Help. Solution For Ground Mole Problem?

Anyone out there know of a solution that actually works? The problem is with ground moles in the lawn as opposed to the garden. By now I think I've probably heard and/or read all of the various ideas from using peppermint oil to make them feel unwelcome to that guillotine that 'whacks' them when they cross its path. What I'm interested in, please, is a solution which YOU have TRIED and which WORKED well for you, not that list of untried ideas which merely sound interesting.

Also, if you know the location of a prior thread on the subject, that might also be of interest.

Thank you very much.

I know that moles are not gophers, but similar remedies are often recommended (vibrating thingy in the ground, spray with castor oil, etc) and I can say that I have tried all of them for the gophers and none of them work so it wouldn't surprise me that they don't work too well on moles either. The moles are typically going after things like grubs, so one thing you might try (in addition to any more direct mole-control measures that people might suggest) would be putting down milky spore or something similar to help deal with the grubs. If you take away the food source, the moles will eventually move on to "grubbier" yards. Not an instant fix though.

Several of my neighbors have resorted to having the wildlife control folks, the ones who normally catch trap squirrels in your attic and rogue alligators, handle the problem. They set traps just like you could do yourself but they are educated in exactly where to set them. This is not an inexpensive project, for a fee they set so many traps then come back, usually for $30 a visit and check the traps. You determine the number of visits per week or month. It seems to work, one friend with an outstanding garden used their service until the problem was pretty much cleaned up and now she just has them come once a month to check.

I have considered having them just for a short time, by then I should have learned where and when to set the traps myself.

Good luck.

I should add that I'm asking this question on behalf of a friend. I don't actually have any ground mole problems now. I used to, but then I stumbled on what for me is the perfect solution - but one which is not workable for my friend, unfortunately, due to allergies. 2 years ago, despite the fact that I really didn't want a cat, I ended up adopting a stray female who showed up at my door in need. At the same time, I also, again very much against my wishes, decided to take over the feeding of her feral, male kitten who was also hanging around my house.

The male 'kitten' has grown into the ultimate weapon in the war on ground moles. He kills them at an amazing pace. The 1st year he was depositing 3 or more dead moles on my front walkway. This behavior continued for weeks until there apparently were no more of these 'toys' for him to play with. This week the dead moles began showing up around the front door again, although now only 1 a day for a few days. He has so decimated the mole population in my yard (and my neighbors' yards even, as witnessed by the neighbor) that I no longer see any sign of mole activity in my lawn or garden.

That 'boy' is on patrol 24/7 to grab a mole as soon as it moves into the area. No professional service could top him, and he works for kibble, literally. It's the ultimate win/win for all but the mole. The cat thoroughly enjoys the sport of mole catching, and the neighbors' and I are thrilled to be rid of the pests. When I see the cat carrying a dead mole, I praise him lavishly just to let him know that I am pleased. When I do so, he beams with obvious pride in his hunting ability and starts tossing the [already dead] mole around playing with it.

I mention this impromptu solution in case it might be helpful for others who may read this thread now or in the future. Of course, for this method to work, the cat must live outdoors or at least be indoor/outdoor. Younger cats are probably better for this job, since they are likely to be more playful and enthusiastic about the job.

All this said and while I'm thrilled to have my mole problem so well handled, I am still very much looking for a solution for my friend. A cat is not an option for him, because his wife is severely allergic to them. So, please keep those working solutions coming.

Thanks, ecrane,

That's the route I went in trying to solve my mole problem originally. I applied both milky spore and beneficial nematodes, and they did have a noticeable effect on the grub population in my yard at the time, and I did also see a corresponding reduction in ground mole activity. I failed to keep the treatment up, however, and later ended up seeing the mole tunnels crisscrossing my lawn once more - until my decision to take over the care and feeding of that small but very effective predator, the cat.

Thanks, ardesia,

That's novel approach and one which I hadn't considered. I'm familiar with the type service of which you speak though. Some time back I talked with one in my area when I was looking for a solution to the an exterior rat problem which occurred due to my bird feeding activities. The procedure they outlined was just as you described. As the are, as you mentioned, quite pricey, I decided to try to do it myself 1st, figuring I could always hire them if my own efforts failed.

