New sod and Moles or Gophers

[Andrew Joiner]

We put down sod 20 years ago when I built the house. My wife loves barefoot lawns so she paid a landscaper to do it. It was fine for many years but in the past five years it got patchy and dead and full of big tree roots. We would occasionally have what I think is moles but since the lawn was poor we didn't care. I repelled them successfully with coffee grounds last year.
This year she decided she wanted a new perfect lawn. The landscaper she got is highly recommended and did a fair job. He tore out the old sod and tree roots, and he put down new topsoil. It's been 10 days and I was watering exactly the right amount . However a few days ago bubbles appeared in the sod. When I saw the sod lifted on the edge of the driveway I knew it was probably moles.
So far they have not burrowed through the sod just lifted it up along the edges and created loose bubbly spots in a few areas. When I sprinkle concentrated coffee grounds in those areas and stamp them down it seems to take care of it for a day. Then they move to another area! Now I'm chasing moles like a madman.
Any tips?

[Brian Elfert]

You can try something like Molemax to get rid of them. My understanding is Molemax also gets rid of grubs that may be beneficial to the lawn. Trapping the moles would be better. You can often find pest control companies that do this, but expect to pay $50 per mole caught, or more. There are also people who do mole trapping on the side that may advertise on Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. They will probably charge $25 to $40 per mole caught. Do NOT let them leave the dead moles to go into your trash! They will stink to high heaven in a day or two. The person doing the trapping should take away the dead animals. If you are concerned they might try to overcharge just arrange to be present when they check the traps.

[Brian Runau]

Two things we do and we are mole free. Use Grubex or equal in June, check your area, to kill grubs. This is a main food source for moles, no food no moles, let your neighbors have them.

They sell poison gummy worms at lowes, online etc...tamp down the run with your foot, mark the run, we use those cheap flags from lowes, and if the run is raised the next morning it is an active run. We then add the poison gummy to the run by poking a little hole and sticking it in the run.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Victor-10-C...ler/1000683075

Do this for a couple years you can eliminate them.

Brian

[Tom M King]

I guess they've stopped selling the Rodentator here. I googled, but it only showed up this version

http://rodenator.eu/

Not so sure about a landscaper getting up tree roots....

[Perry Holbrook]

Moles are actually a protected animal here in North Carolina, believe it or not. Doesn't mean I haven't tried several things. Had to go out of state to buy some of the poison pellets that didn't seem to work. The spring loaded traps do work, but are very time consuming. My ex-neighbor, a very nice 85 yo lady, used to set and watch them burrow the tunnels and then terminate them with a hatchet.

At the national hardware trade show in Vegas several years ago, a company was selling a device that used a .22 caliber rifle bullet that was triggered much like the spring loaded traps. Not sure if it ever made it to the market.

Good luck.

[Mike Soaper]

There is also the chance that you have "voles" and not "moles". Voles are about the size of a mouse and are herbivores (plant eaters) that can munch on grass roots, so removing lawn grubs might not solve your problem.

[Patty Hann]

There is also the chance that you have "voles" and not "moles". Voles are about the size of a mouse and are herbivores (plant eaters) that can munch on grass roots, so removing lawn grubs might not solve your problem.

Aren't the "Voles" the mascot of the University of Tennessee? Not a very intimidating mascot....

[Robert Hartmann]

We had moles everywhere in our yard which covers close to three acres. We bought the house a couple years ago. I tried a few things with no luck and then used the Tomcat worms. They work, but a bit of a pain. We found three dead baby raccoons close to the house. I'm not sure if it was the worms, but we didn't want to take a chance so I stopped using them. Then I discovered the scissor traps (Trek). I bought two and started using them last Aug. I stopped counting at around 15 or so, but completely eliminated them by winter. We have about a 1 acre lake out our front door, a small river behind us and woods on one side. I discovered they enter our yard through the open field on the other side. I would just look when mowing and as soon as I saw a run I would put the traps out.

The traps are almost flawless. I saw comments about not touching them and leaving a scent, but I haven't found that to be true. You find a run, put one in it and the next day you have one. If not, just move it to another run. I just found my first run this year, so out went the trap today.

[Andrew Joiner]

Thanks for all the tips. It's funny how this thread helped me sort things out. I immediately did some research online and yes I'm going to try traps, thanks Robert.
At the beginning when I started this thread I was more frustrated with a new situation my wifes desire for barefoot lawns put me in. I'm a yes dear guy and I love her so now I'm going to accept this as a new adventure! After all I use to trap as a kid and I loved it