moles?

we have moles in our grass yard for a year or so. this year it has moved over to the vegetable garden and has taken down half of my bean plants. i just put plastic cups over new shoots that have sprouted. what suggestions can anyone make.

Comments

  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭

    The moles have highways in our garden beds, especially in the potatoes. Then the voles follow them in and gnaw on the potatoes leaving them open to disease and rot. Will probably have to pick up the wooden boarder around the bed once all our potatoes are harvested, or at least the ones the voles have left us. Then we will put down some chicken wire with a small mesh or hardware cloth and refill the soil into the garden. I know the wire will probably last only a couple of years, but by then, hopefully the moles and the voles will have forgotten about our garden or we will have come up with a better solution. We are also looking at the possibility of raising our potatoes in containers instead of in the ground.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @spiessb The only thing I am aware of that is supposed to work very well is a mole trap. These are put down into the tunnels. I think that they have a little opening to the top which lets in light. Since moles like darkness, they go to it to close up the hole.

    Spring & fall are recommended as the best times to use them. You also want to determine which tunnels are the most active to ensure catching more.

    We used to have a few around here. They never made it into the garden though. I think our Norwegian elkhound must have taken care of them. It wouldn't have been cats that did it, as she never let them on the property. We haven't had any more moles since she took care of the issue.

    Someone else might have more ideas.

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  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @spiessb

    I'm afraid I can't offer any suggestions as our cat seems to take care of the small rodent population, but Welcome to TGN's forum.

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    There are also large gas/smoke bombs you can light and put into their burrows. I am however reluctant to use anything like that near my gardens. I have heard many have success with the traps. We have more gophers than moles, but they are trapped the same.