MOLE BANE
The lowly mole digging under your front lawn, does not care for noise. He prefers quiet as he works, and he needs his rest.
I found a way to invite such pests too re-locate elsewhere than in the front lawn. I simply made it uncomfortable for them there by introducing a bit of natural noise.
In former times, I could go along the side of the road on which we lived and gather those short, stubby beer bottles - pints, I assume they were, which used to be sold in six-packs. I don’t see them anymore, but any
bottle of like size and shape will do. Half a dozen is all you will need.
Dig holes and “plant” the bottles in your lawn. Leave just an inch or so sticking up - a bit more If you like but enough so that you can see them to avoid smashing them to bits with a lawn mower. Plant them in
existing courses which the mole has raised in the lawn. If you plant them low down, drop a thin drinking straw into each to mark the precise spot.
For a pre-view, or pre-hear, of what is to take place blow across the top of an empty bottle. Wind passing over the bottle neck edges will make steady noise like that and it will circulate throughout the burrow and
cause the mole to seek a new, quieter home.
How long will it take? That will depend on how much the wind blows, of course. If it rains you will have to go along and empty the bottles or the tone will get sharper an disappear. I have heard of people installing a
small electic fan to blow across the units, but I’ve never tried such a fine-tuning method myself. I never had to do so.
In case all of this is too much bother and doesn’t appeal to you, the title of this piece mentions a weed that is not too unsightly or odiferous and which, I think, can be found in some seed stores. It can be used as a
natural means of warding off moles and other such critters from yard and garden areas. It’s called “Molebane”. It grows perhaps three feel tall and fits well enough with taller background plantings. One or two such plants will take
care of a good-sized area.
A word of caution: try to re-locate your moles rather than killing them. They are often worth their weight in coin of the realm because they eat bugs, mice and other causes of damage to your garden. They do ,
however, also eat earthworms which is a mark against mole saving. Poisons and steel traps can be used of course, but only with special caution. Plain old moth balls dropped into runways at regular intervals will also so the job in some
situations, so try that method initially and if it doesn’t work go the bottle-planting route. Your neighbors may look at you oddly, but ignore any remarks they may throw your way. Just smile and look the other way. After all , your exiled
lawn moles may well end up getting re-established in their front yard.
A.L.M. August 31, 2002 [c-534wds]
