and the dogs would always retrieve them for us. For some reason, we don't have nearly as many gophers where we live now. I think it is because the grass and ground is different, or we just have more space so we don't notice them.

I know this sounds crazy, but I was told by a very reputable landscaper, to take sticks of spearmint chewing gum and put it in their hole. Be sure not to handle it without rubber gloves on, so they don't pick up your scent. It seems their bodies can't digest the gum. Good luck.

Interesting, I read somewhere to get rid of mice you can use oil of pepermint on cotton balls and place them in your cupboards, ect. Supposedly the mice are alergic to the pepermint and won't go around it. Wonder if this is the same concept?

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I know this sounds crazy, but I was told by a very reputable landscaper, to take sticks of spearmint chewing gum and put it in their hole. Be sure not to handle it without rubber gloves on, so they don't pick up your scent. It seems their bodies can't digest the gum. Good luck.

Hire my Doberman.

He tracks them, digs them up and then kills them (if the Labs aren't around to retrieve them, that is).

I have about 12 dogs and 5 cats you can borrow...but I also heard that
gum...I didn't hear of the spearmint, but using gum will help to elminate them.

A Borter or JR Terrier will do the trick, but the holes will get bigger! LOL

Our old Golden used to dig the babies up and eat them. Same Golden also killed several adult raccoons (this is the Golden we had when I was a kid) and woodchucks.

The cats also dig them up and kill them.

Maybe you should import some pet crows. They love them too. It's fun to watch them fly overhead until they spot one and swoop down to pick it up.

I feel your pain...had the same problem last year in my yard. True "moles" are not the small mouse like shrews that cats kill and deposit at the doorstep. A real mole is very prehistoric looking, is the size of a rat, has a very distinctive mouth and paddle like feet with long claws. I thought the shrews were moles until we caught the first one. We tried all the "home" remedies like gum, bait and poison...nothing worked. Then we bought a trap from our Tractor Supply store. Caught and killed 2 moles and all the tunneling stopped. It was amazing to me that only 2 moles could do the amount of damage that was done to our yard. Save yourself alot of trouble, buy the trap and follow the directions...it's the only thing that really works. You can do an online search and see pictures of real moles and traps.

Yep. I just found this out the hard way. And, it wasn't because of the moles that have been making their home in my lawn for the past few years. Instead, it was the skunks and raccoons who have been digging holes in my grass! They make these small holes all over the place, but also literally peel back the sod looking for tasty grubs, it turns out, I was supposed to put grub-acide on the lawn in late summer before they "hatch". But, instead, just did it a couple weeks ago. NEXT year I'll know better!

Good luck. Must be an epidemic around here. I'm not the only one whose lawn is getting torn up by these critters.

Killing the grubs is probably the best way - grub killers are specific to grubs, so you won't kill all the "good bugs and critters". Also, my mom used to use these really nasty looking mole traps. She would find where they were actively digging, then put the trap ahead of them so when they passed through the area a bunch of wicked looking spikes would spring down through them (not for the faint of heart!) And as a last resort - I'll lend you my 2 labs - they spend the spring diggin trenches in the borders of our yard trying to get the varmets. They usually have at least 1 or 2 strewn about the yard. You won't have as many moes - but your yard will still be pretty trashed.

I asked around 2 years ago when I was having mole issues....was told Juicyfruit Gum was the answer. I tried it, and it worked!! Will never use anything else!! Unwrapped the pieces, stuck it down the holes(and there were lots of 'em!) and never had a problem with them coming back.

Did u try steel wool (like Brillo but in larger pieces) in the holes yet? That might help.

I would worry that my labs would smell the Juicy Fruit gum and eat it themselves. It would not take much for them find it, I'm sure.

Did you have any trouble with this?

What does steel wool do to the moles to stop them?

Will this work for Voles ?
I need help with voles also..

I guess I'd best buy stock in steel wool and gum..


Thanks,

Susan Me if it works