Apparently it's not all that far-fetched an idea to catch the pesky little critters that tunnel under your lawn. You can find helpful how-to sites that show exactly how to catch a mole, alive or dead. There are also many ads for chemical solutions to the problems or for professional help.
There is one system that requires you to dig a deep hole through and underneath a tunnel. Put a 5 gallon bucket in the hole, and then restore the tunnel to a usable condition. The little animal is supposed to come along and fall in the bucket. Strange at it seems, this is said to work. You can also keep watch at dawn or dusk and hope to spot a disturbance in the tunnel. You then shove a spade into the soil and bring up the mole with the dirt. You have to grab the critter before it gets away, so you'll need thick, strong gloves.
You need to think about what to do with a live mole. It's against the rules to evict a wild animal from its habitat in many areas. Check local animal control regulations to see if you can re-home moles.
Catch and release folks should read up on what moles like before letting them go. They like lawns, so letting them go in deep woods is not humane. You don't want to release them on a neighbor's property, either. If you have a part of your garden which is not on display, you could release your captive there and hope it stays away from your lawn.
If just getting them out of your yard is the goal, there are chemicals you can use to kill them. These include pellets and other forms of bait that you can drop into tunnels. Moles don't eat grain, so poison-soaked grain biscuits will not work. Most of these remedies don't get good reviews, but it may be worth a try.
Traps for moles are one thing that is said to actually work. These need to be set and placed into active tunnels. Care must be taken to keep the traps underground out of the reach of children and pets.
People flood the tunnels with water by the simple expedient of sticking a hose into the molehill and turning on a steady stream of water. Apparently you then catch any moles that emerge. It seems that the old trick of putting mothballs in the tunnel to get the moles to move out doesn't work very well, if at all. Gassing the animals is another thing desperate gardeners have tried, as are explosives. At this point, it might make sense to call in the pros. Ask for a guarantee before signing a contract; even professionals have trouble with these little creatures.
Many gardeners settle for co-existence. Moles eat grubs and other insects without doing much damage to landscaping. Rollers can compact the soil so moles won't try to dig their tunnels. Unless the damage is extremely unsightly, it may make sense to live and let live.
There is one system that requires you to dig a deep hole through and underneath a tunnel. Put a 5 gallon bucket in the hole, and then restore the tunnel to a usable condition. The little animal is supposed to come along and fall in the bucket. Strange at it seems, this is said to work. You can also keep watch at dawn or dusk and hope to spot a disturbance in the tunnel. You then shove a spade into the soil and bring up the mole with the dirt. You have to grab the critter before it gets away, so you'll need thick, strong gloves.
You need to think about what to do with a live mole. It's against the rules to evict a wild animal from its habitat in many areas. Check local animal control regulations to see if you can re-home moles.
Catch and release folks should read up on what moles like before letting them go. They like lawns, so letting them go in deep woods is not humane. You don't want to release them on a neighbor's property, either. If you have a part of your garden which is not on display, you could release your captive there and hope it stays away from your lawn.
If just getting them out of your yard is the goal, there are chemicals you can use to kill them. These include pellets and other forms of bait that you can drop into tunnels. Moles don't eat grain, so poison-soaked grain biscuits will not work. Most of these remedies don't get good reviews, but it may be worth a try.
Traps for moles are one thing that is said to actually work. These need to be set and placed into active tunnels. Care must be taken to keep the traps underground out of the reach of children and pets.
People flood the tunnels with water by the simple expedient of sticking a hose into the molehill and turning on a steady stream of water. Apparently you then catch any moles that emerge. It seems that the old trick of putting mothballs in the tunnel to get the moles to move out doesn't work very well, if at all. Gassing the animals is another thing desperate gardeners have tried, as are explosives. At this point, it might make sense to call in the pros. Ask for a guarantee before signing a contract; even professionals have trouble with these little creatures.
Many gardeners settle for co-existence. Moles eat grubs and other insects without doing much damage to landscaping. Rollers can compact the soil so moles won't try to dig their tunnels. Unless the damage is extremely unsightly, it may make sense to live and let live.
About the Author:
You can get advice on how to catch a mole and more info about the best mole traps at http://www.traplineproducts.com/trapinstructions.html right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment