# Moles: Crush, Kill, Destroy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323 "2005-05-24T20:21:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/1 "2005-05-24T20:21:17Z")
My boss has moles in his yard and has tried all kinds of ways to get rid of them. So far he has tried flooding the tunnels, smoke bombs, skunk spray, and chewing gum. Oh, he’s even peed in the holes. Meanwhile they have turned his yard into a collection of little volcanos and have undermined his front walkway. Dynamite could be next. Anybody have a full prove method of killing moles? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/2 "2005-05-24T20:23:33Z")
Oh, this is going to dig up a classic. Let me see if I can find it. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/3 "2005-05-24T21:05:43Z")
- - - The stab traps are the only thing that I have known to work. There’s variations on them, but they all have a trigger that sticks down into the tunnel, and that releases a spike that stabs downward killing the mole. It’s bloodless to use, after the trap is sprung you just pull it up and re-set it on another fresh tunnel, you don’t need to remove the mole or even see it. (first item shown) [http://www.victorpest.com/mole\_gopher\_products.htm](http://www.victorpest.com/mole_gopher_products.htm) [assorted cautions about small children and pets apply, but this is really the safest, most effective way–the only animal that will be using a fresh mole tunnel is a mole] … Although I do note that they sell farther on down a _mole repellant_, the copy claims that castor oil is an effective ingredient. I have my doubts and will _stick_ with the stab traps (yuk yuk!). ~ ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/4 "2005-05-24T21:29:52Z")
DANGER Growing up in Seattle the only thing that worked was this: Get a can of [calcium carbide](http://www.caves.org/member/mfraley/finding.htm), remove all the volcanoes so you can see into the tunnels. Put about a cup of the stuff in a hole, ump a quart or so of water on it & lay a brick or a rock over the hole. Watch for smoke to come out of another hole, block that one up when you see it. Continue this process until all the tunnel openings have been exposed to gas. It’s acetylene IIRC, so DON’T LIGHT THE GAS ! ! ! DANGER ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/5 "2005-05-24T21:45:56Z")
My neighbor always used stab traps as I was growing up. But he’d always pull up the dead mole and dispose of it. Those tunnels aren’t that deep, and moles are waaay bigger than a typical rat. Does it really not cause any problems to have a decomposing mole so shallow under the earth? Stink, nosey cats, etc? ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/6 "2005-05-24T21:56:46Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Oh, this is going to dig up a classic. Let me see if I can find it. Too slow, **Cisco** : [How to kill evil Nazi Groundhogs](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=15906) ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/7 "2005-05-24T21:57:52Z")
Stupid coding: [How to kill evil Nazi Groundhogs](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=15906) ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/8 "2005-05-24T22:05:57Z")
I always wondered if maybe using dry ice against the bastards would work. Just get a bunch of it and shove as much as you can into the holes. Carbon Dioxide is heavier than air so theoretically the moles should die because the oxygen is gonna be pushed out of their tunnel network by the melting dry ice. Tell you boss to try it and let us know if it works. ---
**Author:** ![gaucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/9 "2005-05-24T22:07:38Z")
Rake leaves thoroughly in the fall and get a cat. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/10 "2005-05-24T22:09:23Z")
What worked for us was a good hunting cat. He looooved catching moles. They eventually went away. I’ve also heard that putting the right bug-killer on your lawn will do the trick since it kills what the moles are eating and they also go away. Don’t know if that works, and of course there’s the usual disadvantage that you’re putting some sort of poison in a place where people and pets may be walking. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/11 "2005-05-24T22:13:16Z")
I third the cat. I no longer have problems with: gophers, mice, scorpions, vinegaroons (sp?), spiders, etc. They even catch houseflies! ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/12 "2005-05-24T22:20:12Z")
Weren’t dachshunds originally bred to go after badgers? Surely among some of their wimpier descendants there exist those who would hunt down That Which Must Not Be Named. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/13 "2005-05-24T22:58:33Z")
I once found (and posted about it here) a device which killed underground varmints by flooding the burrows with propane gas. Then the gas was ignited, which efficiently killed the critters in the burrow. **Scylla** said he was going to look into it, but never posted back any results. It sounded pretty effective. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/14 "2005-05-24T23:09:40Z")
In response to MLS, he has a cat and that cat kills a couple per month. Apparently, this is not enough as the moles are still thriving. Plus the cat leaves the dead moles in the house or garage. These are not found until putridly odorous. Falderon - the Dry Ice is a great idea! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/15 "2005-05-24T23:45:43Z")
Ah, I found the aforementioned [rodent blasting](http://www.rodenator.com/media/aiinews.pdf) device. It kills the critter and collapses the tunnel all at one go, the advertising claims. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/16 "2005-05-25T00:53:20Z")
Ferrets? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/17 "2005-05-25T00:59:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Ferrets? And when they get out of hand, you can get trained gorillas to go after the ferrets. The good thing about the gorilla’s is they’ll freeze to death in the winter, and no more problems. Yeah, yeah, concept stolen from the Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/18 "2005-05-25T02:56:01Z")
> [@](#): > > …and moles are waaay bigger than a typical rat. - **Balthisar** - - - I don’t know where you saw them exactly, but in Illinois, a mole is somewhat larger than a hamster, but still quite a bit smaller than a typical brown rat. Like say, if they were lying down, a hamster might be 4.5 inches from rump to nose, a mole might be six inches, and a rat might be 10 inches. > [@](#): > > I’ve also heard that putting the right bug-killer on your lawn will do the trick since it kills what the moles are eating and they also go away… - This is true, they mostly are looking for one certain large white beetle larvae locally and if they don’t find any they will wander off on their own–but the problem with this plan is that the insecticide has to be applied at a _certain time of year_ (just before the beeles lay their eggs in the ground or something like that), or it won’t kill the larvae. ~ ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/19 "2005-05-25T03:04:29Z")
> [@](#): > > …I once found (and posted about it here) a device which killed underground varmints by flooding the burrows with propane gas. Then the gas was ignited, which efficiently killed the critters in the burrow. Scylla said he was going to look into it, but never posted back any results. It sounded pretty effective. - **teela brown** - - - I seem to remember the talk about that, but are you sure you’re supposed to light the gas? I don’t think that would work. Propane is heavier than normal air, and so the propane would just displace all the oxygen in the tunnels, suffocating the moles. But then–there would not be enough oxygen left in the tunnels for the propane to burn, I would _bet_… ~ ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323/20 "2005-05-25T06:51:57Z")
Rather safer than Inigo’s method, back your car onto the lawn, attach a hose to the exhaust and put the other end of the hose down the holes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moles-crush-kill-destroy/305323.md?page=2)