I would probably never have considered this option for ground moles, but, if one can afford it, this may well be the most effective solution to the problem - short of the cat, that is. Your idea of using such a service as a short term means of learning how to do it yourself and where to place the traps is brilliant. I probably wouldn't have thought of that either. If one could afford to pay for the initial removal process, your idea would be particularly good for handling the ongoing maintenance as that would be less work intensive.

Thanks again. I don't know if my friend will be willing to pay the price for this type service, but I will definitely pass on the idea for his consideration.

Ardesia,

Now I'm just curious. Do you know what type bait and trap the professionals use for ground moles? Or are they using that 'guillotine' contraption designed to 'whack' moles as they pass through their tunnels?

They do not bait as far as I can tell, they just use the guillotines but they are strategically placed. They "think like a mole" in deciding where to put the traps.

You had good luck with your cat. We had a feral that adoped us when he was a baby and he was great at keeping the cotton rats in check but he never even noticed the moles. I have put up with the moles over the years but as I age, I am starting to trip in the tunnels and holes which are everywhere. We'll have to do something soon.

Exterminators also have a couple other things they can do for gophers--I don't know if they would work for moles or not. The method my exterminator has used is some sort of pellets that they stick down the tunnels, and moisture in the ground reacts with the pellets to produce a gas. The other option was poison bait, but I have dogs and my neighbor's cats spend some time in my yard, so I didn't want anyone's pet picking up a gopher that had eaten poison. The gas suffocates rather than poisoning, so if one happens to find its way out above ground it won't hurt any critters that catch it. (I have seen the neighbor's cats hunting gophers, but as far as I know they've never actually caught one)

I just ran across this [now long forgotten] thread while searching for something entirely unrelated. After I had given up completely on the ground mole problem, I stumbled upon the perfect solution quite by accident, a solution which is simple, which requires absolutely no effort whatsoever, which is very nearly 100% effective, and which is relatively inexpensive. Upon finding this thread again just now, I thought I should come back and tell you the solution I found, just in case someone else should find this thread in the future when looking for a solution to the same problem.

The solution is a cat. It has to be an outdoor (or at least partially so) cat, of course. A couple years ago, probably around the same time as I started this thread, I took in a stray cat and her then kitten. A few months later they started leaving dead ground moles at my front door, as 'gifts', I guess. For a while there I had 2 or 3, sometimes more even, ground moles on the walkway leading to the front door daily. I would come home from work, find them there, and wonder how this must look to visitors. Nonetheless, (and even though I hate to see anything killed) I must admit that I was happy to get rid of their destructive presence as they had ripped and torn their way through my small yard in all directions for several years, their numbers growing in leaps and bounds with each passing year.

After a few months with the cat, the front door offerings (ground moles) began to dwindle to near zero. These days the cats rarely ever find a mole to leave at the front door, and I haven't seen (or fallen into) one of those dreadful tunnels in ages. Yep, the solution is definitely a cat. To anyone considering this solution, it might be best to start out with a kitten. Of the 2 cats I took in, it was the kitten (a male) which grew up to be the mole killer. I should also add that the kitten I 'adopted' was feral, having been raised in the forest w/out human contact until they met me (when the kitten was already weaned and on solid food). It took me many months to gain the kittens trust enough to have any contact with him at all. Today he is comfortable around me but still absolutely terrified of all other humans. I mentioned the feral part, because I don't know if his having been raised in the wild, watching his mother try to chase down enough food for them both, may have enhanced his predatory drive and tendency to hunt things like moles. I remember when he was a good sized kitten he loved to chase [all manner of jumping & low flying] insects at dusk. It was a daily ritual and something I've not noticed in other cats. (So there is the answer. If you need vole control, run down to the SPCA and ask for a feral kitten and feed it in your yard so it will know to hang around.)

