| My lawn is being destroyed by moles. They first affpeared last summer, I tried drowning them with the garden hose, gasing them by the hose and my car exhaust, I Purchased some bombs and they are back this year. So far I planted marigolds and they are just going around them. Where do I go from here? |
| There are many ways to try to get rid of moles. Moles feed on grubs and earthworms living in your lawn or garden. The damage they do is to plant roots while they are tunneling. Your first consideration should be to control the grub population in your lawn (have you considered beneficial nematodes or milky spore?) and determine how serious a problem the moles are. Some gardeners consider moles beneficial because they are such good insectivores. If you have a major problem with them, your first task in treating moles is to determine which of their runways are active. You can do this be tramping down areas of raised soil that indicate tunneling. The tunnels that are raised a day later are active. Some methods of treatment are flushing with water (best done in the spring), or protecting your garden by burying a fencing of small mesh, tightly woven hardware cloth, or a low cement wall. You could also try trapping - live in a pit trap or using a lethal trap. Moles hate the smell of castor oil beans, and Gardener's Supply Catalog has a repellent out with castor oil as an ingredient that I have heard good reviews about. You can reach them at 1-800-863-1700 or visit their website at www.gardeners.com |
