I think I have Moles

When I check some of my new beds in the morning, I am starting to notice holes in some of them. There is usually a little pile of dirt in front of it that looks like it has been pushed out.

Is this a symptom of moles? How can I best deter them?

BB

How wide is the hole?-they might be voles which are smaller and have tunnels about 1.5-2" wide. They will do a lot of damage too, like bring the entire plant down the hole as well as eating the roots of the plant.
I had a period of time that I battled them-all I can say is watch Caddyshack-cause thats about what it is like. I don;t have any answers except get a cat or two or twenty lol.
Mine came because I had tilled up all the perennial garden and that made it very easy for them to tunnel. I will never do that again.

Geez, BB, I've got moles all over me. Freckles, too.

Ah, you mean in the garden. In some ways they're great b/c they eat slugs and other nasties. But those tunnels! Castor oil, like Peaceful Valley carries (and many other companies), is the main thing I've heard of to repel/control them. I've heard of folks planting castor beans to repel them too.
http://www.inharmony.com/html/moles.html

LOL

My holes look more like what tigerlilly is describing. I'll take a pic in the AM

BB

If they are voles, one good cat can do an amazing job on them.

Your beds are raised and I think they are voles. I have never had a mole move into my raised beds. It is the first productive soil the vole has. Yes I have none because I have 3 cats and I make them hungry in the spring so they hunt.

Jeez:

I'm a dog man. I have toyed with the idea of getting a cat.

But how do I train an outside cat? I hate the idea of animals not being able to come inside but my dogs would be livid about introducing a cat.

Any other deterrents?

Yes just put a bowl of cat food outside and some ferrel cat will show up. Only problem is they are quite smelly with the urine smell they have. Put a small dog house down by your beds and make the door too small for the dogs and you will have a cat in no time. Catch him and neuter him for the service he provides you. The rest is up to you.

I had a problem with moles last year. Little rascals...I would stomp down all their tunnels and the next morning they would all be rebuilt! I ended up going to Home Depot and getting this poison peanut stuff that you stick in the holes. I also planted castor beans around the area. The combination must have worked because they stopped coming around. I have plenty of extra castor beans if you need any let me know.

i have tons of moles in my garden and i have tried everything from folklore to heavy chemicals and they are still there. i have a ferral cat that lives in the back of my property and i am trying to figure out how to train it. any suggestions,?

yeah...get it to watch caddyshack.....or send it to Bill Murray for a week or so lol

i like the billy murray idea, but after just seeing broken flowers i am not sure....

When I moved here 3 years ago the BIG backyard looked like moles had set up a commune and had free reign for years. I moved in with my two Mini-Doxies and a 24 pound indoor/outdoor cat.

That was in May. By late September when it was time to plant a Florida "Spring" garden there was not a mole in sight....and none have returned! Of course the holes in the yard looked like a WWII battleground, but this being Florida I just kicked the dirt back in, stuck in a grass plug and all was well.
Pati

Doxies are raised to hunt rodents, so I'm sure they did a great job.
I am trying a Ratzapper, humanely electrocutes rats and hopefully voles too.
Sidney

I have moles and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is sure that her mission in life is to dig every single mole tunnel up. While this may be getting rid of the moles, my back yard looks like a cross between a mine field and escape from Alcatraz. I can't put down poison because the dogs will eat it. Yes, I do feel a bit like Caddyshack!

A 24 pound cat???? As they say down south (forgive me everybody, I'm a misplaced Yankee with a bad accent :) ), Daaayyyaaamm!

pam

LOL @ pam. Love your accent!
Pati

If you know someone with cats, try to get some used litter...I have heard puting a bit down the holes will help deter them..

MOLES EAT BUGS - not plants!!! Voles will eat roots of your plants however. "Mole traps" and the like are actually needed for the tunneling damage not the plant destruction. Moles are actually beneficial in getting rid of sub-soil pests so unless that are damaging your lawn with cave-ins I'd let them stay.

My cats are all house cats (I failed at fostering and now have 5) but are allowed into the backyard via a cat door. They wear collars with bells to protect the birds. However, the bells are useless with regard to other "play" (i.e. anything that moves is fascinating - yes, even bees and wasps - but they learn quickly to leave those alone). They don't hunt to eat - they are simply enthralled with movement. My "gifts" are seldom biten or bloody but are usually captured, pounced on, let go - captured, pounced on, let go until they're exhausted are the cat wishes to bring me the present for my approval.