I researched into that myself a couple of days ago. Our cats are getting up there in years and aren't as active in hunting this year as they usually are. So I have found 3 mounds. One thing I read that it suggests is burying used kitty litter. Makes sense to me and it is free for me, so I did that yesterday. I haven't seen new mounds and I am very hopeful. It didn't seem like any way to rid them was a sure fire thing so I figured if I let them know there was a predator around they would go away.

Very interesting idea, weedsfree,

I hope you will return after a while to let us know if that seems to be working for you still. With a young and active cat on patrol, I've gone from a yard riddled with mole trails to one that hasn't seen any in a year or more. I'm happy with my current method of control, but should my cat ever give up his job, it would be nice to know if the kitty litter thing works. Thanks.

Where I live, moles are also an issue. I do have outdoor cats. They do catch moles once in a while. A function of how hungry the cats are vs effort involved. Equals not the ultimate soution. One solution that I always deemed extreme but praticed by many here is to buy a product (Scott's?) that kills all the grubs and insects in the soil. Moles are after such as food and might go elsewhere if they find no food in your lawn. At least that is the plan invloved. I cannot imagine doing this. More work and more extreme is the idea of burying vertical metal plates around the perimeter of your lawn down to a depth of 3 feet ( I am guessing here. Moles will only dig down so far.) I actually know one person who did this and they have no moles. Another method is to buy what I consider very expensive high tech bait. Plastic worms that are loaded with poison that moles will eat. Something stupid like $5 per worm. Of course, you will never know if they worked or not. Also, I have seen someone bury empty coffee cans (OK, maybe not coffee. They need to be taller) in the ground along their trails. Top of can is level with the bottom of their tunnel. They come along, fall into the can and can't get out. Can is covered with a tarp so it can be checked often. All of this sounds like a lot of work to me. Gene

Hi Gene,

Killing the grubs they eat does sound like a good idea. I tried it for a few years, and while it helped, I was never able to get rid of the moles entirely using that method, but understand that I live in the city of Charleston. It's a small city, but still my lawn is small, and my neighbor's houses appear (from my perspective) to be in my yard. Since I can't treat the adjoining property, my moles always have plenty to eat regardless.

Sounds like I've just been very lucky with my cat - but then as I mentioned he is feral and is quite the avid hunter, even though he is rarely that hungry. I feed him a high quality cat food twice daily plus treats. In truth, he could stand to loose a few pounds. He doesn't eat the moles. He catches them for entertainment and then leaves them on the front walkway for me to throw away.

I'm told by a friend in animal control that cats generally do not like the taste of moles. Still, being only a few years old, my cat, who spends most of his time outdoors, is always up for a game of chase. It's not work to him, it's play. My neighbor even praised my cat saying that he once watched as my cat rounded up moles from his yard and carried them away (probably to leave them on my walkway). Sounds like I need to hang on to my cat and be very, very nice to him.

Products that kill the grubs also kill earthworms and other beneficial soil critters. Your cat gets the medal!

Thanks, ardesia!

I really do think he's the best little mole exterminator I've seen - and he works for chin scratches and belly rubs.

I guess from what others have said, it may not be such a good bet to get a new cat in hopes that it will kill moles, but if you find one that does, best to hold on to him/her. I haven't seen a mole or a mole hill in almost a year now, and I haven't had to do anything at all to get rid of them. I'm thrilled.

Good news indeed.

Yea. Even if you have an outdoor cat, there is no guarantee it will be a hunting cat.
BUT, good news. I deem this method successful! No new mole hills for 3 days!

weeds,

Are you saying you got a cat?

Yep. 2 of them.

weeds,

So I gather they do at least seem to be having an effect on the mole situation. Excellent! I hope they will turn out to be as good at their 'job' as Cocoa has been.

