Moles driving me crazy

[Guest]

Hi All,

New to the forum. I live in Southeast Florida. I have a nice little palm garden going on at my house (bottles, Spindles, Teddy Bear, Bucaneers, Seashore, Carpoxylon, etc) but moles have been giving me fits for years. I've tried everything, baits, sprays, praying, etc.

Is there something I am missing out there that can keep them away that actually works ?

[Alicehunter2000]

Jack Russell terrier or other terrier, they hear the little $##% digging and squeaking underground and dispatch them quickly. I used to yell at my female doberman when I saw her digging, then I realized what she was doing. To late....she lets them run free now. I'll be watching the thread to see what others come up with. BTW welcome.....sounds like you got a nice collection there.

[Breadfruit Bill]

Welcome to the forum Joe!  I wish I had some advice to offer about your pest problem...  All I can offer is a funny picture....  

I'm sure someone more knowledgable will chime in and offer some solutions...  Glad to have you on the forum.

:cool:

[Dave-Vero]

One forum member has two Jack Russell terriers to look after his mangos.

My yard has a fair amount of mole activity, with some very regular routes.  Not to mention an odd runway through the back yard grass that seems to be maintained by something running above ground.  So far as I can tell, the moles don't bother the palms, though they may contribute to failures among things like petunias.  I also guess that when they dig up grass, it's because of a tasty mess of unwanted insects.  

Some dry areas that didn't grow grass well AND were mole magnets have simply been covered over with pavers.

[DoomsDave]

Floster!

Welcome to our merry little (but growing) band!

When you like, show us your plants.  You might not think they're such a big deal, but we coo over ALL of them.

Moles eat grubs, worms and critters in general.  They're related to shrews (little furry critters, not Elizabeth Taylor . . . . ) and they consume a lot.

For a very brief time, I lived in a part of Ohio that had a serious problem with moles, and we used this mole trap that you placed in the tunnel, and when they hit it BOING! a spring loaded six-prong pitchfork impaled the little [expletive].

Have you tried that?

[_Keith]

OK guys, so now can we use the dynamite?

I know, I know, you never let me have any fun.

Welcome Joe, if we can't use dynamite, try what Dave said.

But don't expect to have nearly as much fun hanging with Dave and his little old traps, as you can with me and a dozen little red sticks.  

[DoomsDave]

(keiththibodeaux @ Mar. 28 2008,23:11)

QUOTE

OK guys, so now can we use the dynamite?

I know, I know, you never let me have any fun.

Welcome Joe, if we can't use dynamite, try what Dave said.

But don't expect to have nearly as much fun hanging with Dave and his little old traps, as you can with me and a dozen little red sticks.  

WELL!

If we're gonna go to the land of [fill in your expletive] why not just TASE the little [expletives]?

When the mole trap hits them, they let out the BEST squeak-crunch!  Or, is that crunch-squeak.

And, if you go to Russia, maybe get some Uranium and nuke 'em, though I would be prepared for annoyance from your (glowing) neighbors . . . . .

 

     :laugh:  :laugh:  :laugh:

[Kris]

Dear Joe Axl Tyler  

welcome to the forum & discussion board ! and what is a mole is it something similar to a small sized rat ? here in india we have squrieals doing this damaging job and field rat which digs only under the dicot trees and near neighbour's walls area.so my only enemy is the squrieals.

in one similar threads one of our member has given a website where they sell horse pipe which is connected to the car exhaust and by simply running the engine for 5 minutes does the job and no toxicity left over in the soil...but does moles also live in holes in the garden soil or is it a noctornal creature which comes destroys & goes away !

thanks & love,

Kris  

[Jason Baker Portugal]

I don´t know what eats my palms but it is certainly larger than an average mole. A couple times a year some animaL about the size of a huge rat (never seen it but the superficial tunnels are big) come into my garden and gnaws on my palm roots. It loves Cham. microspadix, Ceroxylon and Syagrus rom. I only notice the full damage when the palm falls over. The largest palms (syg rom.) usually recover but most of my 2m trunked ones with about 6-7m overall height are leaning over in the winds direction. When they are strongly attacked they lean over to 60º and i have to put something there to hold them. In a few months they have new roots again and are firm but leaning over. They don´t attack all palms but when a samll palm is attacked then it is a goner in a couple of hours. I will be planting out my chameadoreas in pots this year untill they get some good roots so the animal doesn´t eat all of them at once. Any ideas what kind of animal it is?

Jason

[PalmGuyWC]

Jason, it sounds like you have gophers which are much more destrutive than moles. Gophers do eat palm roots and can destroy one in short order. Once in my vegitable garden, I noticed a swish chard plant that was vibrating. Soon a gopher underneeth pulled the entire plant down into his tunnel. Poof!!  It just vanished. Gophers are hard to get rid of.

