Mole time

[joel]

As we move ahead to the thawing time in a bit, our area is subject to the invasion of Moles around the moist areas of our ponds. I have not had them create any real problems so far in the ponds I have seen affected, but it sure is ugly.
Anyone else have this issue and what are you doing to control them?
We have used bait and smoke poison with some success, but these can pose a danger to pets and children.

 

[DrDave]

We have a lot of gophers. My back yard once had hundreds of holes and tunnels. I trapped a lot of them but I found that the grain that is poisoned works best to stop them for good. I never found a dead one, but I hear they die in their tunnels and the smell of death chases others away. Blood meal is supposed to work as well.
I still have gophers and holes just outside my property, I fill them with used cat litter and ashes from my fireplace. Both seem to work. Plant oleanders along your perimeter and that stops them because the roots are deadly poison.
I have about an acre and my yard is gopher free now. I think all these methods have paid off. The poisoned grain is going into the hole so your pets and kids should be safe unless your kids eat dirt after digging a foot down to get it.

 

[joel]

Thanks Dr. Dave, I was in fact looking for some ideas using a natural repelent as if I reccomend a poison and something happens, well you know the litigious world we live in.
I lke the oleander idea, a dual purpose synergistic approach! Blood meal also an idea, I have used that around my garden to repel rabbits.

These moles are very small compared to gophers I think, and there mounds and tunnels stick above the ground making them easily accessible to dogs digging etc.

 

[DrDave]

Another trick I used was to take the 30 years or so of paint I accumulated, that you can no longer put in the trash and poured it down every hole outside my fenceline but still in my property. I discovered that no gopher returned to any of these holes. The paint dries and I think is harmless to the ecology but the fumes permeated the tunnels, keeping the gophers away.

I find that to make their home uncomfortable causes them to move it elsewhere.