Suggestions for "pet friendly" mole removal

[Budman]

My back yard has been completely hammered by moles since the fall. I have tunnels criss-crossing the whole back yard. I know that it is moles causing the damage because the cat broght one into the garage back in the fall. I know there are some pesticides out there, but I am a little hesitant about using any poisons because one of the cats is a hunter and frequently consumes what she kills. She brings home little shrews frequently, but I don't think these are the guys causing the damage. I also have a dog that sometimes digs in the tunnels trying to get to the moles, so I'm not so sure that a trap is a good idea either. It is not real feasible to restrict them from the are because they get the run of the back yard while my wife and I are away at work during the day.

Does anyone have any creative suggestions for my problem, short of using plastic explosives like "Carl the groundskeeper"? :)

[humble1]

You could use a bait, I think its talprid I havent used it, Not sure how big the dog is, but you could probably cover the area where the bait is with a piece of plywood.

[Dreams To Designs]

For the mole, Talparid is the best solution, you can purchase a similar product at the box stores, but may not be as effective. Talparid is a poison in the form of a worm, a moles favorite food source. As for the residual, check the Bell Labs web site for additional information. Castor oil sprays or drenches will keep them at bay, for the time the spray stays effective, usually a few good rains will dilute it beyond it's effective concentration. Bubble gum, glass, hair or any of the other so called remedies are a waste of your time. You can also use harpoon traps, often seen in box stores manufactured by Victor. They are mildly effective, and not likely to harm your pets. Moles eat earthworms and grubs and other soil borne insects. They do not eat plants, but moles, voles and even chipmunks will share the same tunnel systems.

If the shrews, your cat is catching, are indeed voles, that is the main source of your tunnels. Voles eat plant roots and will girdle trees and shrubs. The only effective control of voles is elimination. Mouse traps baited with peanut butter or apple slices work well, when secured under a pail adjacent to an active vole hole. You can also use rodenticides secured in mouse bait stations, but check with Bell Labs for any residual toxins that your pets may encounter if the devour one of the poisoned voles. The sonic chaser can only protect a very small area, and that depends on the makeup of the soil. All the other home remedies are also virtually useless. The castor oil spray will deter them for a short while, but voles can breed at a very young age and they breed prolifically. You may keep them out for a short time, but when the return, it will be in force and numbers. Voles are active 24/7/365.

Kirk

[White Gardens]

Here's what you need.

A quite Saturday afternoon.

A lawn chair.

A shovel and pitch fork.

A six-pack to hone your skills.

Watch for moving hills and go take a whack at them. You can also by the spring traps that you place in a run, but they only work 50% of the time.

You would be amazed how it only takes a couple of moles to do some major damage.

I agree with Dreamstodesign, make sure you've identified the pest accordingly before you do anything.

[Budman]

Kirk,

These are definitely shrews that the cat has been bringing home. She has been catching them for years, and no tunnels in the back yard until last fall. One day last fall my wife told me she had caught another "mole", and I was not prepared for the miniature beaver with baseball mits that I saw in the garage! :)

I am probably going to try the traps first. If they don't work, then I will resort to the bait. I'm still a little worried about one of the cats catching a critter that has consumed poison, and then getting poisoned themselves.

Thanks for the help!

[White Gardens]

Kirk,

These are definitely shrews that the cat has been bringing home. She has been catching them for years, and no tunnels in the back yard until last fall. One day last fall my wife told me she had caught another "mole", and I was not prepared for the miniature beaver with baseball mits that I saw in the garage! :)

I am probably going to try the traps first. If they don't work, then I will resort to the bait. I'm still a little worried about one of the cats catching a critter that has consumed poison, and then getting poisoned themselves.

Thanks for the help!

I'm tellin ya, just use a shovel and dig them up when you see a moving hill. You'd be surprised how easy it is and how only 1 or 2 moles can do major damage.

[Marcos]

Kirk,


I am probably going to try the traps first. If they don't work, then I will resort to the bait. I'm still a little worried about one of the cats catching a critter that has consumed poison, and then getting poisoned themselves.

Thanks for the help!

There is an LD and weight factor you're not taking into consideration ( LD stands for 'lethal dose')

The active ingredient in a Talpirid "worm" is called bromethalin.
Without getting into boring detail, each worm is engineered by the Bell Laboratories to kill a mammal between 3 to 6 ounces in weight (which is not by any accident, the weight of your average everyday mole.)

Most domesticated cats who have owners are mercy killers. They tend to kill for the sport of it, and then marvel at the dead carcass for awhile, and walk away.
Cats that are left to provide for their own in our society are almost unmistakably 100% the opposite.

If a 8, 10 or 12 lb cat got ahold of a mole that had recently eaten a Talpirid bait, it would probably experience nothing more than a short-term headache from the chemical A.I.
There's simply NOT ENOUGH chemical in one of those worms to permanently affect your normal-sized, everyday house cat, that probably weighs 30X as much as the average mole.

http://www.talpirid.com/



Case in point:
Another mole bait out there these days is called "Kaput":
http://www.scimetricsltd.com/mg_home.html

The A.I. of the mole killer Kaput is the chemical: warfarin.
And for any of you heart disease patients out there, YOU certainly know that warfarin can be a VERY, VERY good thing (preventing blood clots) when it's taken in doses relative to OUR body weight!... :waving:

[Budman]

How about if I till them up? :p The yard is so bad that I am going to rent a rear tine tiller and till the whole area up and reseed, then hit it with a roller to compact it back down and get some decent soil/seed contact. I also have some undulations in the yard caused by some settling over the lateral lines. I might actually have to bring in some topsoil for fill in those areas. If I can determine where their exit tunnels are from the area, I might just dig them up or block them to prevent the possibility of escape. :gunsfirin

[Budman]

Marcos,

Our cat is definitely not a "mercy killer", even though she is a well fed. She often catches birds, and all that is left are feathers and feet! She eats the whole thing - beak and all! I am a little amazed at it. For some reasons with shrews and mice, she leaves the head and the rear and eats the middle. Oh, and speaking of birds, robins have to be about the dumbest birds out there. She probably catches them on a 10 to 1 ratio compared to everything else combined. We have tried collars with bells and stuff like that, but nothing really stops her. Sorry if too much detail! ;)