I actually look at moles as benificial, as they eat grubs, and they save me the trouble of tilling my soil. They actuall plow up an area and loosen the soil. I've had them tunnel right under bedding plants and they seem to do no damage unless they get in a lawn area.

I have 3 little dogs (Maltise X poodle) and THEY are destructive digging holes. I noticed some of their holes were linear and realized they were digging for moles. My dogs do more damage than any varments. I have cats too, and cats are intelligent enough to walk on paths and around plants, but when my dogs spot a squirrel on the ground, they run in a straight line and plow right through my plants.

Dick

[gsn]

Joe,

I have asked this same question here before and got very little response as to how to deal with them,unfortunately.You guys can say these guys are helpful/benifical if you want ,but I have to disagree. At the very least the tunnels they dig around your palms and plants create tunnels just under the surface,which expose the roots to air,not a good thing. Also these tunnels if you have any grade ,even slight, the irrigation or even rain water enters these tunnels and drains away from your plants,not allowing the moisture to seep into the ground around your plants and runs off. So as some have said even if they don't they don't eat roots, or plant material, they are still a pain.

I tried everything from home remedies ,like human hair, to cayenne pepper,   to castor oil, mole baits, mole poison, absolutely nothing kept these guys out of my yard,or  planting beds.

I finally decided to try this:

http://www.themoletrap.com/

It does work,the key is putting it on a run,a tunnel that they use to move in and out of the area,your yard. If you put it on side tunnels, and not travel tunnels it will just sit there,mocking you.

Having said this works ,I have been trapping them for about 1 year ,and I think my kill total is somewhere around 13 for my small yard. I get one and I think well that will take care of the tunnels for awhile and several days later the tunnel is being used again ,or another route was chosen,as there will be tunnels again, in a different place.

So in summing up this long narrative,I am probably not even keeping UP with reproduction at the rate I am getting them. But I do have to say,  it feels pretty damn GOOD when I go outside and the trap has been sprung, and I know I have killed one of the little (expletives)! ::  Even though it is probably doing little to keep them from tearing up the yard,and planting beds! As after trapping for a year I just got one yesterday!

[Guest]

(gsn @ Mar. 29 2008,09:38)

QUOTE

Joe,

I have asked this same question here before and got very little response as to how to deal with them,unfortunately.You guys can say these guys are helpful/benifical if you want ,but I have to disagree. At the very least the tunnels they dig around your palms and plants create tunnels just under the surface,which expose the roots to air,not a good thing. Also these tunnels if you have any grade ,even slight, the irrigation or even rain water enters these tunnels and drains away from your plants,not allowing the moisture to seep into the ground around your plants and runs off. So as some have said even if they don't they don't eat roots, or plant material, they are still a pain.

I tried everything from home remedies ,like human hair, to cayenne pepper,   to castor oil, mole baits, mole poison, absolutely nothing kept these guys out of my yard,or  planting beds.

I finally decided to try this:

http://www.themoletrap.com/

It does work,the key is putting it on a run,a tunnel that they use to move in and out of the area,your yard. If you put it on side tunnels, and not travel tunnels it will just sit there,mocking you.

Having said this works ,I have been trapping them for about 1 year ,and I think my kill total is somewhere around 13 for my small yard. I get one and I think well that will take care of the tunnels for awhile and several days later the tunnel is being used again ,or another route was chosen,as there will be tunnels again, in a different place.

So in summing up this long narrative,I am probably not even keeping UP with reproduction at the rate I am getting them. But I do have to say,  it feels pretty damn GOOD when I go outside and the trap has been sprung, and I know I have killed one of the little (expletives)! ::  Even though it is probably doing little to keep them from tearing up the yard,and planting beds! As after trapping for a year I just got one yesterday!

I agree and has always my line of thinking. Although they are not eating palm roots they are tunneling around and thru them which cant be a good thing. I really hate seeing a run right around the base of some of my palms.

Moles dig with their front claws, if they come to an obstruction they cant seem to get thru they then use their big front teeth to cut thru what's in their way.

I appreciate everyone's responses, you can always find a seed of truth out there that helps. I do have a section where the grass has a hard time growing so this might indeed be the mole magnet.

I will give these traps a try, and try and cover up the dirt areas. I'm up for anything at this point.

Hope to post some pictures to the forum soon

[Dave-Vero]

I dunno.  The leaf mold-heavy bromeliad bed around a big laurel oak seems to be like a pile of tubular macaroni, what with all the mole tunnels.  The damper bed at the back of the yard is less so, and as mentioned above, some dry sandy areas were kept that way in part by mole activity.  Think of sand sharks swimming around just under the surface.

