Posted: October 29 2009 at 11:09am | IP Logged

I  on a major .. major  war path  with  one  mole.   it ha s ate  the tubers  of  50 Dahlia plants   duyring the spring and summer  and  I just put  several hudred Daylily  seedlings in the ground  so that maybe  they  would start  to increase better   and  mulche d it allup and  now  the  darn mole  is  systematically  going  down the rows  and  eating my Daylilie s root s off.  

I going otu ther e and  finding  the  top of the fans  laying on their  sides  and for some even that ha s disappeared.  

I have trie d  soap, bubblegum,, hair  and  even tried   tearing up the tunnels  and   blcoking what I can  and  so far nothign has  worked.

I ha d this idea,  but not sure  i it would work or not .  I have no idea  how  far  down  mole s wil tunnel  but  I wondere d if  maybe  if  I dug  a  trench  all aroudn the beds and  put  some  very fine  holed  chichen wire  or somethign clos e to it  maybe  abotu  a foot down,    if  that would be enough to keep  the  nasty little  critter  from  eating   em all  before  they even have a hcance  to grow for  spring.  

Even   the neighbors  cats  aint been able to capture it.      A friend had  suggeste d  takign a board and  puttign nails through it and then  goign aroudn  stabbing through all the trails,  but  the way my luck goes  I liable to nail my foot  and  think tetnaus  is out of date,  plus  I  still wouldprobably  miss the  darn thing  as   Ican't see wher e the  paths  go   up the  hill just cna see them in the driveway  it crossed  and the beds. 

I hoping  somebody  has  some ideas  that might work.   I sure  don't want to have to  try and dig  them  fans all back up and report  them again.  They   was  lookign real happy to be in soem real dirt for a change.  

Posted: October 29 2009 at 3:04pm | IP Logged

When I was a kid we had moles. My dad used a spear type trap as shown in the link below:

http://www.thefind.com/garden/info-mole-trap

If I had them I would try putting rat poision in the tunnel first. This  is probable too cruel for most people here, but when an animial destroys  my garden or home I have no pity on them.

Ron

Posted: October 29 2009 at 3:18pm | IP Logged

Ella, are you sure it's a mole, and not a vole?

I've always been under the impression that voles are the critters that will eat bulbs, roots, tubers, etc., while moles are mainly carnivores. I think I read that a mole may, on occasion, take a bite or two out of roots when their regular  pickins' are slim, but their preferred diet is earthworms, grubs, mole crickets, etc. Voles on the other hand can quickly destroy the root systems of plants.

Castor oil...that would make anything run away screaming! LOL But I have heard that it works for moles!

Or you might try planting castor beans. It is said the plants keep moles away. They make gorgeous tropical-looking plants, but the "beans" are very poisonous. If you have small children that visit your yard or pets/animals that might eat the "beans", don't go that route. I have a 3 year-old gandson, so I don't grow castor plants at this time.

Whatever it is, I'm sorry you are having this trouble. I don't have either one of those critters here. There is the occasional armadillo uprooting, though.

Good luck with getting rid of your critter!

Posted: October 29 2009 at 6:59pm | IP Logged

Quit killing the rattlesnakes!

How you doing Ella! Nice to see you around again........

Posted: November 04 2009 at 7:02pm | IP Logged

If  you want a non-toxic vole bait and can figure out a way to keep it dry in the garden, consider putting out instant mashed potatoes.  The idea is that the rodent eats it and then goes looking for water.

I haven't tried it enough to be sure how well it works, but it does make sense.

Elaine

Posted: November 04 2009 at 9:24pm | IP Logged

Elaine,

It would be my luck that the vole would eat them and then go find water and return with all his brothers ready for a feast.

Ron

Posted: November 05 2009 at 3:42pm | IP Logged

Do you know what happens when you add water to dry instant potatoes?

If it happens inside a vole, it won't be pretty for the rodent.

