Mama Lynx Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I thought that made a great title :) Seriously, though, the lawn at our rental home is riddled with moles. Is mole eradication something that the landlord would typically pay for, or the tenant? What if the tenant cannot afford professional mole eradication? Any great tips on getting rid of moles? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I don't know whose responsibility mole removal is, but if you were closer I could loan you my dog. She catches at least one a day around here. She doesn't intend to hurt them, she only wants a playmate. The unfortunate consequence of her play is that the mole perishes and she can't figure out why it doesn't want to play anymore. She's not very bright! Fortunately, the local mole population seems to be shrinking, but so does the bird population (including hummingbirds...how does she catch such quick critters?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojomojo Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I would say that's the landlord's responsibility. Every rental I've lived in the landlord has taken care of pest control (spraying for spiders, bugs, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 You took possession of the property after the moles came, right? So ask your landlord to get rid of them. It's his lawn that will be ruined, not yours. I don't know if mole holes are dangerous -- can a person step into one and twist an ankle or something? If so, be sure to bring that up, too. You can also look at your lease, but I doubt moles are specifically mentioned. I would say that "lawn care" responsibilities, if they are yours, do not include getting rid of moles, though. RC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 I don't know whose responsibility mole removal is, but if you were closer I could loan you my dog. She catches at least one a day around here. She doesn't intend to hurt them, she only wants a playmate. The unfortunate consequence of her play is that the mole perishes and she can't figure out why it doesn't want to play anymore. She's not very bright! Fortunately, the local mole population seems to be shrinking, but so does the bird population (including hummingbirds...how does she catch such quick critters?). Voles, my cats kill. Moles, they play with and leave alive and healthy. Go figure. One of our cats brought a live one into the house, and let it go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Huh. None of my landlords have ever done that. This lease specifically holds me responsible for flea control, but I don't think it specifies other pests. I feel perpetually shaky on the whole landlord/tenant relationship, never really sure what's his and what's ours. I want to be a good steward to the house, but also don't want to pay for what we don't have to, kwim? I'm waiting for a call back from him, but wanted to see what others did. We certainly didn't notice any moles when we moved in, but wow, are they ever bad now! And we've only been here three months! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Voles, my cats kill. Moles, they play with and leave alive and healthy. Go figure. One of our cats brought a live one into the house, and let it go. :smilielol5: Brings to mind a line from Mystery Men (really, what DOESN'T?!): "How delightfully eccentric while simultaneously being a complete waste of our time." And to paraphrase a bit further, "See, that's why, in general, a mad cat is less desirable than a garden-variety cat." Bwaaaahahahahaha! I'll have to send you our feline, Mama Lynx. He does not discriminate. Moles, voles, mice--his motto is "any rodent in a storm." :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Better moles than armadillos...;) I would think the landlord should take care of them, but if not, a .22 would probably do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in FL Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 It will depend on your lease. The lease that we have with our tenants says they are responsible for things like this, but not all leases state that. As to the moles: We had them up in MI, professional help really didn't help much. It was a yearly battle between my dh and the moles!!! We tried electic things, traps, kill traps, moth balls, yard oil sprays, poisons and anything else you can think of. There's nothing funnier than seeing your dh fresh in suit and tie from work in the back yard stomping down the mole holes- daily. Google Juicy fruit gum and moles. This is the one method I always tried to get dh to try and he never did because it sounded "dumb". Sometimes dumb sounding things work!! Moth balls did keep them away for awhile. Good luck Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susie in tx Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I haven't tried this, but it's got a great name. Mole Scram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristavws Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 (edited) We had a problem with moles as well, when we moved into our house this summer. Fortunately, the kittens have grown up to be cats, and I am now finding a dead mole every other day. So many in fact, that I am somewhat disturbed to think that we had that many to start with :001_huh: Krista Edited October 3, 2008 by kristavws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Moles are controlled by the Rodent Patrol (I always wondered what it was there inside my egg roll) :lol: Good luck -- sorry I'm just being a smart A and not really offering any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I've heard of people trying bubblegum as well. My in laws own a grocery store and people come in and buy big boxes of the pink 5 cent gum. I guess it works.... If you try it TMK if it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 Moles are controlled by the Rodent Patrol(I always wondered what it was there inside my egg roll) :lol: Good luck -- sorry I'm just being a smart A and not really offering any help. Well, there goes DINNER :lol: So maybe if the depression does hit, we have a supply of fresh meat? Heck, we got plenty of squirrels, too! It's a party! