Nature and Gardening

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All things green, outdoors, and nature-y. Whether it's animals in their natural habitat, hiking trails and mountains, or planting a little garden for yourself (and everything in between), you can talk about it here.

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Managing Moles, Voles, and other Varmints (self.greenspace)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by GlassHalfHopeful to c/greenspace

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How are you all managing the varmints in your yard? I've lived in a lot of places in my life and it seems I've found quite the mole and vole hotbed also known as my yard. sighs

My dog is able to catch them, but not without digging up tunnels, grass, and making a mess. My neighbor inserts "worms" (poison) into the tunnels, but I don't do that because of our dog.

I wish I could lay a yellow brick road for them to follow to a happier place, but they don't seem to be the type to understand. I don't actually want to harm any critters and thus the inner turmoil of humankind vs nature. I really don't like this post and I'm the one who wrote it.

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[–] whelmer 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Poison is really a shitty way to handle this problem. It's not just bad for our dogs, it's bad for wild predators as well, and (speculating) probably not good for the soil microbiome either. Also it's a pretty nasty way to go for the rodents.

The proper way to deal with moles is using blackhole traps. They take advantage of the fact that moles will try to block any light entering their tunnel. The trap has a hole at the end, so when inserted into their tunnel, the moles will want to plug it to turn out the light, when they enter the open end of the tube it springs the trap.

It takes a bit of luck and a bit of skill, sometimes you have to reset the traps multiple times before getting the mole.

I also wouldn't recommend ultrasonic repellers because we don't know what effect that type of shit has on other creatures, either.

Voles are trickier, though also less problematic. I would say get a cat.

[–] DaSaw@midwest.social 4 points 1 year ago

Ultrasonic repellers don't even work on what they're designed to affect. I don't imagine they particularly like living near one, but we don't like living near railroad tracks, and yet do when we have no other choice.

[–] GlassHalfHopeful 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I haven't had luck with the current trap I've been using on active tunnels, moving, hoping, moving, crossing fingers, moving, etc. This suggested trap is a completely different style. Definitely going to look at it after work. Thanks!

[–] whelmer 1 points 1 year ago

We don't have moles but we get lots of gophers with them.