Hi Jim
I’m currently listening to the audiobook of “How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It“, and I’m at the part about vermin control.
I have used a very effective way to eradicate moles a number of times, as follows:
1) Locate the extremities of the mole run (i.e. mole hills furthest apart) and uncover both mole hills carefully to expose the burrows.
2) Make two buckets of moist “almost mud” soil to use as caps, place one bucket at each hole.
3) Reverse your vehicle to one of the holes and run a hosepipe from your exhaust into the first hole, cap the pipe and hole with some mud. It also helps to wrap a wet cloth around the portion of hosepipe going into your exhaust to prevent it melting.
4) Start your vehicle and go down to the other hole, once you smell exhaust fumes, cap that hole and then turn off your vehicle.
5) Cap the first hole with your “mud pack”
6) Leave the tunnel complex as is.
We find that this will effectively gas the entire mole population and they will not return to the same area. Personally I believe it’s better than putting poisoned bait down, but still not 100% green. We only treat area’s that require it, gardens and lawn etc. Our last treatment is four years ago and even though there is mole activity all around the perimeter they have yet to return to the previously gassed areas.
We don’t have gophers [in South Africa] so that’s for one of your guys to try and report back.
Regards, – Joe Ordinary Voortrekker