Elaine

Posted: November 09 2009 at 7:08am | IP Logged

Hi all!!!!!!

Thanks for  all the  suggestions.   My son ships out for  Irag on the 11 th and  took a  quickie leave from texas  and   drov e like a maniac  to get his truck and  his stuf f hoem and store d at his dad's  hous e  while he  gone again.  Probably  be  anothe r two years or clos e to it befor e he gets back.  

Time wa s short and preciosu with him  so  haven't bene on pute r much   and then ha d to wait  for   phoen call  that he got  back  to bas e safely.      Her e he is leaving   at bustop  Saturday.

seems  just liek yesterday  that he  was   with us  at   Tinkerfest  and pickign out his  Daylilies.  Boy  the time  keeps  goign by  too fast.   He  did look aroudn when he was  here  makign sure   I still had  his Daylilies.  LOL     Cours e it mom who ha s ha d ot keep them growing and watere d all this  time.  

yep ya right  got  vole out there.   Seen the  darn thign runign for  shelte r when I moved  a pallet.  grrrrrrrrrr.

Wow.  them some wicke d looking traps,  but  like  ya  say  when it  affects  the  gardens and yoru plants  big time  then   squimish or not have to do somethign about it.  

Got a pair  of chimpmunks  havign field  day  in strawberry patch and  bird s are  eatign what seed s I put out  a s fast a s I cn aget them into the ground.     Don't mind sharing with critters,  but    when they take to much  they gotta  go.  

Now I haven't heard  abotu  mashe d potaoes.   Got  some here  so wil try  that first.   I  us e grit s on  ants.   Just go tthe ant beds  out  of the Daylilie s  with  that.  

LOL.  John..   Sorry  rattler s no cna stay.    Now  if  could get  fiend  David  to brign his snake s and  put  little leashe s on them  and  guareentee me   that none  would get away,  then might  le t them try and get it.  

My  blackracer  is  almost 6 foot  now  and he wa s out  in that are a the  othe r day,  then he  cruise d on across the street  so figur e he  is  heading  for  his winte r home.    Would be nic e if he coudl get it though.  Whew  he  cna  giv e me  the  shake s and  willie s when he  aroudn  and  I don't see him  til  I  on him.    I just say  nice  snakey.. snake  and  back away  as  fast  as  my feet will go.  Cours e my feet movign faster  usually  than the rest of my body  is.   Take s tiem  especially for my brain to catch up.  

I tell ya though  you gott a watch  what ya  wish for .   Had  seen oodle s of  pics  of folsk  cute  chimpmuncks  and   said  oh I want  a chippie!    Well my wish was  answered.  Not onyl do i have  one chippy,  but  discovere d the other  day have two and  tons of hole sin the backyard  from them.  

Watche d as  one  trie d to find a hickory nut  big enough to stuff in hois mouth  and  take it back to  the den and the other one playe d peek-a boo with me  by the hostas for  awhile.    I kept lookign at  it thinking  oh  you such a  cut e lookign little  thing  and it would peek out at me   givign me  the  eyeball saying  stupid  human  get goen so I cna   grab some  seeds and chow down.   

I got a feelign this next year gonan have mroe critter s than I  can deal with.   Thre emroe  familie s roudn have  just abotu  taken all their wood s out.   That  leave s mainly  my yard  for them to find food and shelter.    As logn as  they  don't hurt  myplants and  Daylilie s  and  giv eme broken ankle s  with there  diggig  thy can stay  but soona s they becoem a problem.  They  gott a go  to somebody els e yard .  Will gladly pack them a  back pack fileld  with goodie s and send them on their way. 

Posted: November 09 2009 at 9:28am | IP Logged

Good-lookin' fella, your son is! You must be very proud.

Forums can wait, Ella, time with your son can not! I am glad you spent time with him.

Our children are precious. No matter how old they are, they are still our young-uns'.

My best to you and your son.