pesty moles

my garden and stone walls are overrun with moles. How do I get rid of them?

Your get rid of moles by having your yard treated for grubs. The moles eat the grubs. The grubs, if not eaten, turn into Japanese Beetles which eat plants, particurily roses.

Are they moles or voles? How big are they? I had voles a few years ago and thought they were moles. Voles are the size of a field mouse and moles are actually big.

VOLES: http://www.voles.com/

MOLES: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Scalopus_aquaticus.html

If they are vlose, you can set traps with peanut butter where ever their paths are. you can also use mouse killer pellets. As long as other animals can't get to it. put some undet a terracotta pot, right where you see that they go, over a hole or something.

If you have little mounds of soil say on your lawn, then you have moles, if you dont see any molehills around, then you have voles, both eat insects and worms etc, but voles will eat berries/fruit. But it is the moles that do the dammage by tunneling UNDER the ground where they live, when they come to the surface, that is where you find the little mound, they have a huge amount of tunnels for the one mole to enter/escape,they are blind as they dont need eyesight to tunnel and as they dont really LIVE on the surface of the earth, they dont require eyesight like voles do, voles are like mice, have very good hearing and eyesight, feed and live above ground, but again like mice, they build nests in walls, tree roots and any other little nooks and cracks, occasionaly nest underground, the treatment to get rid will differ depending on whether mole or vole. some folks here in UK stick into the holes these kiddies toys that the wind blows round like a windmill, the vibration will send the moles away as it senses danger, aledgedly. good luck. WeeNel.

Thanks for the advise. They are definately voles. I see them traveling along paths all over the front yard. They are the size of mice. I did some research on the web, and found an illustration to compare.

They actually wear paths in the grass and through plants where they travel (sometimes killing the plant). They make holes in the ground, without large mounds of soil. Giltedge818

If you set a mouse trap with peanutbutter on their path I guarantee you will catch one. I had them a few years ago and put mouse bait pellets under our deck and this was effective.

We've also used a Hav-a-hart trap with peanut butter. Caught two this week!!! MwaaaHaaHaa;->>>

Then what did you do with them as those traps catch them alive and keep them that way?? Please, give us all the gory, psychotic details. (Echoes of evil laugh are ringing around me) MWA-AH-ah-ah

Jack Russell Terrier!! 'nuff said???

Oh, How entertaining!!!

Caught another one this morning...Now dearly departed from his little vole world;-) Dog happy!!!

Gives a new meaning to Scooby Snacks!

Too funny...Soooo true!

We have a major problem with moles out here in the country. I find they get really thick and /or active when we are gone for a few months at a time, so apparrently they don't like noise. We did spread 'mole ganulars' through the yard, which helped some.

In the garden, I did put in 3 little pinwheels I found at the dollar store and I run my weed eater down the walkways once a week. I'm not seeing much activity there now.

I read somewhere, that if when you see a tunnel, if you step on it and pack it down again, that they will go on to other areas (your neighbors yard, perhaps?) after awhile.

I have to say though, that with a recent mole tunnel, I was able to straighten a young, 6' tall peach tree that was leaning to one side really bad. I was able to pull it up straight, watered really well and firmed the dirt.

A question on voles...do they tunnel, too? We have a lot of holes in our yard about 1 1/2"-2" across. The holes/tunnels are definately angled down into the dirt.

Robin

Oh yeah, they tunnel. Small holes, no hills=voles. I actually sometimes see the voles. Seems they like birdseed and will run out under my feeder. Also peanut butter...See posts above!

Thanks! We didn't know if they were snake holes or voles (never seen one) or what.

Our dog is a great mole catcher. If he's near where they are active, he'll stand over where they are currently tunneling and with about 2 swipes of his paw he'll have a hole dug and a mole in his mouth. He just kills them and goes back to playing.

If you've got a great hunter...try the peanut butter trap thing!! We just release and...CHOMP!!! No more vole...

I was at the nursery on Saturday and they had this recipe taped to the counter:

Mix 2 parts castor oil and 1 part liquid detergent until frothy. Mix 2 tablespoons of this mixture with a gallon of water. Saturate the mole holes with the solution. I wonder if it works.

Just cant believe you guy's are so blood thirsty, so sadistic and hard hearted, he, he ,he, now if you could send that dog over to Scotland to teach this buck deer I have trashing all my shrubs and trees, I might change my oppinion of all you folks over the pond, Dog must be cheep, must be fast and definately must need a change of diet from those cute, cuddly, bright eyed little voles, we have them too but thankfully, we also have owls and a voles worse enemy, the Buzzanrds that seem to snack on them no end. happy vole hunting, WeeNel.

Hey WeeNel,

You know a Jack's gotta do what a Jack's bred to do!!! She's not cheap, but she sure is entertaining:-)
And just exactly what IS that opinion?? LOL! Maybe you'd best not say...

