My garden is being dessimated by these critters. They have eaten half my onions and are now working on the lettuce. Their tunnels are everywhere! HELP!!!

-- Lisa (tepeeclan@nidlinkc.om), July 09, 2001

Answers

Response to How do I get rid of moles?

I think you must have gophers and not moles. Moles are insect eaters, not vegetarians. At least that is what we saw on a gardening show on television. The best thing we have found for gophers is to trap them. My sister-in-law uses the trap called the Black Hole and loves it because it's very easy to use. We have had good luck with the cheap spring type traps. They say you need to set two traps at once but we have had good luck with using only one. Good luck to you. I know how frustrating those critters can be. If all else fails dig a trench 3 feet deep around your garden and bury small holed wire fencing or some other type of barrier and then back fill with the dirt. You have to go up at least three feet above ground too. When we put in our garden we did that and haven't had gopher one. It was a lot of work since we have a large garden plot but worth the effort once done.

-- cindy (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), July 09, 2001.

We have the same problem. Last year I bought 3 Sonic units from Country Home Products, the makers of DR String trimmers. they take 4 D-cells and lasted all summer, it kept the moles, voles, gophers out of the yard & garden. In or garden we have 10-4x20'raised beds, they have wire screen in the bottom so the critter's don't get in and 10' deer fences but in the flat gardens they get at the corn some. Our pasture are full of hole tho and our doags make it worse by trying to dig them out. I have heard that traps are real good.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), July 09, 2001.

Moles may indeed feed on insect, but in my experience, they also feed on strawberries.

-- Craig Speicher (matstats@hotmail.com), July 09, 2001.

I have had a similar problem with moles, chipmunks, etc. In my experience, moles eat more than just insects. They will also eat garden produce and they are extremely difficult to eradicate.The most efficient and cheapest way of dealing with rodents in my experience is the old fashioned rat trap baited with chunky peanut butter (it's more resistant than plain p. b. for staying on the traps until something bites. Another choice is dropping a few pellets of rat poison into or near their tunnels. But if these do not work, try your county extension office. I hate to say this, but ultimately you may have to break the feeding cycle by plowing and re-tilling your entire garden. There are many other solutions, but if you calculate their full costs, it becomes fairly clear that extermination costs more than buying your produce from a "farmers' market."

-- Robert (factsltd@hotmail.com), July 09, 2001.

We were fighting gophers until someone suggested that we drop an unwrapped stick of spearmint gum down each hole. We haven't had a gopher since.

-- Grannytoo (jacres40@hotmail.com), July 09, 2001.

There was quite an infestation when we first arrived on our property, but our cat seems to find them tasty ....

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), July 09, 2001.

The gum trick worked for us also

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), July 09, 2001.

Thanks everyone for your help. There are several good ideas here that we will try. Someone told me they were moles but I really don't know the difference between a mole and a gopher. These tunnels are fairly close to the surface with approximately 1 1/2 - 2 inch diameter holes underneath mounds of dirt. I think that we might try the 3 ft. deep fencing in the future. Your right, a lot of work but it sounds like a good thing to do.

-- Lisa (tepeeclan@nidlink.com), July 09, 2001.

our neighbor had a real mole problem (neighbor 2 miles away, luckily) He read castor bean plants in each of the corners will take care of the problem. Though the plants are poisonous, they are beautiful. The moles don't seem to be there so far.

-- marcee king (thathope@mwt.net), July 10, 2001.

I've used a concoction that seems to work great. If you take dog or cat fecies, and mix them with peanut butter and Castor Oil and put this into old panty hose and put a few of these all about in the main tunnels, your mole days are over. WORKS GREAT!!!

-- Brian Thompson (Kansascowboy23@hotmail.com), April 11, 2002.