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Monday, June 10, 2013

The Great Escape


Elaine, at Pear Tree Log, said they plant Mole Bulbs, which deter those little mole buggers.  Always up for a good read, I moved from identifying mole’s trails to how to send them packing.  I learned a couple of things about moles, too.

Moles simply do not live above ground, possibly excepting my hero, Moley, together with his friend Ratty and their acquaintances, Mr. Badger and Toad.  They live in their mole tunnels.  They do not eat roots.  Voles do that.  Moles eat worms and grubs. 

When mole tunnels are visible on the surface the little fellows are busy eating Japanese beetle larvae. This all sounds like a good animal to have around. Laura, however, would give them an eviction notice just for eating all the worms she saved. I compromised.  They can live in the rest of the yard. 

There are plants that deter mole simply by their detestable, to moles, smell.  Sork, one such, has come to be known as mole plant.  We are one zone too north for another, yellow crown imperalis, but can plant allium and euphorbia lathrys—in the fall.  I have not located a source for mole plant (yet), and am on the nursery’s list to notify when the two bulbs are available in the fall.

In the meantime, a mole mover is available.  Ground up peanut shells saturated with the oils of the aforementioned plants, plus the oil of the plant moles most detest, castor.  At the nursery counter last weekend the clerk explained how to use it.  She tore off a sheet of a note pad, put it on the desk.  This is your yard.  She drew a line around three sides.  This is where you sprinkle the product the first couple of days.  When you see the moles have left—she drew the last line—you close the perimeter.

Hamilton went around the garden with the shells, which don’t smell all that great to people, either, leaving one exit route.  The oils are released by water.  It has rained for three days, including the morning he went around shaking peanut shells around the perimeter of the garden.  It has not stopped raining enough for another application.

Yesterday morning the mound I take to be the escape hatch is right there by the sidewalk.  Hamilton can give the perimeter another dose of castor oil peanuts, then we’ll close off the hatch.  Don’t tell Laura, but we only did half the garden.





22 comments:

  1. I can't wait to hear if this worked. My daughter has a very bad mole problem in her garden in California. I am going to send this post to her.

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    1. OK, as soon as the ground dries a little, we flatten those tunnels and see what we see next.

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  2. Apparently if you stick those little pinwheels they sell for children in the area of their runs the vibration from the spinning tops running down the stick and into the ground is also a deterrant. They don't look so bad either.

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  3. This is like an episode of Poirot...until next week we are left hanging on the result.
    Jane x

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  4. I wish I'd known that.

    My neighbour reckoned moles came to the surface at 11.00 am and would stand by with his shotgun.
    He got a fair few.

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    1. Too funny. Will he have to remediate the soil to replant grass? On the other hand, the holes are already there.

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  5. Thank you. And please, please keep us informed. I do like the idea of pinwheels in the ground though...

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  6. My neighbors, four houses away will thank you for sharing this! Hoep all is well with you.

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  7. Ah, Joanne. Toad Hall...

    No real mole problem over here. That I know of...

    Picturing your yard full of pinwheels. :-)

    Pearl

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  8. Good luck! I'll pass on all your useful information - anything which means that the mole traps are not put into service - to George. So far our defences are holding, they have been diverted into the Owl Wood by those smelly bulbs.

    We tried the pinwheel thing - the garden looked very cheerful and colourful - but the moles still kept coming through.

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  9. no moles here either. we did have voles but I do think the cat got every one by the end of the first two years out here. if moles don't eat roots and only bugs and beetles, why are they such a problem?

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    1. Apparently moles can undermine the ground sufficiently for the ground to give way. You won't fall through to China, but far enough to twist an ankle. Or, break it.

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    2. yes to above post..We though the septic tank was messed up as the yard was spongy...My dad said moles..Dad's win.

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  10. I'll be interested in hearing more about the mole exodus.

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  11. Anything to get rid of those moles. I hope they are gone from your yard by now.

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  12. Never had a problem with Moles.

    Where my mum used to live, Moles were evident on the headland... Mum used to go out with a trowel & bag & scoop up the freshly turned over soil for her garden !!!

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  13. We have moles here at the kampground. They drive He Who mows crazy. He bought this windmill looking thing at a farm supply called a molerator ...... I don't think it has made a big difference, though. Will have to give your concoction a try.

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  14. THANK GOODNESS we don't have a mole problem in Hawaii. What we have is enough to make me crazy. My sister-in-law is battling them in California.

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  15. Fascinating! Now if we could just come up with a solution to my white fly problem. Sigh.

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  16. I wish you good luck. I tried everything (without chemicals) and nothing, literally NOTHING worked. Eventually, as I said, they did move into my neighbor's yard but I will never know why they did this. Maybe moving to a fancier dwelling?

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  17. the critters of the earth sure do keep us hopping, I think the moles like the soil that has better nutrients so you must have good soil.

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  18. I didn't know that moles and voles were different animals. I hope you've successfully moved them on.

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