Consequently, if I don't get to the "present" (read lizard, frog, salamander, butterfly, moth, etc.) they bring me quickly enough - I can't save it. (i.e. placed 5 lizards in my honeysuckle vine last week so that they could hide - but had 2 that were beyond saving.)

Our dogs adore our cats....the chocolate lab actually grooms them and they love it. Two of the cats actually play wrestle games with the dogs and frequently the cats run the "obstacle" course over the dogs enticing a game of chase. However, I acclimated them to each other and taught the dogs proper manners when I brought the kittens home. The cats need a place that they can jump up on when they tire of the dogs games or the dogs become overly zealous.

This message was edited May 31, 2006 11:12 AM

Your Mole... Is Our Goal

Please note: Trapping moles is currently illegal in Washington State!

Joe and Dorothy Massett, professional mole catchers, recommend the MOLE RANGER half-barrel tunnel trap. We have caught over 8,000 moles with the MOLE RANGER (in the past 19 years) in Whatcom County Washington. It is easy to set and is safe around children and pets. The MOLE RANGER trap has been used in England since the early 1900's.
Did You Know.....?

* Moles do not eat gum
* Moles do not eat Ex-Lax
* Moles mate in January and February and their young are full grown by May
* The female does not make hills
* The male does the major tunneling
* Females are harder to catch
* Moles do not hibernate
* The MOLE RANGER half barrel trap is unique because it's the only trap that can catch 2 moles at one time (We have caught over 100 doubles)
* There are no gophers in Western Washington

Please Do Not...

* Handle a mole without gloves
* Use gasoline, acetylene or propane in a mole run

Joe & Dorothy Massett

PO Box 346

Custer, WA 98240

360-366-5345

AND

from http://www.edhume.com

If you are having problems with moles (or other small animals) try using this formula to drive them out of your yard:

* 1/4 cup castor oil
*

2 Tablespoons of liquid detergent soap
*

Blend the two together in a blender (they won't mix properly otherwise)
* Add 6 Tablespoons water.
*

Blend again.
*

Store this mix in a container till needed.

When you are ready to apply the solution to the area where the moles are active:

Mix 2 tablespoons of the solution into 1 gallon of water. Pour it into the problem area (all over the affected area, not just down the holes).

Good Gardening!


My dad would take a shovel, drive it in the ground, and wiggle it back and forth, usually against an underground rock, and the noise would drive them to the surface, at which point, well, you've seen the game, "whack-a-mole", need I say more?? hehehe.

Best;
bluelytes

Funny thread, y'all,

I had a vole problem for years, then got a dog that I will put up against a Ditch-Witch. The back yard was a minefield of trenches and holes, but he did catch and eat the beggars. He is a cross between Blue Heeler and Chow.

I had tried the in-ground battery powered mole chasers, but did not see any results.

He knows our cats, but gets upset with the neighbors.

His sister just watches him - she is not a digger at all.

Yard seems to be clean now - used my shredder on tree debris to fill in the holes and trenches. Helps break up the clay soil, and I have never had a fireant build a nest in one of the filled places.

Exlax does work! :)

I have had barn cats for years and they do not even put a dent in our huge mole population.

There is so much mis-information on mole control that its pathetic.
I went to a gardening seminar recently and found out the following...

NEW RESEARCH: 80% of a moles diet is EARTHWORMS so controling grubs may give you a better looking lawn but it will not get rid of your moles.


Bait works some of the time.
Place a teaspoon of RCO Mole Patrol Pellets in active tunnels every 10 feet. Wait 24 hours to check for active tunnels and reappy as needed. Moles do not always take the bait and it takes more than a few pellets to kill them. With this method commitment and patience is needed.

Always use gloves when placing baits or traps since human scent repels moles.
The Nash loop trap is most effective with Eastern Moles (ones that make tunnels) and the plunger or sissor trap for Star-nose Moles (make mounds).
Store traps outside so they do not get the scent from your house or garage on them.

Vibrating devices (pin wheels and electronic vibrators) actually attract moles. Juicy fruit gum, cat litter, castor oil are ineffective.

NEW and best bait based on recent research...TALPRID.
Its expensive but highly effective.
They have a website so check yiou migth want to check it out for more details.

Good luck killing off the little #%$&*%#*