My best guess remains that healthy grass isn't much bothered, and that moles move in after food (underground insects) arrive.  I'm far more worried about the little ants that live under sidewalks, the driveway, and get into flower pots.

[Guest]

(Dave-Vero @ Mar. 30 2008,11:20)

QUOTE

"like a pile of tubular macaroni, what with all the mole tunnels.  "

Ha Ha, Perfect Analogy.  You know my pain as we both live in Vero, must be the same moles.

[Wai`anae Steve]

Just one more reason to move to Hawai`i.  NO MOLES.

[PalmsZA]

Hi Guys

I am SOOOO glad that others have the same problem! The %$#$ moles are driving me mad! We have the insect eating species and the vegetarians that make huge mounds in your beds and all over the lawn. The vegetarian obes have managed to eat EVERY Ti plant that I put in the ground in the last 3 months. They never bothered me before, but now I want them dead. We have a little foxy/jack but she only manages to kill a few moles a year, the rest of the time she is teasing the neighboors Rottie!

Has anyone tried the sonic mole deterrants? They are expensive but apparently cover an area of about 250m2?

Cheers

Dennis

[PostmanSeb]

I gave up on them years ago.  I just try to keep the pest under control.  I put a hose in the tunnel and let it run Turning on the water pump helps to

Bruce

[Guest]

(PalmsZA @ Mar. 31 2008,01:48)

QUOTE

Hi Guys

I am SOOOO glad that others have the same problem! The %$#$ moles are driving me mad! We have the insect eating species and the vegetarians that make huge mounds in your beds and all over the lawn. The vegetarian obes have managed to eat EVERY Ti plant that I put in the ground in the last 3 months. They never bothered me before, but now I want them dead. We have a little foxy/jack but she only manages to kill a few moles a year, the rest of the time she is teasing the neighboors Rottie!

Has anyone tried the sonic mole deterrants? They are expensive but apparently cover an area of about 250m2?

Cheers

Dennis

Haven't tried that yet, I am skeptical. There never seems to be any testing with these products. Anyone can just make a claim that it works.

Perhaps If I can find like a 5 gallon bucket of grubs and dump into the neighbors yard the moles will follow the food source.  

stupid moles.

[Guest]

(PiousPalms @ Mar. 28 2008,22:30)

QUOTE

Welcome to the forum Joe!  I wish I had some advice to offer about your pest problem...  All I can offer is a funny picture....  

I'm sure someone more knowledgable will chime in and offer some solutions...  Glad to have you on the forum.

:cool:

That girl looks like a young Jennifer Aniston

[Jason Baker Portugal]

I don´t think we have gophers here but dennis´veggie moles might be it.

Dennis, I had something eat my ti plants too. i thought they had rotted in winter. They just fell over. They are choosy too. Like I said they prefer Syagrus romm., Chameadorea macro, and ceroxylons. maybe they like arengas or caryotas too. I don´t know how to get rid of them. mY CATS KILL ABOUT 1 MOLE A WEEK BUT i THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL CARNIVOROUS.

jASON

[Dan OKeeffe]

I recommend this device for gophers or moles.  Unfortunately,  there is not visual confirmation of a kill but I believe it works.  Between traps and carbon monoxide you should be covered.

http://www.undergroundexterm.com/

[Guest]

This is crazy? More so my wife is gonna think I'm crazy. I wonder if the mole tunnels have to all be airtight or too much leakage occurs ? I cant help walking in the yard and cracking open some tunnels.

[Dan OKeeffe]

There is pretty good flow rate of exhaust that comes out of the hose.  Just need to cover the entry hole and then let car run.  I think the adapter was 20 bucks or so.

[Guest]

(dokeeffe @ Mar. 31 2008,18:43)

QUOTE

There is pretty good flow rate of exhaust that comes out of the hose.  Just need to cover the entry hole and then let car run.  I think the adapter was 20 bucks or so.

I'll give it a shot. :cool:

[PalmsZA]

(Jason Baker, Portugal @ Mar. 31 2008,22:31)

QUOTE

I don´t think we have gophers here but dennis´veggie moles might be it.

Dennis, I had something eat my ti plants too. i thought they had rotted in winter. They just fell over. They are choosy too. Like I said they prefer Syagrus romm., Chameadorea macro, and ceroxylons. maybe they like arengas or caryotas too. I don´t know how to get rid of them. mY CATS KILL ABOUT 1 MOLE A WEEK BUT i THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL CARNIVOROUS.

jASON

Hi Jason

You have the veggie moles then too! They love cordylines! A few palms have been nailed but the one that sticks to mind is a lovely Dypsis baronii!

Cheers and good luck!

Dennis

PS look at what little Suzie caught this morning!!!! Good girl!

[Guest]

Floster, offer them a stick of jucy fruit. I hear it works

Jim