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 I've heard of people trying bubblegum as well. My in laws own a grocery store and people come in and buy big boxes of the pink 5 cent gum. I guess it works.... If you try it TMK if it worked. Okay, er .... how do you use the gum? Do you put it at the entrances to their holes, and hope they bite? Do you chew it yourself first? What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hmmm...as a landlord, I would say that it is his/her responsibility. Fleas I can understand if you bring them with your pet. Of course, I let my DH take care of these types of questions from tenants ;) . Good luck :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom to Aly Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 OK, I am the ultimate animal lover--am I the only person almost crying in this thread? My dog chased, I think it was a baby mole, in our yard recently, dragging me along behind (big german shepard/husky dog), and I was horrified to think she might hurt it! Moles aren't that bad, they need a place to live, how important is your yard? Rhetorical question, my mom gave me a whole lecture on this--mine just left. Maybe if you let your dogs pee on your grass (or you can't stop them) and it dies, the moles will run away, like ours did ;). We have a ton of frogs and mosquitos now, though (it is really, really wet here!). When I take my dogs out, I have to say--"No frogs, heal, No frogs, pee, No frogs!!". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Better moles than armadillos...;) I would think the landlord should take care of them, but if not, a .22 would probably do the job. As a suburban dweller, I asked my old farmer-uncle how to get rid of the moles in my yard and he said this in a very deadpan voice, "Weeeeeellll, I'd sit out in the yard with my shotgun just before dawn, but I don't guess you can do that where you live." I nearly fell out of my chair laughing! We didn't do anything about the moles and they moved on to other yards eventually. The kids did have fun stomping down the tops of the tunnel for a while. I would think it would be up to the landlord to pay since it's his property (and it's not a routine thing), but he may not care enough to do anything. Chelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Moles are tricky little peckers to eradicate ... but a surefire way to encourage them to move elsewhere is to treat the property for grubs (their primary foodsource). No food = no moles; less food = less moles. My vote goes to it being the landlord's responsibility :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 But the point is, it's not my yard. It's a rental. Frankly. I don't care. I don't use pesticides on my lawns, or herbicides. I'm quite content to have weeds and critters. But it's not my yard. I don't want an angry landlord coming back at me for ruining the lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 But the point is, it's not my yard. It's a rental. Frankly. I don't care. I don't use pesticides on my lawns, or herbicides. I'm quite content to have weeds and critters. But it's not my yard. I don't want an angry landlord coming back at me for ruining the lawn. If you don't care then I would send him a certified letter about the problem and clearly tell him, that AT THIS TIME you are not interested in mole extraction, but you wanted to make him aware of the potential property damage. After that, it is up to him. Since mole damage is typically cosmetic, he may not care. If your children play in the yard and the moles get so heavy that they are tripping and falling over the holes...you may want to reconsider your options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apiphobic Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Uhhh, the molebusters? If there's something strange in your neighborhood Who you gonna call? Molebusters! If there's something weird and it don't look good Who you gonna call? Molebusters! I ain't afraid of no mole I ain't afraid of no mole If you're seeing things running through your yard Who can you call? Molebusters! An invisible mole sleeping in your gard'n Oh, who you gonna call? Molebusters! I ain't afraid of no mole I ain't afraid of no mole Who you gonna call? Molebusters! If you're all alone, pick up the phone And call Molebusters! I ain't afraid of no mole I hear it likes the worms I ain't afraid of no mole Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Who you gonna call? Molebusters! If you've had a dose of a sneaky mole You'd better call Molebusters! Let me tell you something Bustin' makes me feel good I ain't afraid of no mole I ain't afraid of no mole Don't get caught alone, oh no Molebusters! When it comes through your door Unless you just want some more I think you better call Molebusters! Ow! Who you gonna call Molebusters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Sorry I didnt check back sooner... the moles are supposed to just eat the gum on their own. No prechewing required lol. Just unwrap and toss. Sorry if this thread upsets the animal lovers. I'd have a hard time getting rid of rodents too.. (I doubt the landlord would be willing to relocate moles.) but they do harbor diseases that can pass on to your pets and family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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