Moles are good indicators of the garden’s homeopathic state of health. They indicate a delicate balancing act between your garden, nature, and the worms, and of course the humane incidental additions of iron every now and then.
Self-esteemedly yours was drawn by John Campbell (C)
OTHER COMBATANTS use:
* Biologicals – Plantings of caper spurge Euphorbia lathris. a mole repel-er that travels freely.
* Cat litter – I’ll be cat-dunged! EGAD, what a way to go. (As with hair this needs weekly application.
* Electronic – Ultrasonic high-tech warfare. Ultrasonics simply drive them to your neighbors and they will return.(IF they work at all.)
* ‘Mole Vamoose’ the castor oil approach to all that ails. Hell, I’d run away from home too, if my Mom wanted to castor oil my innards – so should moles.
* Gas Warfare – Gas bombs, monoxide from lawnmowers, or hoses attached to 56 Chevy’s. Chlorine gas created by doing madly advised chemical combinations. A safer option that some use, being to deeply insert fresh fabric softener tissues down into the run. Use a dibble stick to push it down!
* Glass bottles – Necks upturned, entreaties to the sky gods to intervene. Empty they rarely do. Sticking a wooden windmill that clacks is another approach.
* Hair – Easy for the non follicularily impaired. I do like the idea of fur balling them to death! Sadly hair is a dwindling resource in the aging Sequim.
* Juicy Fruit – Die Juicy! – Now Peta and animal rights groups will probably fire bomb my home for this inexpensive but working solution for moles. Use a deep dibble stick to drill a hole to the gopher/mole hole and add a Tbl. of LYE, (Drano) throw in a Juicy fruit gum and I guarantee you results. Cover the hole with dirt or it won’t work. Cruel Yes, but so are the blood thinners in the poisons … and they can work their way into the food chain. (Soil should be stacked to cover the hole!)
My sap runneth over – given the choice of gopher plant, or mole, I think I’ll choose the mole. Then again I hold the propane tank in reserve. It works doubly well if you open up another entrance, then throw in a match to guarantee proper poaching.This is a sure-fire way to control moles. It’ll also take care of the worms, roots and all the vegetable and flower seedlings. It is even better if you have a welding outfit.
Wayne: I had tried using propane fuel to inject into the holes, poisons what not. Nothing worked. Oh yes, one tosses in a match to blow the hole up! Now I had a more inventive friend of mine, a former railroad engineer and he suggested that adding oxygen to the mix could increase the explosive power. He then explained how Acetylene was far better then propane.
So with this wise edit we dragged the welding tanks to the holes and topped them up. Tossed in the match … and the whole damn garden erupted like Vesuvius. I never did that again. Burn off this vicious homeopathic cycle entirely! Who needed all those blueberry bushes anyway. BTW, he near about accomplished this. The entire vegetable garden had at least 25 bomb craters by the time he finished. Never argue with a former Railroad engineer.
“Would the last mole leaving Seattle,please turn out the lights.”
Moley thoughts: Drawing by John Campbell
The MOLES reply:
* We provide the gardener with the finest pulverized potting soil.
* It is often the varmints that enter the runs after they are vacated that do the damage. Mice, voles, etc. Can the mole be blamed for the deterioration of the projects when he leaves?
* Moletraps … Why not Deertraps?
Four foot implements to do the proper job. Did that idear make you shudder? Think about it. Who does more damage? Why is one more precious than the other? Moles have sleek, nice pelts. Their skin stretches well for the making of mole-bonding drums.
* Deer are edible.. we are less so. Moles are not. I disagreed and made some easy to go mole recipes!
So why trap moles and not the other? People love cats. Cats kill birds, frogs, snakes and seedling flats. No to suggest we need feline traps … just a friendly reminder that all the above are God’s creatures.
El Topo Bien – The Good Mole. El masoquisto vermiforme – The worm like masochist.
Question: Is Vermicelle – Wormfood? Answer: Yeah! But only for Italian worms. Australian worms eat Pearth Earth.
(C) Herb Senft 1994 (Bindweed Magazine.)
It’s 2015 now and I haven’t changed my tune.
As I mentioned moles actually are a good indicator of the health of the soil and the presence of food, worms, root weevils and lawn grubs. Sadly most employers do not appreciate their beneficial efforts, nor do I see a landscape advantage in having hundreds of earthy upheavals in my garden plan. I dare say my further article on my dealings with them would shock you.
Actually, I am an environmentalist and so is Wayne, the guy with the acetylene tank, but sometimes one just snaps. One other thing, these runs invite other tenants as well — some that can eat or damage the plants or bulbs. Read mice, voles and rats … and there goes the neighborhood..
Now on mice I do have an organic treatment. Simply leave a (covered-rain proof) supply of instant-flaked potatoes out. Provide a basin of water nearby. The mice will eat the flakes, drink the water and EXPAND! No side affect to the raptors or other critters who will find the stuffed dead mice. Much better than the blood thinner baits that can go into the food chain!
Mind you I just got a GREAT question on my Google+ site and it dealt with Voles and how they were different. I believe I answered it. Do visit and look. At a latter date I might add that conversation here, but I expect many more comments to arrive.