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Wisconsin

Tremor or anyone else. What do you think about Talpirid? Thanks for some info. I saw one web site selling it for $60 for 20 sticks. Is it worth it?

I tried Kaput this year and it seems to be somewhat effective. It would seem to clear the patch for 2-3 weeks but then they would be back (or else new moles would move in). I have never had much luck with trapping in my patch primarily because the soil is so loose that I can't see the tunnels very well like I can in my yard. I also use the usual grub Rx with only modest effect. I even buried a 3 ft wire mesh around the perimeter of the garden and they still tunnel under it. I am not sure how much damage they actually do but I would like to try something new if it is a good product. Thanks.

8/16/2004 2:08:10 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I actually just finish writing something up on Talpirid. I've been through the Bell Laboratories tutorial & like what I've learned.

We sell the same 20 baits for $42. LOL

Steve

8/16/2004 2:34:49 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Moles are a pain in the butt. Here is more information than most people probably want to see about moles. If so, scroll down to the last post.

While it's true they like to eat Grubs & their presence could indicate an insect pest problem, their primary diet is Earthworms. Since they don’t eat much vegetable matter on purpose, their tunneling is the most destructive thing they do to us Pumpkin growers. Tunneling breaks roots & exposes the delicate feeder roots to air causing near immediate desiccation & death to that part of the roots. Since we go to great lengths to improve our soils, keep healthy worms & moderate moisture, our Patches must seem like Nirvana to a mole.

Years ago I made a fairly good side income trapping Moles with harpoon traps. I spent years doing this & my client list was very satisfied with the results & sent me referrals so the business grew with little effort. Every 2-3 years, the woodline dwellers would have me back again. So they were happy. The skill required to make traps work properly takes a while to obtain even if you work with a good trapper.

Today as then we're faced with a barrage of crazy solutions. Some work & some don’t. Too often, the Mole bothered gardener tries something new in the spring. Weeks later the mole is no longer making new tunnels so the most recent solution is hyped as God’s gift to gardeners. That is until fall when moles naturally resume their activity. Moles activity is not as evident in the summer because Grubs are out flying around as adult beetles & Earthworms usually run deep seeking relief from heat & drought conditions.

So the poor gardener tries again in the fall & low & behold, by the first frost the mole problem is solved once again. LOL. The moles at this point have sought winter harborage & are again not easy to see.

Good or bad, here is the short list of things I know are used to rid a garden of moles.

continued

8/16/2004 2:39:28 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

>Glass in the tunnels:
Mole blood doesn't coagulate so if they get cut they do bleed to death.

>Juicy Fruit Gum:
Gum is supposed to clog their digestive tract. Most people who make this claim are standing on a lawn laced with tunnels despite the fact they swear it works. OK.

>Castor Oil:
The oil is supposed to destroy their protective fur. Castor Oil has its followers. But knowing the mole's lifecycle like I do, the reinfestations are a little too quick for my personal litmus test. If these preparations work well for you, go for it. If moles return during the same season, the treatment failed.

>Smoke Bombs:
If the ones sold in retail stores worked on moles, then they'd also work on Humans. Homeland Security would have these off the market faster than you could strike the match if they worked. Forget it.

>Illegal Toxins:
Various Cyanide & Arsenic containing baits: The old Arsenic containing Fly Powder is not being made any more as far as I know.

>Weapons:
Screwdrivers, knives, picks, mattocks, manure forks, etc: All very effective if you have nothing else to do with your day.

>Traps:
Victor, Duffus, Mole-Pro, etc. The list of came & gone traps is long. An entire website is devoted to this subject if interested. All traps are reasonably effective once the user gets the hang of using them. The key is learning how to “read the tunnels”. There are threads here to teach tunnel reading. Use “search”.

http://www.molepro.com/products/trap_comparison.htm

>Chemicals:
As stated previously, the list of chemicals consumers can buy that kill Earthworms is now reduced to Sevin & Benomyl. Neither approach is desirable. Worms do a soil good. Gone are the days we nuke soils with Chlordane & watch the hungry moles either starve or move on.

>Water:
Flooding of tunnels usually causes more damage to plants than the moles themselves.


continued

8/16/2004 2:40:00 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

>KAPUT Mole Gel:
It sure sounded good. I had several clients raving about this stuff the first year we were selling it. Kaput is a scented gel that moles will eat. The gel is laced with Warfarin & is purported to be lethal to moles as it is rats & mice. But some people called back with "reinfestations". The calls were coming in too soon after treatment to be any but the same moles that were originally targeted. The stuff has been failing. In recent controlled studies, Warfarin was found to be less toxic to moles than other rodents. Woops. It’s too bad moles weren’t available for testing during the initial study period. But since they weren’t, Kaput never had to submit real world efficacy studies to the EPA. This is not regular behavior for the EPA. But it happened.

So now what?

