Moles in the Yard

[Deleted]

Moles are killing and tearing up our lawn. It is really stressing DBF out. He’s spent a lot of time and money trying to have a nice lawn, but the even bigger concern for me is that the tunneling is displacing the soil, and DBF kind of has issues walking on soft ground. He doesn’t freak out in any obvious way, but I know it bothers him.


What can we do to get rid of them? 

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

I know this is a serious issue for you and I don’t have an answer, but the first thing that popped in my head is Bill Murray’s gopher explosion scenes in Caddyshack. 

[Deleted]

If I had the answer, I wouldn't have moles in my lawn. I've done everything I can think of, everything suggested by Mr. Google, short of hiring somebody to come get rid of them. Last time I checked (about three years ago), it cost $300.

[Malarky]

We had moles before we got cats.  Then we got "presents."

[azucena]

Fake poison grub worms. I think the company is tomcat. DH buys them every summer and shares them with the neighbors otherwise we end up playing pass the moles through the different yards.

[Deleted]

May 31, 2020 17:19:53 GMT -5 Malarky said:

We had moles before we got cats.  Then we got "presents."

I’ve seen a couple of cats in our yard. Idk if they are feral or someone’s pets. The one I use to see regularly, I haven’t seen in a while now that I think about it. Last fall DBF’s dog killed a kitten in our backyard. I didn’t like that.

They are welcome to “hunt” in my yard if they’re big enough to defend themselves or at least smart enough to avoid the dog, but I’d rather not see any “presents”.

[Deleted]

May 31, 2020 17:31:41 GMT -5 azucena said:

Fake poison grub worms. I think the company is tomcat. DH buys them every summer and shares them with the neighbors otherwise we end up playing pass the moles through the different yards.

I will look into this. Thank you!

[dannylion]

The moles are there because there is something in your lawn they like to eat.  They don't eat the lawn, they eat the bugs and grubs and worms that live in the soil the lawn grows in.  We have a thriving mole civilization in our neighborhood, which I am convinced has arrived to consume the maturing 17-year cicada grubs, which will emerge here in 2021 but are likely getting nice and plump now.  You may have a similar abundance of some sort of grub in your area that is attracting the moles.  To get rid of the moles, you will have to kill the grubs or whatever else has attracted them, but if your neighbors don't also kill the grubs in their lawns, the problem will not actually be solved as lawns tend to abut one another and the grubs and moles don't understand property boundaries.    

[Deleted]

The fake grubs by Tomcat didn't work for me. I chased down every damn mole hole I could find and even created a few of my own in the soft spots. Tried pouring ammonia down them with a bleach chaser (be careful if you do this because bleach and ammonia create a lethal gas!). Nothing deterred those stupid thing. I'm wondering how cats found them since moles are blind and stay/live underground.

I've given up and just go out every morning and stomp their tunnels down. If I can't get rid of them, I can at least make their lives as miserable as they've made mine.

[Deleted]

May 31, 2020 17:45:06 GMT -5 dannylion said:

The moles are there because there is something in your lawn they like to eat.  They don't eat the lawn, they eat the bugs and grubs and worms that live in the soil the lawn grows in.  We have a thriving mole civilization in our neighborhood, which I am convinced has arrived to consume the maturing 17-year cicada grubs, which will emerge here in 2021 but are likely getting nice and plump now.  You may have a similar abundance of some sort of grub in your area that is attracting the moles.  To get rid of the moles, you will have to kill the grubs or whatever else has attracted them, but if your neighbors don't also kill the grubs in their lawns, the problem will not actually be solved as lawns tend to abut one another and the grubs and moles don't understand property boundaries.    

I told DBF we needed to deprive them of their food source to “encourage” them to go elsewhere. So he’s been putting down stuff to kill grubs. I guess they’re finding other things to snack on instead, because they’re still here. 

There are entire fields of grass and trees behind our house, in a perfect world, they’d hang out and tear shit up there instead of in our yard.

