# Moles - how do you get rid of them in a lawn?



## travelplanner70 (Jun 6, 2011)

My son does not know what to do.  His lawn is riddled with mole tunnels.  He is thinking of puttting water down the hole to flush them out.  Is there a better, more surefire method?

Thanks for your help.


----------



## Ridewithme38 (Jun 6, 2011)

dynomite....


i joke!


----------



## 1950bing (Jun 6, 2011)

Borrow the cat next door to me.


----------



## jme (Jun 6, 2011)

*some interesting and funny reading*

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=ridding+of+moles+in+yard&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8


----------



## easyrider (Jun 6, 2011)

Use a weed burner torch and fill the tunnel with propane. Ignite. The purcusion will kill the mole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDEira01c0Q&feature=relmfu

Shooting moles with a 12 ga can also be entertaining.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 6, 2011)

I've had good success with the poison grain bait.  You need to be sure that you get it in active tunnel.


----------



## dougp26364 (Jun 6, 2011)

If you can plug as many openings as possible, you can funnel the exhaust from a lawn more into the tunnels and kill them via carbon monoxide poisoning. I've done this in the past with success when we had mice which had dug a nice burrow under a pad of concrete.

I believe there are mole traps and bait that work with some success. You can also get in touch with an exterminator and have the job done professionally.


----------



## bobcat (Jun 6, 2011)

travelplanner70 said:


> My son does not know what to do.  His lawn is riddled with mole tunnels.  He is thinking of puttting water down the hole to flush them out.  Is there a better, more surefire method?
> 
> Thanks for your help.



First off, in some States moles are protected. Find out if he can kill them where he lives. You must kill what they are feeding on. Merit works great. Cat at night is good. The water idea is good also. You may have to run alot of water and pick the moles up when they come out of the lawn.


----------



## ronparise (Jun 7, 2011)

When I was a kid I remember a product sold at a local hardware store called mole lights. They were smoke bombs (sulphur gas I think). and ought to work like the  the mower exhaust idea above...you gas 'em

I dont know how they worked on moles, but when tossed into an apartment building hallway, all hell broke loose

heres a link to an idea I just found on line  that I like a lot but Im not sure the author is serious  killing moles  step 7 is : Quickly flip the mole into the air and hit with another shovel or hammer. 

I had a friend that measured the jobs around his home in beers.. Mowing the lawn was a 3 beer job. Trimming the bushes a 2 beer job, painting the fence a 12 beer job  etc....This mole thing if you use the wack-a-mole method, ought to take a case


----------



## ampaholic (Jun 7, 2011)

travelplanner70 said:


> My son does not know what to do.  His lawn is riddled with mole tunnels.  He is thinking of puttting water down the hole to flush them out.  Is there a better, more surefire method?
> 
> Thanks for your help.








Park a 73 Pinto on the lawn :hysterical: :rofl: :hysterical:


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 7, 2011)

I think I have used most of the control measures available.


I have tried flooding them out.  That has never once worked for me.  All it has done is increase my water bill.

I have used the poison gas tubes (light them and stick them in a an active burrow or tunnel) with only occasional success.  

I have tried mechanical traps, with less success than poison gas tubes. 

We had a cat that was an excellent hunter.  He was an adopted stray and had learned to hunt while he was a stray.  He provided very good control of all manner or critters - moles, rabbits, squirrels, mice, and rats.  All of our other cats have been pretty ineffective.

Poison bait has never failed to work for me when used as directed.


----------



## bobcat (Jun 7, 2011)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I think I have used most of the control measures available.
> 
> 
> I have tried flooding them out.  That has never once worked for me.  All it has done is increase my water bill.
> ...



Poison bait is not sold in every state. You have to watch out is kids are around.


----------



## caribbeansun (Jun 7, 2011)

Had an infestation last year.  We purchased 4 bait boxes (so kids and pets cannot get to the poison) and had modest success with using poison.  We had to put foot long spikes through the bottom of the bait boxes one rather annoying raccoon decided he/she liked the taste and we found the bandit in the middle of our driveway and in the backyard eating away at the bright pink poison. 

Unfortunately for our neighbours the moles moved down the street.


----------



## bullroc3 (Jun 7, 2011)

*Moles eat Grubs*

I had moles for several years. I found out that if you get rid of their food source, they leave. They eat grubs (skunks do also!!).

http://www.ehow.com/how_4694391_control-moles-lawn.html

Get rid of the grubs by spreading the lawn with grub killer. They will leave.


----------



## Phill12 (Jun 7, 2011)

Give them false information like winter is coming!  

 This way they return with false information and source that sent them might kill them off as double moles!  

