I just got done sharpening the blades and greasing my BX . I was wondering if deck performance is degraded by the grassy\dirt residue that builds up under the deck? When i got done scraping I had quite a healthy pile of green mower debris. I don't cut grass wet (if i can help it) but still get this build-up. One thing I can attribute this to is them $*#@! moles in the yard. Their dirt mounds and tunnels seem to get mixed with the lawn clippings and make the buildup on the deck bottom. Any suggestion on killing moles would be appreciated/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. I have killed about 13 with traps this summer and reduced the feedeing of some with Diazinon but now they are hunkered in deep and make mounds in yard. My AK works good if you can see them moving but I think the neighbors frown upon the noise.. he he/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif help...
Mowing Moles and Mower Debris
- Thread starter nazud
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gotrocks
Platinum Member
Please don't tell the SPCA but I've taken highway flares and cut them into small sections, then light them with propane torch. Toss into hole and plug with a little dirt. Watch for smoke escaping from other locations, plug those also.
Be careful lighting small pieces that spatter stuff is HOT and it will stick to RAW skin.
Be careful lighting small pieces that spatter stuff is HOT and it will stick to RAW skin.
pro_tel
Member
I haven’t tried this myself, but a friend has used regular mouse traps baited with pieces of carrot. He said it is quite effective. Once they move into your lawn, you must encourage them to leave or they stay forever.
The best way I’ve found to clean the under side of my mower is with the pressure sprayer.
The best way I’ve found to clean the under side of my mower is with the pressure sprayer.
theboman
Veteran Member
Ground up moles are great for the ground. In my hours of bush hogging they are many, many, many moles getting churnned up. I've seen several scat for cover.
The build up on the mower is natural and shouldn't really affect the cut and all grass has moisture otherwises it's dead.
Bluegrass, Pick It Up!
The build up on the mower is natural and shouldn't really affect the cut and all grass has moisture otherwises it's dead.
Bluegrass, Pick It Up!
gotrocks
Platinum Member
Theboman; I'm not sure but I suspect what you see scurrying from the bush hogging are "voles" or some kind of field mouse. If you were roto-tilling than maybe you'd see moles, but they seldom appear above ground around here.
I flunked zoology the first time. gotrocks
I flunked zoology the first time. gotrocks
StoneHeartFarm
Veteran Member
nazud,
Don't know about anyone else, but I've got a mole dog. Won't play fetch, won't do tricks, whines and cries all the time and hides during thunder storms. But she WILL wait by mole holes for HOURS. I've seen her catch 2 or 3 so far, sits and stares at the hole and then just shoves that pointy nose right down into the dirt and out comes mister mole. (The mole's don't seem to like this much). It's about the only thing she can catch since the chipmunks and squirrels are too fast.
SHF
Don't know about anyone else, but I've got a mole dog. Won't play fetch, won't do tricks, whines and cries all the time and hides during thunder storms. But she WILL wait by mole holes for HOURS. I've seen her catch 2 or 3 so far, sits and stares at the hole and then just shoves that pointy nose right down into the dirt and out comes mister mole. (The mole's don't seem to like this much). It's about the only thing she can catch since the chipmunks and squirrels are too fast.
SHF
TWINKLE_TOES
Veteran Member
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- Sep 3, 2000
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- 1,366
nazud,
I have highly developed moles at my place. They have learned to place all of the rocks in the mounds at the exact right elevation to contact the mower blades. If not for them I could go four times as long between blade sharpening. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif <font color=blue>Any suggestion on killing moles would be appreciated</font color=blue> Search the archives on moles or #$%#$% moles or *(&^%$ moles. No long ago a very fun thread was dedicated to their demise./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I think the consensus was trapping is your best bet.
Al
I have highly developed moles at my place. They have learned to place all of the rocks in the mounds at the exact right elevation to contact the mower blades. If not for them I could go four times as long between blade sharpening. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif <font color=blue>Any suggestion on killing moles would be appreciated</font color=blue> Search the archives on moles or #$%#$% moles or *(&^%$ moles. No long ago a very fun thread was dedicated to their demise./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I think the consensus was trapping is your best bet.
Al
theboman
Veteran Member
Mmm, mmm good,
Mmm, mmm good.
Mulched Mole Stew,
Is mmm, mmm good.
Bluegrass, Pick It Up!
Mmm, mmm good.
Mulched Mole Stew,
Is mmm, mmm good.
Bluegrass, Pick It Up!
MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2001
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- 66,209
- Location
- South Bend, Indiana (near)
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
I'm obsessed with mole control because they go under my above ground pool and damage the liner. I don't like killing animals for no reason, but they have cost me plenty. I've killed 22 last year and 29 this year on my 1.1 acres with only 3 traps. The nash choker trap and victor jaws trap work great. The trap with spikes that shoot down don't work as well for me. Don't bother trapping the mole hills. Find the main tunnels and trap those. Some tunnels are more than a foot down. They are like little mole interstate highways. If you want more info, I'll post it.
MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
All of the home remedies, gum in the tunnel, smoke bombs, garden hose, just don't work. The only effective way is to trap them as soon as you see activity and keep trapping them to keep them in check. The mole's primary food is earthworms. They don't eat grain or flower bulbs. Many times a mouse like creature called a VOLE will take to using mole tunnels and they cause alot of damage to plants. Moles rarely come out of their tunnels. They plug all holes that allow in light. If you see a mole tunnel with a hole about the size of a nickel-quarter coming out of it, you probably have voles in the mole tunnels. They can be controlled with poison baits. Back to moles; Check out www.themoleman.com. This guy is great. I followed his advice and started killing moles within days. Other experts claim that 1 acre of land will support 1-2 moles. BOLOGNA!! This guy gives you the facts. He is a must read for those with mole problems. Another good link is http://www.molepro.com/product_comparison.html#1. This shows lots of traps in comparison. I have the most success with the Victor Out Of Sight model. Be careful with this thing. It will take your fingers off!!! The safety mechanism isn't all that great. The thing I like about this trap is that it kills the mole very fast. The choker traps do just that, choke. Many times I've come home from work and found the trap up out of the ground with the mole dragging it around. I wonder how long the poor thing has been suffering. I whack it in the head with a shovel to put it out of its misery. After a few instances of that, I stopped using the choker traps as much and use the Out Of Sight trap almost exclusively. The main thing that I've found is don't trap the hills, trap the tunnels. Take your heel and sink it into a tunnel about every ten feet. Check it several times a day to see if it gets popped back up. If it gets popped up within a few days, place a trap in that tunnel.
MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
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- 66,209
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
- Tractor
- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
Weather got cooler, wetter and the worms came up again. Moles followed. Saw a new mound. Found the tunnel. Two hours later, another dead mole. Two days later, another one. That makes 31 this year. Got to keep on them. How's the battle on your lawn?
<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>
<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>
We just got 3 inches of rain yesterday, I need to go run the traps and see what I get . Seems like their activity has slowed down due to the colder temps . I also think they are a little deeper in the ground too.
Egon
Epic Contributor
Mole removal:
any of you fellas tried a vacum truck to suck them out. Works great on ground squirrels.
Egon
any of you fellas tried a vacum truck to suck them out. Works great on ground squirrels.
Egon
fmorgan
New member
Along the same line as gotrocks's suggestion but maybe a little safer, the big hardware stores sell "gopher gassers" which are sulfur bombs. cut a hole in the run, put fire in the hole and they do a fairly decent job. Also you can make little windmills which vibrate and, apparently, work in a small radius. There are a couple of topical applications which apparently leach into the ground and taste bad to the moles. But I have a friend who trapped 78/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif moles in about four months this year using the traps which look like two small croquet hoops, which the Depot sells.
MossRoad
Super Moderator
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Got another one Friday. Had about 3" rain over the last week. 7th wetest October on record. Rain stopped, 24hrs later, moles.
<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>
<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>
wdn
Silver Member
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- Sep 17, 2001
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- 143
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- Hillsborough county, New Hampshire
- Tractor
- 2001 Kubota BX2200
Cats make pretty good mole-hunters. My cat has been dropping them on the doorstep at the rate of about 1 mole per week.
Bill
Bill
Joyce
Member
GET A CAT. LET THE CAT EAT THE MOLES.
GET A GIANT. GIANT STEPS ON MESSY LAWN MOUNDS. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
It's what we do, (the cat part, not the giant part) but it sounds like your problem is more serious.
Regarding the build up under your mower. I don't have the mole problem (good kitty kitty /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif), and I have the build up. Just another opportunity to spend more time with our coveted tractors...maintenance /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.
GET A GIANT. GIANT STEPS ON MESSY LAWN MOUNDS. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
It's what we do, (the cat part, not the giant part) but it sounds like your problem is more serious.
Regarding the build up under your mower. I don't have the mole problem (good kitty kitty /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif), and I have the build up. Just another opportunity to spend more time with our coveted tractors...maintenance /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.
Joyce
Member
MossRoad,
Well...thanks for helping to solve Maine's mystery about where all our rain fall has gone./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif This summer has been one of the driest on record, which is since they have been keeping records. I thought I heard a news blurb the other day that this goes back 107 years. So, do us all a favor, and send some this way??
Well...thanks for helping to solve Maine's mystery about where all our rain fall has gone./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif This summer has been one of the driest on record, which is since they have been keeping records. I thought I heard a news blurb the other day that this goes back 107 years. So, do us all a favor, and send some this way??