I have a Russian blue (Salem) that is 15 and a "blonde"/orange (Runt) one that is 14. Salem is the indoor/outdoor cat and has always hunted in the neighbors yards mostly. Even the guy across the street. She will bring rodents over to the front yard to play with before she eats them. Or if she catches them in our yard, she will eat them in the back yard. I have no problems with that as long as she kills them at least. She accidentally let one go once. Anyway, Salem hasn't been hunting this year so far. But maybe she does, because she goes next door for a long while.
The biggest thing that Runt has hunted is daddy long-leg spiders. And yes, she used to eat them. But I watched one tickle her mouth and she hasn't eaten one since. I always know when there is a bug in the house though. lol
That is why I have resorted to burying the litter. It seems to even have worked for the back yard neighbor who has been having lots of problems with gophers for 2 years. I haven't seen new mounds in his property for a while. My cats pee must be pretty strong. lol

I suspect it is a matter of how animals mark their terrority - with their pee. Years ago here at Dave's there was a thread which eventually turned ot the concept of people peeing in their yards to ward of something. I live out in the boonies so it doesn't sound too strange but I imagine many people here live right in town or the suburbs where this may not be the "norm." Reason I remember the thread? One nice lady responded: I could not stand for that.

ROTF, gasrocks,

I've read that (urinating around your plants - or pouring urine around them) as a recommendation. Don't recall where I read it but don't believe it was here at DG. I think where I saw it, that was recommended specifically for deterring deer, but my guess is it probably would only work for a while until the deer started to realize there was no predator around. Deer are pretty sharp.

I live in the city, btw. While I could probably get away with burying litter, since I do have a small yard (it's a small city), I wouldn't try urine here, not even pouring it from a container. Years ago I tried this product that was getting a lot of praise for keeping the deer off roses and other such flowers. The product was pretty new at the time. Can't recall the name offhand. I sprayed it all over my roses just before sundown. I wasn't very happy right from the start to notice that my gorgeous pink, English roses flanking the front door looked as though I had slaughtered a goat and doused them in the blood. I mean, seriously, the pale pink roses and leaves were splattered with what looked like blood, and the whole thing smelled awful. At the time I thought, "no wonder this works. Not only will the deer think I slaughtered something out here, but the smell will make them nauseous."

Later that same night I was in bed asleep when I was awakened suddenly by someone pounding on the front door. Alarmed at the realization that whoever was out there was knocking even though the house was dark (indicating it must be an emergency), I stumbled to the door, 1/2 awake, and threw on the outside light and opened the front door (while still standing in the dark house). The lady at the door nearly died of fright upon seeing me standing there in the doorway. It was my neighbor and her grandson. They had come over to check on me because of the smell. They said it smelled like someone had died and they feared it was me. Hence the reason the lady nearly had a heart attack when I showed up in the darkness. Bottom line, the product I had used was essentially made of cow's blood with some other ingredients to help it stick to the plants. The whole slaughter thing was supposed to keep the deer at bay (however, I didn't care much for how it looked on my pink roses). Since I live in the city, the odor from a fresh application of cow's blood all around my house had led the neighbors to suspect foul play; so, no, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to urinate in the yard if one lives in the city. :-)

weeds,

This morning I threw open the patio door to welcome my cats in for breakfast (sometimes they stay inside, sometimes outside) and found a nice sized, and very dead, ground mole on my back patio. I was running a bit late this morning, and that often prompts the cats to look for alternative forms of food while they wait (and or play, anything to pass the time). This was the 1st mole in about a year. It's kind of 'fat' so I'm thinking it may be a female carrying young. Even though the cats won't eat moles, I leave the ones in the backyard alone. Wildlife, usually raccoons or wildlife, will be happy to take care of it tonight when they make their rounds. I figure that's a win-win. They get a free appetizer, and I get free cleanup.

My Cocoa, the male that does a lot of the mole chasing, loved to chase insects when he was an older kitten, somewhere between 6mo and 1yr, kind of like a teenager. I guess he wasn't old enough then to handle larger prey yet, but he fully enjoyed chasing all manner of insects, especially at dusk. I'm guessing dusk must have brought out the insects or something, because no matter what was going on, whether I was petting him or feeding him or whatever, when dusk came he took off across the lawn to start chasing insects. I used to fear he would get hit by a car, because he would get so engrossed in what he was doing and would chase them out into the street. Flying insects, jumping insects, he chased them all. Even on the front porch he would be constantly jumping up in the air trying to pin some moth or whatever against the wall. I don't know if he still chases them. I haven't seen him do it since he grew up, but then again I don't sit outside with him now like I did back then when I was trying to earn his trust and make friends with him. I've also seen my other cat, his mother, chase insects in the house once or twice. My attitude has always been, "go for it!"

