Tips from Toby: Best ways to stop moles

Moles are doing damage to lawns all over town. We tried just about every gadget and gimmick out there to find out what works best to eliminate these pests from your lawns.
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[rlw]

I had moles all over my yard and I tried everything I heard of that did not include traps or something bought to kill them.
Most of my yard slopes from front to back ( 1 acre ) and I had several different moles creating raised tracks in my grass.
I finally got an idea that worked everytime and it was simple and safe for everyone but the mole. I found the highest point of the raised mole trail, took my garden hose and inserted it into the trail, turned the hose on and let it run. Some times it would take 20 to 30 minutes for me to find how far in the trail the water had made it before it started to over flow. Usually the trails length amazed me and sometimes I used a dry stick to poke in the trail to see if the water had made it that far. Usually I found a mole making tracks to get out of the water and I removed his muddy self and took him to the woods away from my house. Some times I never found them but the trails went away and I have to assume they drowned. It worked, watered the ground, and I tamped down the trails the next day when they were dry. Problem solved.

[chrisspelhaug]

My Uncle made a mole IED from some scrap steel, pipe and a spring. Shoots off a 12 gauge shell when triggered. 100% effective every time

[IowaKim]

I have three different traps and and haven't caught any moles this year. My most effective method this year is as soon as a new mound is made, scrape off the excess dirt and run a garden hose in the new hole. I have caught seven moles this year doing this method.

[Indyjeeplover]

My neighbors and I have five acres each in the country. Few years back we had LOTS of moles. We’ve used scissor traps and the three of us have killed probably 35-40 moles. I have five of those traps myself. You’ll get multiples out of the same run once you find a main run.

Easiest way to find the active runs is to use a lawn roller to push down all the runs, then see which are the first to get used again.

If you don’t want to use traps, find the active runs and poke a small hole. Insert a funnel and pour a cup of ammonia immediately followed by a cup of bleach. Keep your head back as it will immediately give off chlorine gas. Pull the funnel and close the hole with your foot. The chlorine gas is heavier than air and will drop down to the bottom of the runs. Do it multiple times until all the runs get gassed.

[mjkane]

I watched a youtube video a few weeks ago about moles. this guy stuck a garden hose down the hole and turned it on...the mole can't swim, it came to the top and ...well...got dead real soon after. I tried that too. I had to put the hose down two holes, the first had nothing in it. The second had the mole. He came out about 3' from where the water going in. You can see the ground move. I stabbed the ground with a pitch fork, then turned the sod over. I have no more moles in my yard...as of now.

[johnherman]

The only way that I have been able to kill moles is to grab a six pack a lawn chair and a shovel and wait for the little suckers. Sometimes the six pack turns into a half rack and by then who gives a crap.

[jolinewalker]

My gardener told me to use chocolate ex lax bars broke into pieces- put 4-5 pieces in each hole and within 24 no sign of them in the area again. I swear by this method, it has worked great for me!

[tobyalsip]

Wow you beat me to it I had considered a channel call tips from Toby great minds think alike

[PennySmart]

I've used traps, not so good as those, mine have to be completely buried into the mole tunnel. I did catch a 2 or 3, but most of the time, it did not work, they just digged a "bypass" round it. Yet I used gloves to handle the traps, etc. My guess is once they see one mole caught, they're intelligent enough to avoid the trap. Smoke cartridges worked for me in the end but I had to use loads of them.

[gearhead]

I completely buried 24" wide 1/2" hardware cloth around my flower bed years ago. Haven't had mole or vole problems since. They could easily go to the surface and walk to my flowers but they don't.

[bobbywrongway]

I have some experience with these pests. 1st you have to apply bug killer to the lawn every 3 to 4 months all year. When one of them does show up I flood the trail - and I mean flood it good - they really don't like water and they don't come back for quite a while.

[lovepeony]

I thought I was able to chase away the fatty mole under my concrete back patio in a warm afternoon for the first time in years, just before the cold temperature dropped to freezing point the following day. To my surprise, I found the covered old opening was reopened again the next day! My hope to let the critter find a new home vanished at that moment. Now I must look for a way to kick it out of my backyard again as all those tunnels caused my concrete back patio breaking a long gap in the middle and the patio might break into 4 big pieces next year.😭

[dave]

I found a simple solution - put on vinyl/latex gloves to mask your scent and drop a half piece of juicy fruit gum in the hole. It works most of the time. Sometimes I need to do a 2nd treatment but they're gone or dead after that as they can't digest the sweet gum. It's a fraction of the cost of the poison worms and there's no danger from poison, traps, etc.

[helenrichardson]

Thank you. I am new to Florida and this is my first experience with moles. They give me the creeps but im trying to learn about them so that i will tolerate them or get rid of them.

[MrAirtaz]

Who the hell makes a video of this without a link for the device?

[QuantumEntangledReality]

Where do you buy that trap? What was the name of it?

[manyourcoolchris]

Thank you Toby, I'm picking up a dozen of these easy foot stomp traps

[julesjames]

Excellent reporting! Owls and hawks are pretty good too (but expensive to train).

[mikey]

I walk along the run with a pitch fork jabbing holes along the way. Every once in a while I hear a little squeal. Seems to work.

[rapaent]

I have one of those traps "NO GOOD" I've even loosened the frame bolts. Sensitivity is terrible.