Moles

How do I get rid of the moles in my yard?

 

Do a search on Mole Peanuts. You basically punch a hole in the tunnel and drop them in there. They think they're food and eat 'em. This will kill them.

 

There's been a lot of confusion out there as to how to kill moles. Unfortunately, there are too many products out there that claim to "control" moles but have never been proven to actually kill them.

The only product on the market right now that is actually labeled and proven to kill moles is manufactured by Bell Labs. It's called Talpirid. Call your local LESCO store and they can explain to you how it works. Bell even gives away CD-ROMS that explain how to use the product safely/effectively. There are a lot of funny products out there (Mole Peanuts, etc) but none of them have been proven to work. Besides, moles are carnivorous creatures. In order to bait them, the posion must resemble their food source, which consists 90% of earthworms and about 10% grubs and other insects. Why would a mole want to eat a peanut??

Good luck,
Shane
Stratford, CT

 

I have used Talpirid with some success. The Key is in the application. Follow the directions, short cuts will hinder your results. It comes in a package of 20 and depending on the population you can expect to use 4 or 5 worms per active site also you may have to reapply. Moles are nasty little buggers and very hard on mower blades.

 

Here's a quick tip. Sounds obvious, but you'd be suprised how many people forget this when they apply Talpirid:

WEAR LATEX GLOVES! You'd be amazed how many people have come back to me complaining that the product didn't work and when I ask them, they admit they didn't wear gloves. If the mole detects your human scent on the worm bait, they will not eat it.

Good luck!

Shane

 

My experience is the best results are obtained from using good traps. Chemicals are a hazard to the environment and if moles have declared your yard as territory they will come back.

I had lots of moles when I started out. Now there is practically none left and if I see a mole heap I plant a trap and in a few days the mole is history......

 

Good luck with the traps. I've heard mixed reports on them. If you're getting results, great!

However, it's not healthy for our industry or for the sake of truth to exaggerate the risks of certain chemicals. While I'm all for being selective in the use of any pesticides, especially if we're talking about homeowners without any professional experience with these chemicals, let's not instill fear needlessly.

While I recognize that BarnOwl's comment was in reference to the environment in general and not specifically mammals, the following lab data may prove helpful in recognizing the potency and toxicity levels for Bromethalin, the active ingredient in Talpirid:

http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/1997/spring/bromoethalin.shtml

"The LDso of pure bromethalin for dogs is 4.7 mg/kg body weight and 1.8 mg/kg for cats. Minimum lethal doses of bait are 25 g/kg in the dog and 4.5 g/kg in the cat. A typical package contains 21 grams of 0.01% bromethalin. Thus, a five kg dog would have to consume five to six packages to reach toxic levels and a five kg cat would have to consume one to two packages to reach toxic levels."

So whatever the user's decision is regarding any possible collateral effects to the environment in general, hopefully this info will prove helpful.

Best of luck!
Shane