What is it moles feed on and what is used to get rid of them?

Chris

On Sat, 5 Apr 2003 13:37:30 -0500, Chris Haney wrote:

What is it moles feed on and what is used to get rid of them?

Chris

Moles are almost entirely carnivorous, although soft vegetation such as
seeds and soft root systems can comprise a small portion of their diet.
Moles do not simply eat whatever they can find. European moles often
"store" worms. They do this by biting the worm on the area that controls
motor activity. Once neutralized, the worms are dragged to a den or
storehouse where up to 20 ¡V 30 worms may be found at any one time.
The best bets for mole removal are traps, poisons or mole repellents.
There are traps designed specifically for killing moles, and they go by
scary names like "scissors mole trap," "choker mole trap" and "harpoon mole
trap." You can also trap moles using a small live-trap, such as is put out
by the Havahart Company. The formula for commercial mole repellents, such
as Mole-Med, is based on castor oil.
When using mole repellents or mole poisons, you must often water the
area where you¡¦ll be applying them, so that the repellent or poison will
permeate the soil. Water the area well both before and after applying the
repellent or poison, if instructed to do so on the package of the
particular product that you choose. Re-application may be necessary. Seek
alternative mole control options, rather than using these dangerous poisons
or killing traps, especially if you have pets or children.
Several bulb plants are said to repel moles. One is the well-known
daffodil. Two of the others are also classic spring bloomers: Siberian
squill (Scilla siberica) and crown imperial (Fritillaria imperialis). The
Allium genus of bulbs including garlic, onions, leeks, chives and shallots
will also repel them. A couple more "living mole repellents" are the mole
plant also called ¡§caper spurge¡¨ (Euphorbia lathyris), and castor bean also
known as castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis).

http://tinyurl.com/8wos

Chris Haney wrote:

What is it moles feed on and what is used to get rid of them?

Chris

They eat earth worms and insects, so it's basically impossible to remove
their food without doing a lot more damge to the ground than the moles
do /

I fight moles over a large area, and i use mainly traps. They seem
pretty smart, cause after i bury/set a trap, they seem to leave even if
i don't catch one /

For a garden or small area, creating vibrations in the earth are
supposed to discourage moles, but won't reliably eliminate them.
whirligigs are simple little windmills used to convert wind energy into
ground vibration sent down a rod or pole driven into the earth, but most
the ones on the net are too light and flimsey with a little flimsy or
wooden stake that gets soft as it rots in the ground / Obviously to
create substantial vibrations into the ground that will carry, you need
a thick, solid post that is driven deep, like a 1/2 inch peice of
electrical conduit driven a couple feet into the ground. A copper/alloy
grounding rod would be much better tho, more solid and won't rust. i
couldn't find any homemade whirligigs on the net, but seems to me it'd
be real simple, just a little vertical axis windmill that rested on
something that caused vibration as it turned, either a ribbed surface or
a slanted surface with a dropoff, so with each turn the windmill raised
up about 1/4 inch and then dropped. Like this:

http://members.cox.net/m.posey/misc/whirligig.gif

Here's free plans for an electronic version:

http://www.webenet.net/~schram/Chris/sale.html#mole

Traps are supposed to be the most successful method, tho more labor
intensive.

Another method is piping car exhaust into the hole, but this can take 20
or 30 minutes to be effective. However holes can go hundreds of feet
giving moles a long evacuation route, so it's not necessarily effective,
but otoh it can wipe out a family of moles instead of just one.

It's a constant battle and one method won't do it.

bigjon wrote:

Water the area well both before and after applying the
repellent or poison, if instructed to do so on the package of the
particular product that you choose. Re-application may be necessary.

I wouldn't use poison in my garden if at all possible. This is
triangle.gardens btw.


Here's a real cheap "WINDMILL MOLE CHASER", just add wind )

search for ITEM 47987-0VGA at this site:
http://www.harborfreight.com/

On Sun, 06 Apr 2003 06:30:09 GMT, Perry Noid wrote:

bigjon wrote:

Water the area well both before and after applying the
repellent or poison, if instructed to do so on the package of the
particular product that you choose. Re-application may be necessary.

I wouldn't use poison in my garden if at all possible. This is
triangle.gardens btw.


Here's a real cheap "WINDMILL MOLE CHASER", just add wind )

search for ITEM 47987-0VGA at this site:
http://www.harborfreight.com/

" This is triangle.gardens btw. "
Your point ??

If you've seen the movies DUNE, or TREMORS, I recommend caution. grin

--

Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV
NEW EMAIL
NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax

"Perry Noid" wrote in message
...
bigjon wrote:

Water the area well both before and after applying the
repellent or poison, if instructed to do so on the package of the
particular product that you choose. Re-application may be necessary.

I wouldn't use poison in my garden if at all possible. This is
triangle.gardens btw.


Here's a real cheap "WINDMILL MOLE CHASER", just add wind )

search for ITEM 47987-0VGA at this site:
http://www.harborfreight.com/

bigjon wrote:

On Sun, 06 Apr 2003 06:30:09 GMT, Perry Noid wrote:

bigjon wrote:

Water the area well both before and after applying the
repellent or poison, if instructed to do so on the package of the
particular product that you choose. Re-application may be necessary.

I wouldn't use poison in my garden if at all possible. This is
triangle.gardens btw.


Here's a real cheap "WINDMILL MOLE CHASER", just add wind )

search for ITEM 47987-0VGA at this site:
http://www.harborfreight.com/

" This is triangle.gardens btw. "
Your point ??

Poisons are bad for people. Don't do poison.

The poisons are worse on people who crawl around in mole tunnels and have
the least effect on folks who walk upright and avoid tunneling under sod to
eat tubers. IMHO, the tunnel people deserve to die.

--

Tom Gauldin, Las Vegas NV
NEW EMAIL
NEW PHONE (702) 263-8804 voice/fax

"Perry Noid" wrote in message
...
bigjon wrote:

On Sun, 06 Apr 2003 06:30:09 GMT, Perry Noid wrote:

bigjon wrote:

Water the area well both before and after applying the
repellent or poison, if instructed to do so on the package of the
particular product that you choose. Re-application may be necessary.

I wouldn't use poison in my garden if at all possible. This is
triangle.gardens btw.


Here's a real cheap "WINDMILL MOLE CHASER", just add wind )

search for ITEM 47987-0VGA at this site:
http://www.harborfreight.com/

" This is triangle.gardens btw. "
Your point ??

Poisons are bad for people. Don't do poison.