[Deleted]

My dad and stepmom have been at war with moles as long as I can remember.  It's actually kind of amusing.  Last time I was at their house they had some kind of electronic thing in the ground that was supposed to drive them off.  I don't think it's working.  

Moles come and go here.  I'll have years when there are trails all over the place, then they're just gone the following year.  This year I have a groundhog.  He makes BIG holes. 

[Deleted]

May 31, 2020 18:03:28 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

The fake grubs by Tomcat didn't work for me. I chased down every damn mole hole I could find and even created a few of my own in the soft spots. Tried pouring ammonia down them with a bleach chaser (be careful if you do this because bleach and ammonia create a lethal gas!). Nothing deterred those stupid thing. I'm wondering how cats found them since moles are blind and stay/live underground.

I've given up and just go out every morning and stomp their tunnels down. If I can't get rid of them, I can at least make their lives as miserable as they've made mine.

I have moles at my other house too. DBF use to hate taking my trash cans to the curb because the ground was soft on that side of the house. He didn’t complain and just did it, but I knew it was an issue. Moles were never a problem there until after my last dog died. So I’m thinking that maybe certain pets really are a possible deterrent. 

Here, the dog only has the free run of a small fenced in space around the deck on the back of the house. Most of the damage from the moles is in the front yard, where the dog never runs loose.

I like the idea of stomping the tunnels down just because I can and it’s MY yard that the stupid moles have taken over, but I don’t see that happening on a regular basis. I’m still half afraid to walk in the grass period, because of all the other critters.

[gambler]

Pin wheels, miles are blind and depend on sound. Pin wheels vibrate and mess up their senses. I have big decorative ones I move as needed

[Deleted]

May 31, 2020 19:22:21 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

My dad and stepmom have been at war with moles as long as I can remember.  It's actually kind of amusing.  Last time I was at their house they had some kind of electronic thing in the ground that was supposed to drive them off.  I don't think it's working.  

Moles come and go here.  I'll have years when there are trails all over the place, then they're just gone the following year.  This year I have a groundhog.  He makes BIG holes. 

So I’m assuming the tunnels, displaced soil, and dead spots in the yard are all due to moles. But we also have actual holes that some creature dug. I keep saying the holes are due to moles whether it’s true or not, because it will wreck my nerves if it’s another kind of critter that’s making the holes. My brain says that moles are definitely an issue, but might not be our only problem, but the scary part of me doesn’t want to consider other possibilities.

[Deleted]

May 31, 2020 19:35:07 GMT -5 gambler said:

Pin wheels, miles are blind and depend on sound. Pin wheels vibrate and mess up their senses. I have big decorative ones I move as needed

Pin wheels sound like a great, non toxic option. I will look into this too. I don’t care about being the kooky house with the pin wheels if it keeps the moles at bay.

[Lizard Queen]

We usually have moles, but my DH has been watering a lot this year. That may help. They probably moved next door. We do have some major holes from chipmunks, though. They're really cute, but not so much when you see the mess they make with the holes.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

May 31, 2020 19:35:27 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

May 31, 2020 19:22:21 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

My dad and stepmom have been at war with moles as long as I can remember.  It's actually kind of amusing.  Last time I was at their house they had some kind of electronic thing in the ground that was supposed to drive them off.  I don't think it's working.  

Moles come and go here.  I'll have years when there are trails all over the place, then they're just gone the following year.  This year I have a groundhog.  He makes BIG holes. 

So I’m assuming the tunnels, displaced soil, and dead spots in the yard are all due to moles. But we also have actual holes that some creature dug. I keep saying the holes are due to moles whether it’s true or not, because it will wreck my nerves if it’s another kind of critter that’s making the holes. My brain says that moles are definitely an issue, but might not be our only problem, but the scary part of me doesn’t want to consider other possibilities.

Don’t take my word on it for certain, but I think armadillos leave holes.

[happyhoix]

May 31, 2020 19:35:27 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

May 31, 2020 19:22:21 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

My dad and stepmom have been at war with moles as long as I can remember.  It's actually kind of amusing.  Last time I was at their house they had some kind of electronic thing in the ground that was supposed to drive them off.  I don't think it's working.  

Moles come and go here.  I'll have years when there are trails all over the place, then they're just gone the following year.  This year I have a groundhog.  He makes BIG holes. 

So I’m assuming the tunnels, displaced soil, and dead spots in the yard are all due to moles. But we also have actual holes that some creature dug. I keep saying the holes are due to moles whether it’s true or not, because it will wreck my nerves if it’s another kind of critter that’s making the holes. My brain says that moles are definitely an issue, but might not be our only problem, but the scary part of me doesn’t want to consider other possibilities.

We have something digging holes, too. Might be possum, raccoon, skunk or armadillo. Always comes in the dark. Kind of don’t want to know what it is. Got my raised veggie beds barricaded with netting so that’s safe.

[tractor]

There’s a product called “mole scram” that you can spread on your lawn. It’s not much more than crushed peanut shells and garlic, but the moles hate it and will move on. Safe, non-toxic, etc.

I’ve used it and it worked well.

[buystoys]

Fortunately we had only one mole.  We found both ends of his run and put the water hose down one hole.  DH waited at the other hole until the mole showed his head.  I suspect our solution wouldn't be easy if you have more than one mole and more than two holes.  We were lucky to find ours quickly.

[countrygirl2]

Hubs has trapped over 20 moles, this year and about the same last year.  We have traps that he puts in the run.  When he mows he watches where a new run is and pushes the trap in it. They trip it and it kills them.  He has done this the last 2 years, before that our yard was awful. We had dead patches all over. He keeps at it and keeps them under control.


We don't want to kill all the worms and bugs in it, that keeps the lawn healthy.

[bookkeeper]

I had a mole problem at our last house.  What worked for us was a pelleted poison that was sold at the local farmers elevator.  It was blue pellets that you sprinkled down a fresh hole.  I found they worked best if you applied them right before it was going to rain.  The moles wouldn't eat them dry, but once they got wet, it was dead mole season!

We had too many for our cat to keep up!

[apple 2]

Mole traps.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Jun 3, 2020 15:25:08 GMT -5 apple 2 said:

Mole traps.

Ouch!!

[apple 2]

they work. 

[busymom]

I know you're going to think this is crazy, but DH has been using this for years, and it actually works.  Juicy Fruit Gum.  Put a stick just inside any entrance holes you find that they've dug on your property.  A great option if you're worried about accidentally poisoning your kids with the stuff sold at garden centers.  

[formerroomate99]

I started feeding the neighbors cat. I honestly thought it was a stray. But she did such a good job of getting rid of the moles that I’ve kept feeding her.

[weltschmerz]

Jun 3, 2020 8:51:00 GMT -5 bookkeeper said:

I had a mole problem at our last house.  What worked for us was a pelleted poison that was sold at the local farmers elevator.  It was blue pellets that you sprinkled down a fresh hole.  I found they worked best if you applied them right before it was going to rain.  The moles wouldn't eat them dry, but once they got wet, it was dead mole season!

We had too many for our cat to keep up!

Poison? You know that other animals feast on poisoned critters, yes?

[daisy]

We've had moles and voles (the cats like to catch the voles mostly) and we use this product.  It works!


www.farmandfleet.com/products/1224426-victor-mole-and-gopher-repel-granule.html

[Deleted]

I am relaying all this information to DBF. I’m leaving mole eviction up to him. So far, he’s said he doesn’t want to do traps, because he doesn’t want to deal with the aftermath.

bookkeeper, he was wondering if you remember the name of the blue pellets.

Me, I’m more inclined to start with some of the non toxic options. I’d be ecstatic if something as benign as Juicy Fruit gum worked. But I think DBF is so over the mole problem that he’s willing to go straight for the big guns, as long as it’s not traps lol.

We literally have more dead spots in our front yard than grass. I haven’t carefully looked at it, but I know there are holes and raised soil that’s probably tunnels. It seems like whatever method he chooses, we need to figure out where the tunnels start and end. Is that right?