 PHILL12


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 7, 2011)

I asked my friend Avogadro about trapping them, and he observed that it would take a lonnnnng time to trap and remove 6.023x10^23 critters.  Personally I thought he might be making a mountain of a molehill.


----------



## easyrider (Jun 7, 2011)

bullroc3 said:


> I had moles for several years. I found out that if you get rid of their food source, they leave. They eat grubs (skunks do also!!).
> 
> http://www.ehow.com/how_4694391_control-moles-lawn.html
> 
> Get rid of the grubs by spreading the lawn with grub killer. They will leave.



Yes indeed, after using lawn pest control that kills insects our moles went next door.


----------



## ampaholic (Jun 7, 2011)

easyrider said:


> Yes indeed, after using lawn pest control that kills insects our moles went next door.



We use chickens to control insects and have not had moles (knock on wood) since starting chickens.


----------



## Conan (Jun 7, 2011)

I was just talking with a relative of mine about mole issues.  He agrees poison seeds are most reliable - - he uses a hand drill to insert them into their underground runs.

Here it is on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Yard-Butler-Gopher-Applicator-GBA-1/dp/B000RYL1NE/


----------



## Ridewithme38 (Jun 7, 2011)

Have you considered just paving over the area's the moles are in?  You could make a nice basketball court for the kids!


----------



## Kozman (Jun 7, 2011)

I've heard they hate loud rap music and will go next door to escape it.  :rofl:


----------



## travelplanner70 (Jun 7, 2011)

I want to thank you for all your replies.  I do not know how effective they are, but your suggestions are quite amusing.   

I think my son is going to try chemical warfare first.  Let's keep out fingers crossed.  

Thanks again for your suggestions.


----------



## Kal (Jun 8, 2011)

First rent the movie "Caddy Shack". Use it as a training guide. Then mix up a batch of a sudsy detergent and gasoline._ (This is a home made napalm)._ Pour the liquid down each mole hole. Get a CD sound track from the movie Apocalypse Now then play "The Ride of the Valkyries" on HIGH volume. Then stand back and light up one of the mole holes.

You'll love the smell of "napalm in the morning"!!  

It worked like a charm and you could see the moles beating feet down the street.


----------



## barefootnAR (Jun 8, 2011)

Moth balls!! Using a PVC pipe that is large enough for a mothballs to drop through, stick the end of the pipe into the run every few feet drop a moth ball.
Start near the house work your way out. Don't tell the neighbors until you have moth balled your yard first.


----------



## dougp26364 (Jun 8, 2011)

easyrider said:


> Yes indeed, after using lawn pest control that kills insects our moles went next door.





ampaholic said:


> We use chickens to control insects and have not had moles (knock on wood) since starting chickens.



Could be why we haven't had an issue........yet. I try to keep the lawn treated to keep the insect population, especially grubs, under control.


----------



## Icc5 (Jun 8, 2011)

*Redo-Wire*

We ran into the same problem a few years ago.  We had the lawn replaced and put in a small hole chicken wire under before putting in a new lawn.  This was on the house we sold and was done aprox. two years ago.  The lawn still shows no mole damage for the people that bought and looking down the street from it there is mole damage everywhere.  We go wired to beat them.
Bart


----------



## caribbeansun (Jun 8, 2011)

That only works for gophers, rascally varmints...



Kal said:


> First rent the movie "Caddy Shack". Use it as a training guide. Then mix up a batch of a sudsy detergent and gasoline._ (This is a home made napalm)._ Pour the liquid down each mole hole. Get a CD sound track from the movie Apocalypse Now then play "The Ride of the Valkyries" on HIGH volume. Then stand back and light up one of the mole holes.
> 
> You'll love the smell of "napalm in the morning"!!
> 
> It worked like a charm and you could see the moles beating feet down the street.


----------



## hvacrsteve (Jun 8, 2011)

I ended up moving!

It was sad, I still can't believe how many moles we had!

I tried almost everything!

I would always get a few but then more would show up!


----------



## Don (Jun 8, 2011)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I think I have used most of the control measures available.
> 
> I have tried flooding them out.  That has never once worked for me.  All it has done is increase my water bill.
> I have used the poison gas tubes (light them and stick them in a an active burrow or tunnel) with only occasional success.
> ...


I had moles at my house in VA, for twenty years and I never permanently got rid of them.  Moles make two types of tunnels, main and hunting.  They very seldom use their hunting tunnels twice.  To determine which type a tunnel is, step on a section and check it the next day.  If it has been humped back up it is probably a main tunnel and you can use it for your control methods.
I have tried all of the above (I deleted the cat one), and even tried the Juicy Fruit gum method.  I had the best success with the spring loaded spike traps, but at 1 mole a month, it wasn't very effective. 
Insect control was the only way I could control them.  As mentioned before, kill the grubs and worms and the moles will go elsewhere.  You will still get and occasional tunnel, but there won't be nearly as many as before.  You have to keep up the insect control because when the grubs and worms come back the moles will follow.


