Getting control of moles

I've got moles in the yard. We have about an acre lot that backs up to a creek with about 1/4 of an acre fenced in behind the house. I'll see some ridges coming up between the fenced area and the creek and a bunch of them inside the fenced in area of the back yard...mostly concentrated around the kid's trampoline, a magnolia tree and a washed-out area. I'll see some tunnels around the foundation of the house and along the side, but not much in the front.

The only ones that really bother me are the ones inside the picket fence, as they seem to be pretty dense back there and the yard is on a decent grade with some areas already washed out.

This is my first experience with moles and my neighbors say that most of the gimmicky methods don't work (sonic spikes, castor oil concoctions, etc...). They say that all that really works is poisoning them, trapping them, or having a pet that hunts them.

I've been putting poison peanuts out but I'd rather find a solution that involves some sweat equity but is low maintenance. We've had a dog for about 8 weeks and she digs a bit. I've noticed that a few of her more recent holes have been right on a mole tunnel, but I don't think she's hunting them...I think she just sees soft dirt at the ridges and picks there to dig.

Is there anything I can do with a single investment of time and money that would take care of this for a good while? I've been told that you can bury chicken wire around the area you want to keep them out of, but what's the magic depth? Are they going to find a way to get under the slab anyway and eventually get back into the yard?

Thanks!

 

Removing the food supply has worked for me. Haven't had any in a while, although I've seen a few signs lately. Had them bad last summer in the front yard and treated the area with a granulated insect killer specified for the types of critters the moles feed on.

 

Do a search for “mole worms”. Any brand name is good as the active ingredients are pretty much the same. These are accepted by the moles better than pellets.

Mole traps work too but require time. Gotta keep the dog away from them too.

The long term solution is to eliminate their food source by lawn treatments as tow guy says.

A couple moles can make a lot of tunnels so don’t feel overwhelmed. The moles outside the fence could also be inside the fence so it would be helpful to do at least some control outside the fence, especially if the fence would keep the dog inside the fence. Hope this helps.

 

Our moles in Washington love earth worms. I trap them, only way I have any success.

 

The chemical companies want you to believe that moles feed on grubs so you can constantly treat your lawn with chemicals that eliminate grubs. Moles mainly eat earthworms and you don't want to kill worms which are very beneficial.

 

Trapping is the only long term solution I've seen. That said, I deal more with gophers around here than moles.

 

Do I need to worry about the dog digging up the worms? I saw her digging up a spot with the poison peanuts once and started putting bricks over where I placed them for a few days. It'd be nice not to have to do that.

 

I have had good luck, as have some of my relatives, with the scissors type trap that you set up in active tunnels. I tried smoke bombs, poison bait, and spring loaded spear type traps. The only success has been with the scissor trap.

 

My experience mirrors goldstar.

 

All dogs are different but if yours shows a propensity to dig and chew then you can’t take chances with poison bait at least inside the fence. She may disrupt the traps as well.