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.

See also our Environment community, which is focused on weather, climate, climate change, and stuff like that.

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Managing Moles, Voles, and other Varmints (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by GlassHalfHopeful@beehaw.org to c/greenspace@beehaw.org

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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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[–] ptz@dubvee.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

For the same reason (dogs), I'm also against using any kind of poison to get rid of them.

I've had people recommend ultrasonic stakes that are supposed to repel them, but I haven't invested in any to try. Curious if anyone has any experience with them and would be willing to share.

[–] Seathru@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My dad had a bad mole problem. He started with traps, poison, and trying to smoke them out. But in the end the ultrasonic repellers seemed to work best.

My yard luckily(?) floods so much it keeps them away.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nice. Thanks for sharing. The stakes I saw on Amazon had good reviews, but I don't always trust those given Amazon's history. I may buy a set and see if it improves the situation. Mowing the yard is going to be much more annoying, but less annoying than all the mole holes lol.

[–] Seathru@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Mowing the yard is going to be much more annoying

They seemed to work better when moved around regularly. So pulling them up, mowing, and then sticking them back in different spots is probably a good idea.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 3 points 1 year ago

That's a good point!

[–] GlassHalfHopeful@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Hmm. This might be worth trying. And moving them to mow could work. Thank you!

Assuming they are effective, my only concern then is how they might affect other creatures. I understand that it radiates into the ground, but I'm also worried about things above ground. I'm particularly concerned about birds if it can affect them at all. I wouldn't want to deter them.