My cats patrol the neighborhood, too, and are known to catch critters in the neighbors' yards, but nobody is complaining about the free exterminator service.

That is one thing I am a little nervous about. Someone will get mad that my cat is in their yard. No complaints yet.
But your kitties are good. Salem has tried to bring her dinner into the house but DH catches her at it and she drops it and run. Which has been just inside the house.
There is a family I am friends with just up the street from me. Their back yard borders the field boundary for Kennecott Copper RR tracks. He pees in his back yard. I do not know if it works but......I think they get mice not gophers. Would it matter? Seems like mice are less deterred?

I doubt if mice are all that threatened by the presence of humans, which is what the urine represents. After all, mice often make their homes INSIDE houses that are occupied, so clearly they are not that threatened by humans. I don't know about mice, but rats are even known to enter homes (in cities) by crawling up from the sewer system and into the toilet bowl. Given their much more powerful sense of smell, I would imagine they can still smell the residue of urine even in a clean bathroom, but it is not a deterrent. (Rats and mice are extremely smart, smart enough to have already figured out that we humans are too slow to catch them. They are much more likely to see a cat as a serious threat.)

I worry, too, that my cats may bother some of the neighbors, but it's largely beyond my control. My cats were strays in this same neighborhood before I took them in, so the neighbors can't blame me for bringing cats here. If anything, by feeding and caring for these formerly stray cats, I probably help to keep them from trying to break in to screened porches and such for pet food. Also, I don't know if this is a local or state law or if it applies everywhere in the country, but cats are (legally) allowed to live outside here. Some of my neighbors have expressed that they are glad the cats are here to catch mice and such. Still, it is always a matter of concern, as I would especially hate for anyone to get so annoyed that they harm the cats.

Here is an update. After 3 applications (lol) of used kitty litter in 3 straight weeks, I have not seen a single mound in over a month and a half. I just hope I don't have to do this every year. I really would like some Fritillaria if anyone has some for me to try as a deterrent.

Thank you Weedsfree! My daughter's front yard has a mole infestation despite outdoor cats that use her yard for a litterbox, so she is going to generously share her used kitty litter from her cats with the mole tunnels. Will post how it goes.

Thanks for the update, weedsfree!

interesting discussion,however,moles kill grubs that kill plants. do you want the grubs or the moles? i let nature
take its course.the moles kill the grubs and my army of feral cats kill the moles.cost me nothing but a little dry cat food to keep up the cats interest.the deck gets a little crowded on a sunny day with sleeping cats ,but oh well
i do not like moles. by the way these are not house cats!

georgiacat

Although your logic sounds good, in my yard the moles did substantial lawn damage, nearly covering every inch with their annoying tunnels, and STILL did not eradicate the grubs. The Japanese Beetle and grub problem is pretty bad here in the city with so many yards so close together, making it impossible for one person to eliminate the problem. I had much better success by treating the soil each year to kill [most of] the grubs and letting the cats take care of any moles they could find. (The last several years I was unable to treat the lawn due to a car accident, so things got pretty bad out there before the cats showed up to kill the moles.)

I think of my cats as indoor/outdoor, but they spend much of their time outside. One has been staying inside more this past year, but the other only occasionally opts to spend a day or night inside, so there is almost always a cat on duty outside. Both come inside 1-2 times a day to eat. When I put there food outside they end up surrendering it to opossums, raccoons, and feral cats, all of whom quickly learn our mealtime schedule and will even show up in daylight, if necessary, to get a free meal. Thus all meals are now served indoors.

As for treatments to kill the grubs, there are 'natural' predator or pathogen options like beneficial nematodes and milky spore. Before my accident, I used both with good results. The only downside is that they take longer to get a large infestation under control, but they do a very good job of keeping things in check.

If I let nature take it's course, I too would end up with an infestation and mounds all over my property like so many other yards in my neighborhood that are closer to the RR tracks and a field.