----------



## Zac495 (Jun 9, 2011)

Baking soda. Fill the holes. They will eat their way out and blow up. Kinda gross - but it worked with voles for us.


----------



## hibbeln (Jun 9, 2011)

This will get rid of them, guaranteed!

I was turned on to this product (basically like poisoned earthworms, which are their natural food) 3 years ago, and now when a mole comes wandering into my yard (usually happens about once a year) I actually squeal with glee because it is so much fun to track down the mole and kill it with this stuff!

When I was first infested, it was BAD.....all over my yard, all over the elderly neighbor's yard......so bad that mowing the lawn was a hazard and the kids were practically breaking ankles everytime they tried to play in the yard.

http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/category.aspx?iid=28

As noted before, the first thing you have to figure out (and it's easy to do) is to figure out which tunnels are active and which are not.  The packaging that comes with the Talpirid tells you how to do it.  I use the "poke a hole" method and have been surprised to find that sometimes by the time I'm done poking holes in the tunnels the litter buggers are already fixing them right behind me!  Now THAT is an active tunnel!   I can always tell within a day which tunnels are active and those are the ones I bait.  The non-active tunnels (with the non-repaired holes) I just walk around and squish down with my feet.

For our massive initial infestation it took me about 5 days to rid the yard of moles, and I had to treat the elderly neighbor's lawn also (as the tunnels criss-crossed back and forth).  Now when I get an interloper I have it dead within 24 to 48 hours (hardly sporting anymore!).

Tell your son just to GET this stuff.  It works!!!!!!


----------



## Don (Jun 9, 2011)

I wonder if it will work on armadillos.   Hmmm...


----------



## timeos2 (Jun 9, 2011)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I think I have used most of the control measures available.=We had a cat that was an excellent hunter.  He was an adopted stray and had learned to hunt while he was a stray.  He provided very good control of all manner or critters - moles, rabbits, squirrels, mice, and rats.  All of our other cats have been pretty ineffective



We used, by the simple fact that they live with us, our cats (5 at the peak - two currently) and well known rodent control dogs (2 at one time - 1 now both full breed Cairn Terriers) to "control" the  moles that dared venture onto our "patrolled" area of grass.  The cats used to sit for hours watching the hole(s) and sure enough when one popped up it was the last time it popped up. The dogs would also watch the holes but got more aggressive as they are diggers & would speed up the process that way. We had moles for about 2 months one year and never since.  Word must have gotten out in mole circles I guess.  Next up - Timeshare Weasels!  We may not be allowed to terminate them but we can make it very uncomfortable for them to try to push their wares over the cat claws, dog bites and barking.  Maybe that's one reason most timeshares don't allow pets?


----------



## Rose Pink (Jun 9, 2011)

ronparise said:


> When I was a kid I remember a product sold at a local hardware store called mole lights. They were smoke bombs (sulphur gas I think). and ought to work like the  the mower exhaust idea above...you gas 'em
> 
> I dont know how they worked on moles, *but when tossed into an apartment building hallway, all hell broke loose *




:hysterical: This shouldn't be funny but I can't help myself.



ronparise said:


> heres a link to an idea I just found on line  that I like a lot but Im not sure the author is serious  killing moles  step 7 is : Quickly flip the mole into the air and hit with another shovel or hammer.
> 
> I had a friend that measured the jobs around his home in beers.. Mowing the lawn was a 3 beer job. Trimming the bushes a 2 beer job, painting the fence a 12 beer job  etc....This mole thing if you use the wack-a-mole method, ought to take a case


When DH is working on a project, there must always be beer.  My house has been remodeled with beer.



T_R_Oglodyte said:


> I asked my friend Avogadro about trapping them, and he observed that it would take a lonnnnng time to trap and remove 6.023x10^23 critters.  Personally I thought he might be making a mountain of a molehill.


:hysterical: I always love reading your posts.  



hibbeln said:


> ... *I actually squeal with glee because it is so much much fun to track down the mole and kill it* with this stuff!
> 
> ...  Now when I get an interloper I have it dead within 24 to 48 hours (hardly sporting anymore!).
> 
> Tell your son just to GET this stuff.  It works!!!!!!


Debi, you are scaring me.


----------



## pedro47 (Jun 9, 2011)

Has anyone use milky spore to eliminate grubs?


----------

