It began with one innocent mole hill. When several more made appearances, we made efforts to discourage the mole (or moles) from returning. They didn’t work. Our front yard was on the verge of caving in on itself, so we decided it was time to call upon professional help.
I have to say I’m a little peeved. Mole Masters came with a supposed guarantee and promises of a “body count.” Where are you, Mole Masters? It’s been a week, and so far the moles have been undeterred by the ominous-looking MOLE MASTERS cans and traps. More mole hills have appeared. We seem to be the only people in the neighborhood with moles. I watch people walk by and stare at the cans, and I know they’re thinking, “Ha! This is what you get for moving here from California!” Someone suggested we pee into the mole hills. I haven’t tried it … yet.
Hi Mariko! I found your blog when I googled my own name, and have enjoyed it for close to a year now, as I’m also a fellow West-coast (Vancouver, BC) knitter and crafter. Anyway, just saw your post about moles and thought I’d put in my two bits worth. I haven’t personally experienced the little darlings, but my grandma has several times. Whenever they come back (once a summer) she runs over to my house for a bucket of dog poop. Apparently she shoves it down the holes and the moles magically disappear (I would too!) I thought you might be interested since you should have the material needed at hand. 🙂 Good luck and keep on crafting!
well, looks like natural waste products seem the way for repelling moles! i’ve never seen a mole, but in hawaii it’s them darn termites that eat our homes and live in the ground and telephone poles….they’re real nasty and it takes the more harmful stronger stuff to get rid of them!
maybe you could make friends with the moles. maybe they’d be willing to give you something in return for the front yard, like eating all the spiders for you or something. 😉
Although I have to agree that Mariko’s solution above is quite unique, and probably works well, the only time we had a mole (or gopher) problem was the year we were *between* cats. I never realized how much work they did in the garden until then. We now have Lilo (our shelter kitty) who spends way more time outside than in, and earns her keep in gold…weekly! Good luck!
I
Wow, that’s crazy? I don’t know if I’d be that upset that I’d pee in a mole hole though.
Hi Mariko-
We have had only one mole at a time in our yard…apparently we only get a bachelor as we have never had an expanding population. The pee/dog poop strategy is a good one for most pests. Basically you are “re-marking” the moles territory. Another thing you might try is shoving a garden hose down the hole and turning it on full blast. Sometimes that flushes them out and causes the tunnel to collapse…. then I would add the dog poop or pee for good measure. You could always get a cat too.
Good luck!
Lori
O Girl. I totally feel your mole pain. We had them pretty bad at our old house and I tried everything under the sun to get rid of them to absolutely no avail. We’re talking bubble gum, smoke bombs, poison peanuts, flooding with the hose, sprays, you name it. It made me psycho, and is one of the many, many reasons I was glad to sell that house. Little F***ers.
There’s a guy from around here somewhere who invented this thing that basically fills their tunnels with gas and then lights it on fire and blows them up. I bet he’s a bajillionaire.
I’ve heard juicy fruit gum works wonders. Kills them but stops the mole holes.
no way….theres a company in this world named ‘mole masters’!! awesome!
Hi Mariko —
You always seem to have the most interesting adventures…
My husband’s Aunt Virginia uses those pinwheel/windmill gizmos that you can stick into the ground to deter the little varmints. Apparently, when the wheelies spin they create vibrations underground that the gophers and moles don’t appreciate. It’s worked for her, so maybe it’ll work for you. At least you won’t have to handle poop or poisons! Good luck!
Apparently we have them in Texas too, because my friend owns a ranch, and she has quite a few cats and they always do the job. Of course she mentioned that they like to go swimming in the pool, but she finds them alive. My suggestion would be to adopt a kitty cat from a shelter, and let ’em run!
When we had lots of moles in our front yard, I bought a gizmo that puts out a beeping noise and vibrates every few minutes. It’s this big spike thing that you just put into the ground, turn on, and cover up. I’m sure the batteries have died by now, but we never had another molehill again. Here it is – http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/sc/shopexd.asp
Should we send the girls over? Abby has two squirrels, a mouse, and a rat on her kill record and Pokey has a couple of mice! They could kill the moles but your yard might never be the same….
hmm… i have a friend who accidentally speared a mole w/ a pitchfork in his compost pile!!
not so pleasant. good luck w/ the.. um… cans!
i also suggest the spike noise emitter thingies.
What are those cans supposed to do? I’m thinking moles can’t read :-P.
Don’t try the ‘gasoline into the holes nad then light them on fire’ – my Dad trie d that and and the entire lawn caught on fire – he had to call the fire department to put it out! I am going to tell him about the urine thing….