April 3, 201610 yr What is the best way to eliminate these monsters without breaking the bank? They have destroyed my mother's lawn. Unreal destruction.
April 3, 201610 yr Grub-ex. The moles are usually feasting on the grubs in the ground. Eliminate the food and they will probably leave.
April 3, 201610 yr Lived here for 25 years; had moles one summer; maybe 3 years ago. Never did anything to get rid of them, although a couple of stray cats hang around. Haven't seen them back and no trace of them on/in the lawn.
April 3, 201610 yr Grub-ex. The moles are usually feasting on the grubs in the ground. Eliminate the food and they will probably leave. I spent a few years in high school and college working in the grounds department of my hometown, so I have some experience dealing with moles. The only quick, effective way of removing moles is by trapping. It takes some trial and error to learn to use traps effectively, but it truly is the best, and safest (to pets, kids, and other wildlife) way. The only downside is you have to get some blood on your hands. Getting rid of grubs isn't foolproof or quick. First, moles do not live on grubs alone, and can survive on other insects, earthworms and other larvae. Even without grubs, it will still take weeks for the moles to leave (if they do at all) and in the meantime, the moles will likely dig more and deeper, thus causing more damage. Finally, Grub-X and other similar treatments can be hazardous to pets, birds and other beneficial insects as well as kids. You can have a grub problem without having moles and a mole problem without having grubs. Poisons can help, but aren't a guarantee and again carry dangers to pets and other wildlife, especially dogs. Moles do have a great sense of smell so some of the repellents with castor oil can be effective too. However they can get expensive and will require reapplication after every rain. If you have a very small yard this could be a decent, easy solution.
April 3, 201610 yr Wake my mother from the dead. She was amazing at getting those guys. She would walk around as they dug and knew exactly when to drop the shovel. She also used a spring loaded gizmo that you put over an existing tunnel. When they go through it would drop a spike and nail them.
April 3, 201610 yr Here's my 2 cents after working in lawn care.... Yes the: the poison peanut ( be sure cats don't eat dead mole ), gum in tin foil, water hose in tunnel, patient man/woman sharpshooter with 22 rifle on porch, all work. However, the game changer is a pressure plate spear trap! mole spear traps pics - Bing images Choose per price point and happy placements. Based on your level of patience will determine how many to purchase. Myself, I'd buy 3 for 7500 sq. ft. lawn or less, 6 for 15000 sq. ft, you get the idea. ID the travel routes based on newly tossed soil and place accordingly. It will take some time but is the most pro-active proven method. Grubex is a deterrent. There's other food sources which bring them into a lawn. TACs Mom knew what was up. Follow her lead! :thumb:
April 3, 201610 yr Agree the grub-ex is not guaranteed or quick. Last year, between moles and voles and brown spots during dry periods figured I had a problem with grub. A pull up of some sod confirmed a fairly dense infestation. Also neighbor has moles bad also. Treated part of the backyard and areas that had brown spots during dry periods. But ran of grub-ex but did not bother to get more. This spring, no moles tunnels in the treated areas from last year but they were literally going around the treated areas and making tunnels wherever it was untreated. Front yard was cleared out pretty well of grubs a couple of years ago - by a skunk. We wondered what the holes in our yard when they started showing up at first. Then we caught him/her a couple of time coming home late. He did not seem to like being light up with car lights at night and waddled into the field next door. Nocturnal grub hunting. We never bothered the skunk. When it was done with the yard it seemed to move on. We figured we got most of the grubs take care of and a bit of a free lawn aeration. We are 1 acre with farm behind and unkept field on side. So we have deal with skunks, rat snakes, mice (they get into the house time to time), voles, moles, coyotes and other vermin.
April 4, 201610 yr Naptha moth balls. They are poisonous to other animals though. Poke hole in tunnel every 4-6 feet and drop one in. Do not use the newer, safer moth balls. Must be Naptha type.
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