Question

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Followup To

Question -
I have come out to a morning surprise a few times in the past 10 days or so.

At First I thought it was my 4 year old digging in the yard...But the piles of dirt are perfect.

Upon further investigation I found a small silver dollar or size hole under the pile of dirt

I investigated further and poked a my "weed popper" into adjacent places in the lawn...Low and behold I found what appears to be "tunnels" around th epiles of dirt...

SO...How do I get rid of these fellas without

1.  Hurting my lawn
2.  Don't really want to kill them
3.  Ensure they don't return

Answer -
Cute, aren't they, Jef(f)?  (Is that Jef with one "f" or two?)

But they are persistent.

You can eliminate them with Shock And Awe.

Gophers are bigger than Moles, and their tunnels are larger and deeper.  Gophers are vegetarians.  Moles, however, are Carnivores, with a diet of insects, especially Earthworms.  They are found more often in areas of high rainfall while Gophers are found in drier regions.  If you have a healthy garden, you will have plenty of Earthworms, and the normal insect population that goes with the balance of Nature.

The myth about Moles is that they are attracted to grubs and that if you have Moles, you must have a grub problem.  We know now that Earthworms and other insects are their main diet, and grubs are just sort of incidental, so don't worry that you have a definite grub problem here - if that has crossed your mind.  This is tricky.

A Shock and Awe campaign will repel them from your real estate.

Rat traps are sometimes recommended to catch moles.  But there box and Maccabee Gopher traps are very effective.  Farm supply stores usually carry them.  If you have to dig below the ground down to the main tunnel, keep in mind that this can be 1-2 feet down.  The newest tunnel is usually the one that will catch your mole.  You can use carrot tops and other fresh greens as bait.  Check the traps daily or more. You have to be persistent about this.

Flooding the tunnel with a garden hose, or filling it with smoke from smoke bombs or a road flare, can pursuade Gophers and Moles to move out of your lawn.  Flooding is popular because it is so easy, but it is not considered very permanent most of the time, unles the poor Mole happens to drown.  Smoking them out is much more effective.  

You will find special rodent smokebombs on the market that work fairly well. Even better are long-burning road flares, which you can pick up at any auto supplies store.  Light the flare carefully and stuff it underground, into the tunnel, then shovel dirt back over opening and step on that to seal the tunnel.  

Watch the rest of the lawn for the escape route at the other end of the tunnel; when you spot it, plug up that end of the tunnel.  Do this over several days, wherever you see a tunnel.  Diligence usually pays off.

Getting these varmints to set up house in someone else's real estate is sometimes as easy as buying a cat.  Some people swear by garter snakes, although these can be hard to come by.  

There is a popular castor oil remedy that I don't like because it does hurt the moles: You mix Castor Oil and Detergent with water and spray this stuff at the entrances to all the tunnels. The Moles get this on their fur and try to lick it off; it gets into their digestion and eventually kills them.

Some people sprinkle used cat litter, dog poop, or urine (from whatever source you can find) at the tunnels.  This is a psychological deterrent with DANGER written all over it.

Human hair and flavored bubble gum are also considered mole-unfriendly.  How effective they are depends on the Mole(s).

In my opinion, a diligent, multi-weapon assault would be effective.  It's a war of wills when you have these.  Shock And Awe, my friend, is the answer.

I'm in Seattle...Gets pretty wet in the winter...I'm guessing Moles.

O've been trying red pepper flakes at the holes...Its not working.

I'll try the flares next...Will let you know how it goes...

JEFF...Two Fs

Answer
Well, Jefffffff, in that case you should take a look at the State of Washington official word on the subject of Moles(http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/moles.htm).  Your state has its own special variety that is omniverous.  This is interesting.  Sort of cute, they are.

This particular website is a wealth of information, so much in fact I don't have time to read it.  Maybe they have a solution I didn't think of.

Good luck!