anyone ever SUCCESSFULLY controlled star-nosed moles?

[patandchickens]

The key words in the title up there are "star-nosed" (the ones that live in wet areas, and dig DEEP tunnels, so that you never see nor feel the tunnels, just the expelled mounds of dirt) and "successfully"

Can't/won't use poison; and as far as I can tell, star-nosed moles tunnel too deep for traps to be much use.

They showed up last summer and are now EVERYWHERE, my gosh, it looks like cowpies all over a lot of the lawn, and they're real bad for a bunch of other people in our area too.

My husband is worried about mowing this summer with the huge piles of dirt everywhere (too many and too heavy to rake out before every mowing) and I am worried about them getting into the area of the septic leachfield.

I kind of think there is no solution, but, someone please surprise me? NOT with things you've heard or read on the interweb, which mostly don't work, but actual personal success stories

Thanks,

Pat

 

[silkiechicken]

I've only been successful at killing one that I was lucky enough to spot actively digging, so took a shovel, dug it out and stomped it... so I am of no help...

 

[vfem]

We have moles and voles... no star nose ones. Hubby tried to flood the tunnels, and pretty much flooded our yard!

Someone told us about these stakes that go in the ground and emit a sound that freaks them out. Each spike has a flashing red light on them so you know they are working, the battery lasts about a year before the sound stops. The lady who suggested it to me said they have seem a HUGE reduction in the last 2 years from using them and she found them at Lowe's.

No personal experience, but I'm thinking of trying them myself!

 

[hoodat]

The best suggestion I have is to put a gopher snake or blacksnake down the hole. Even it the snake doesn't get them they sometimes abandon a burrow when there's a snake in it.

 

[Collector]

My father in law uses the windmills that are made for getting rid of moles. He claims that they work, I have never used one though. I think he bought them from Northern Tool, you can see them online there.

 

[patandchickens]

We don't have much in the way of snakes up here in Ontario, and the ones we do are not really aquatic enough to go after these moles -- they like *really* wet ground

Silkiechicken, I actually have gotten 2 myself with a shovel when clearing ditches (they swim really well, I actually admire the little buggers quite a lot) and the cats got another one (from their totally-enclosed outdoor run -- moles are brave and athletic but evidently not *smart*)

But, that's like "3 down, 50+ to go"

Pat

 

[boggybranch]

First.....you fashion a rabbit out of C4, drop it in the tunnel and then you say, nananananana, nananananana.

 

[desertcat]

I like boggy's suggestion!

 

[patandchickens]

Me too, and my young sons would be THRILLED

Pat

 

[lighthawk]

First.....you fashion a rabbit out of C4, drop it in the tunnel and then you say, nananananana, nananananana.

Brings back visions of Bill Murray and his war on gophers in the movie "Caddyshack"
Star moles... Hate em'. With voles or other types of moles I just drive over the run with my truck when the yard dries out and I have had some success eliminating them.
Star moles not a chance. You can't even flood them out because their burrows seem to go on forever. The one time I tried I had the hose right in the burrow for hours and never saw water exit. I usually take the garden hose ( I have 300 feet of hose) and wash the dirt they push up back down into the burrow then wait till I see one pushing it back out and hit it with the pitchfork. Sometimes I get lucky.
You literally have to camp out over the burrow because they can sense your footsteps if you try to sneak up on them. They are the most frustrating pest I have out here.