Moles/voles in lawn/garden areas

[devenny99]

Does anyone have problems with moles/voles in their lawn/garden areas? They have now eaten all of my coneflower roots and have ruined the plants and any hopes of survival. What's a person to do? I really need some advice on what to do to keep them out of my garden especially.

 

[Vince]

Got'em all over the place, except the garden. :shrug: You can set up mole traps, the metal kind or you can dig into their tunnel, put a mouse trap by it with some peanut butter and put a bucket over that. It works. Or you can spray your yard with Diazinon and kill their food source (grubs) and they will go elsewhere.

 

[smoothmarine187]

Give some kids a couple of bats and then flush the moles out with water. It will be just like wack a mole in the arcade but way more fun

 

[kbeachcat123]

I used to have the same mole/vole problem. Got a Jack Russell. No more moles!! (Of course, he catches birds, crickets, basically anything that moves).

 

[Radiant1]

I used to have the same mole/vole problem. Got a Jack Russell. No more moles!! (Of course, he catches birds, crickets, basically anything that moves).

I was thinking she should get a hungry cat.

For the longest time I couldn't plant bulbs in my yard due to moles. The only ones they didn't touch were the "deer resistant" daffodils. They were there for the grubs. It took about two years for nature to take its course between the moles destroying the grub population and the cat destroying the mole population. My yard is now nice and flat with no tunnels in it.

 

[cattitude]

I'll rent you my mole/vole eradication expert.

 

[Booboo3604]

I heard this from a neighbor, never actually tried it myself. Just throwing the idea out there.

Try to cover as many holes as possible before starting. Take a long hose from your exhaust pipe on your car to holes. Turn on the car and let it run. Since the carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, the moles won't even notice it but you shouldnt have a problem after that.

 

[aps45819]

Does anyone have problems with moles/voles in their lawn/garden areas? They have now eaten all of my coneflower roots and have ruined the plants and any hopes of survival. What's a person to do? I really need some advice on what to do to keep them out of my garden especially.

The moles/voles don't eat the roots, they tunnel around looking for grubs. A lawn pesticide that kills the insects will cause the moles to look elswhere for food.

Mice get in the tunnels and eat the bulbs and roots in your garden

 

[beerlover]

I like to mold little friends for them - figures of rabbits and squirrels - out of C4 and put them into the holes. I learned that from a very wise greenskeeper. The Dalai Llama told him that at the moment of his death he would achieve total enlightenment. So he's got that going for him. Which is nice....

 

[desertrat]

The moles/voles don't eat the roots, they tunnel around looking for grubs. A lawn pesticide that kills the insects will cause the moles to look elswhere for food.

Mice get in the tunnels and eat the bulbs and roots in your garden

Moles aren't voles.
Voles are also called field or meadow mice.
Here's what the University of California says about them:

Voles are mostly herbivorous, feeding on a variety of grasses, herbaceous plants, bulbs, and tubers. They eat bark and roots of trees, usually in fall or winter. Voles store seeds and other plant matter in underground chambers.

And the University of Kansas:

Voles have been known to travel tunnels developed by moles to gain access to flower bulbs and other plant roots. Damage of this type is often mistakenly blamed on moles. Moles feed on insects and earthworms and rarely consume plant materials.

 

[devenny99]

I know that moles and voles are different. I also know that voles travel in the mole runs. In order to get rid of the voles, I have to get rid of the moles so there won't be anymore runs for them to travel in.

 

[desertrat]

I know that moles and voles are different. I also know that voles travel in the mole runs. In order to get rid of the voles, I have to get rid of the moles so there won't be anymore runs for them to travel in.

Well, I wasn't saying you didn't. I kind of thought the guy I replied to might have though.

 

[GWguy]

I don't know if they are still available, but I used to get Mole Sticks, basically gassers that you put down the hole and light. But unlike a normal gasser, these were HUGE, and I saw smoke coming out of tunnels 100 foot away. I think the last time I got them was at the nursery next to the old Swing and Swat. Never had much luck with poison pellets or grub control. The gassers always seemed to work.

 

[aps45819]

Well, I wasn't saying you didn't. I kind of thought the guy I replied to might have though.

Always thought a Vole was a type of Mole instead of a mouse. Thanks

 

[desertrat]

Always thought a Vole was a type of Mole instead of a mouse. Thanks

They spelled the names that way to confuddle us.
It should have been
Mole: a little critter that burrows and eats grubs
Mouse: a little critter that sneaks in your house and steals cat food.
Vouse: a little critter like a mouse, but with a shorter tail. Sometimes called a field mouse.

 

[Vince]

I don't know if they are still available, but I used to get Mole Sticks, basically gassers that you put down the hole and light. But unlike a normal gasser, these were HUGE, and I saw smoke coming out of tunnels 100 foot away. I think the last time I got them was at the nursery next to the old Swing and Swat. Never had much luck with poison pellets or grub control. The gassers always seemed to work.

Forgot about those. I still have a few and you can still get them at ACE hardware.

 

[aps45819]

A guy I know got one of the gerbil water bottles, filled it with anti-freeze and stuck it in the mole tunnel. Put a bucket over it with a brick on top to keep his dog away and the moles were gone in a few days.

 

[kbeachcat123]

I heard this from a neighbor, never actually tried it myself. Just throwing the idea out there.

Try to cover as many holes as possible before starting. Take a long hose from your exhaust pipe on your car to holes. Turn on the car and let it run. Since the carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, the moles won't even notice it but you shouldnt have a problem after that.

Darwin Award Nominee.

 

[kbeachcat123]

A guy I know got one of the gerbil water bottles, filled it with anti-freeze and stuck it in the mole tunnel. Put a bucket over it with a brick on top to keep his dog away and the moles were gone in a few days.

Why not just ignite the antifreeze? Are you guys having a contest for this year's Darwin Awards??

Sheesh - See my previous post about my JRT and cattitude's post. My dog is also available for extermination of undesirables. Hey cat - maybe the dogs can work as a tag-team!! hehehehej

Thanx to my JRT who killed all those humongous basement spiders, I can safely visit my basement again - egads.

 

[kbeachcat123]

OH and if you own cats, DO NOT place antifreeze anywhere --- cats are known to love the smell and taste, however it is DEADLY to cats.