Bev

WeeNel, I wouldn't say we are blood thirsty and hard hearted....I've got 10 acres they are free to tunnel all over, they just need to stay out of my garden and flower beds and the 5 acres we're trying to keep mowed! Actually, they are a big help to me tunneling through all this clay I've got. Makes it much easier for me to dig when needed. And of course, I do have to be grateful for them for saving my peach tree! :)

Well now you see that a tiny little vole saved a peach tree, you should send that off to disney, it could be their latest block buster, yes I know about these little furry pests, I too have a large plot, and do they stay where they are welcome, er no!!!! they have to go spoil there safty by invading the wrong area, wonder if your brave, courageous little peach tree saver could get an army together an dress up like hunters, travel over to Scotland and shoot the of the buck deer that is causing havoc in my garden, even though he has acres of land to munch on, he wants my trees and shrubs, He is rubbing the bark off everything in sight just to impress the ladies, theres a lot to be said for our bread, a guy just walks up to you and asked if you want to see his stamp colection or his etchings and you told him where to go and he did, well usually eh, I am becomming a sad deer watcher, it's so pathetic eh. WeeNel.

Now, now, weeNel...short of a freezer full of deer meat (know anyone with a shotgun?), there's always an electric fence to consider. Works real well for my goat.

Moles & Voles together...don't get me started! I was hoping with the advent of the cold weather here in NJ that they'd give me a break and hibernate or something. But noooo....they're at the garden and the lawn in force. Don't they ever rest?

The other day I came across a mini-city of tunnels in my side yard and spent 30 minutes doing my "Kill The Critters" dance all over the area, all the while muttering every curse I could think of; and some brand new, unique, curses came out of my mouth, too. The tunnels were all rebuilt overnight. I could have cried.

I'm at my wits end. I've tried the Juicy Fruit and Spearmint gum trick, both wrapped and unwrapped and that was a bust. They just came back with their friends for more gum. I've tried the granular Mole deterrants sold in the garden centers (they don't work...save your money). I've made up home-made mixtures by the gallons that consisted of soap, garlic, tobacco, pine oil, red pepper sauce and chili powder mixed with a gallon of water and none of it fazed them one little bit. I finally relented and bought some pelleted poison that you add to their tunnels...you guessed it, the pellets were ignored and the vermin thrived.

I would try the Terrier approach, but my two Siamese nixed that idea, as did Hubby (he'd be the one walking the doggie). Wonder if he'd assist me in running a hose from the truck's exhaust pipe? For the Moles and Voles...not for me, though somedays they do make me want to end it all. (Just joking, of course).

I don't have moles, but I do have gophers and I've tried all those same tricks and home-made remedies for them and none of them work. I finally called a landscape exterminator and he took care of the problem for me. Of course my yard backs up to a field so there'll always be new ones that come in, but at least with the exterminator I know I can get them taken care of quickly before they do much damage.

I would never have thought reading about moles and voles could be so comical! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading you alls posts! Sure wish someone could come up with a remedy to get rid of the little critters, though! I have twisted my ankle so many times it is ridiculous! I guess if all else fails, I will have to check with an exterminator as ecrane described and see how much it will cost to get rid of the buggers!

I've flooded their holes by sticking a hose in the hole and turning the water on full blast. They surface for air and I scoop them up and whomp them on the head with a shovel. No more critters. I hate doing it but it's them or me.

Well the next warm day that I can turn the hose on without it freezing up, out comes the shovel! HA HA HA

remember to sing the little bunny foofoo song while you womp them on the head.

The bunny foofoo song? Gonna have to sing it to me, Cat! :)

Little bunny foofoo hopping through the forest
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
Along comes the Gooooooood Fairy who says

Little bunny foofoo, I don't want to see you
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
I'll give you three chances, or I'll turn you into a goon!

Little bunny foofoo hopping through the forest
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
Along comes the Gooooooood Fairy who says

Little bunny foofoo, I don't want to see you
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
I'll give you two chances, or I'll turn you into a goon!

Little bunny foofoo hopping through the forest
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
Along comes the Gooooooood Fairy who says

Little bunny foofoo, I don't want to see you
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
I give you one more chance, or I'll turn you into a goon!

Little bunny foofoo hopping through the forest
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
Along comes the Gooooooood Fairy who says

Little bunny foofoo, I told you I didn't want to see you
scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head
I gave you three chances, now I'm going to turn you into a goon!

Wait for it.....




Moral of this story: Hare today, Goon tomorrow!

Now you see where that perennial fair midway game 'Whack-A-Mole' came from! *Snort*! Little Bunny Foo-Foo...Now that's stuck in my head:-)
Dad-gum water shortage...

OMG I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Better than having that Stupid song I like big butts..............My son goes around saying that and it urks me so!

The '90's will never die, mistyg:-)

But it is 2007 and he is only 13! LOL He might make it to 14, if he can learn to behave and NOT sing that song! LOL Maybe I will get him into gardening? He would say, Ya Right, Mom! HA HA HA

And we have truly hijacked the thread...but (no pun intended!) since we have...Ya know the more you protest, the more he'll sing it, right??! Perhaps, since he just might be at that age that he could be mightily embarrassed by a parent, you should join in...and dance, too:-)) I mean each and EVERY time he starts it;-)) Wicked, I know but I think wicked is highly underrated!

13 year old boys are very interesting creatures. buy lots of mac and cheese, jiffy cornbread mix and milk, and don't get near them when they are eating, you might be sucked into the void. Talk about off topic, sorry :-{

Excellent advice above.

This message was edited Dec 25, 2007 10:50 PM

How I LOVE the way you think! I love wicked personally!

Thanks tggfisk... Now I have little bunny foo foo running through my head...