8/16/2004 2:40:19 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

TALPIRID Mole Bait:

This is the latest in a long line of “solutions”. To their credit, Bell Laboratory scientists first created the world’s first “Mole Test lab”. So unique is this facility that the Federal government has investigated it. It seems the Feds tried & failed to establish such a facility some years ago. Leave it to politicians to squander our taxes when corporate America can find the solution when lured by profits! LOL

Step 1 was creating bait that Moles will accept. The fishing tackle industry had this objective met years ago with life like plastic worms.

Step 2 was selecting a chemical that actually kills moles & has been tested on them. Enter Bromethalin. Bromethalin was developed and 1985 to combat the world-wide problem of rodent resistance to warfarin-like anticoagulant rodenticides. Bromethalin is not an anticoagulant but is a highly potent rodenticide that provides a lethal dose to rodents in a single feeding. Death occurs within 24 to 36 hours after ingestion. Anticoagulants like Warfarin take a while to build up in the pests sytem

Step 3 was proving their case. Bell laced their fishing lures with Bromethalin & baited real moles in their real test facility. The moles died.

Now for the bad news. Bromethalin is very toxic. So we have to be very careful.

Due to the mode of action & toxicology of Bromethalin, most of the prepared rodent baits that contain it are Restricted Use Pesticides. I can’t speak for all the States, but Talpirid is currently a General Use pesticide in Connecticut. Go figure.

More amazing is the low cost. Two trays of 10 worms (20 pre-baited worms) are only $42.00. This could be a special introductory deal or it might just reflect the low cost of manufacturing such a simple product.




continued

8/16/2004 2:41:32 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I probably don’t need to remind people that gloves should be worn when handling Talpirid. It would also not be a great idea to use Talpirid in areas frequented by digging Dogs. Many children & small pets are treated for Bromethalin poisoning each year. So the utmost care must be exhibited when using this material. The decision to use on properties frequented by children must be carefully considered especially if the kids are left unattended outdoors & like to dig in or hang around the treated area.


I’ve only just shipped the first few cases into CT this week. The client hasn’t even used the product yet so first hand results are not yet available. I speak only from the data provided me by Bell & some conversations I’ve had with their field sales reps. This material isn’t in our stores yet but should be in the days & weeks ahead.

For more details see the Talpirid website:

http://www.talpirid.com/

8/16/2004 2:42:22 PM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

Wow, Steve! How long did it take you to write all that?

8/16/2004 4:17:46 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I don't know. A little here & a little there as time permitted over several days last week. It's only 1326 words so maybe an hour? I saw a plea for mole info in a Mallorn digest & had just finished the Bell online Tutorial so....I'd been meaning to write that up ever since meeting with Bell people this spring. But legally I couldn't actually release the information until now.

I ended up having Bart post a very short statement for me at Mallorn since the website no longer recognizes my handle or password. I can't stand that website! LOL

8/16/2004 6:06:28 PM

Eau Claire, WI

Wow. Glad I asked that question. Thanks.

The problem I initially had with Kaput was making sure I got it directly in the moles tunnel so they would find it. I don't think that poking a stick down in the tunnel from the top works very well (it is hard to tell in very loose garden soil if you have poked down exactly into the tunnel opening).

Instead, I have dug about 6" of soil way from an active section of the tunnel so you can easily see both sides of the tunnel holes. I then stuck the Kaput bait right in the tunnels on both sides as far into the holes as the tube would fit. I then covered the uncovered section with a large piece of plywood. This way when the mole tried to move through and fill in the tunnel he had to stick his nose right into the bait. This seems to work better than the directions on the package. Who knows if they actually ate it and died but there were never any moles in the garden for 2-3 wks after using it.

8/16/2004 11:09:16 PM

Montoursville, PA

It is easier to break the food chain for moles than to attack the moles themselves.

Milky Spore Disease properly applied will kill only white grubs and will remain effective for as much as fifteen years. This is the mainstay of the mole food chain.

Milky Spore Disease will become even more effective in the second and third years. As the white grubs are diseased they creat more Milky Spor Disease in your soil. Even fly ins such as Jap Beetle will be diseased and prevented from emerging the following year.

When the white grubs are controlled the moles will leave and will not return until years...many years later.

This is not inexpensive the year, of application. The years, of effective use, needs to be considered. I have reapplied Milky Spore Disease, to my property some fifteen years since the original treetment. Funny thing! My neighbors still have moles. I don't!!!

4/11/2005 12:15:16 PM

Sioux Falls, SD garyboer@dakotalink.com

I think that would work to keep them out of the grass, at least from shallow tunneling. But I'm thinking they'll still be living on earthworms and tunneling through my roots.

4/11/2005 1:34:52 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

90% of a Moles diet is Earthworm & they eat 80-100% of their own body weight every single day between spring & fall.

4/11/2005 9:35:31 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Been over a year now. Seeing if I can bump this to see if anyone has had success with Talpirid or something better?

7/8/2006 7:23:20 PM