Any Opinions about the Sonic Mole Spikes
After having one suspected mole near the end of last season, my yard is starting to get overrun by the things. For the most part they're staying out of the dog fence because she's brought me two bodies, but my wife just found a hill in her garden and now I've been told to do something (humane). We really don't want to poison and manually killing them is out of the question, so I'm considering buying a few of the Sweeney sonic spikes, but the online reviews seem mixed (Amazon has 6 positives and 6 negatives), so I'm hoping someone on this always helpful forum has an opinion. Do they actually work? I'd like to drive the pests down to an undevelopable bottom that the city owns or out into the woods and there aren't really any neighbors, so it's not like I'd harming anyone by passing them somewhere else. I'm in Southern Illinois, so the ground isn't exceptionally hard, but it's also not extremely soft. Any experiences or opinions would be appreciated; Thanks in advance. I doubt they would work but haven’t used them . . . one claim: “Designed to repel moles and gophers from up to a 15,000 sq. ft. yard” . . . skeptical that two ultrasonic vibrating spikes would cover a roughly 1/3 acre parcel of land, especially given dampening effects of ground. Amazon’s customer reviews can be helpful but looking deeper also provides additional insights. Of the 6 favorable reviews w/ 4* or above rating, 2 have only rated this one product . . . always suspicious when only one product has been reviewed as the mfg. or seller may be posting to generate sales . . . 2, others have only rated non-tech stuff like books, and another reviewer had 18 products w/ nearly all 5* . . . wish I had that person as my school teacher. The 6 unfavorable reviews are all 1*, and posters say they don’t work at all and some say they attracted more moles. Amazon is generally good about returned merchandise, but buying from their sellers becomes more of a crap shoot. Since the seller is the mfg., I would pay attention to those trying to return product claiming they were refused refunds. To me, they’re pitching to animal lovers, and hope for an emotional rather than rational purchase decision. If you have moles in your yard it's because there is food available for them. Get rid of the grubs and the moles will disappear. You can treat your lawn with a pesticide such as GrubEx. That's what I use and it is very effective. Or you can infect your lawn with milky spore disease also an effective treatment. Milky spore is a naturally occurring bacteria that kills grubs. Pesticides require annual treatment. Milky spore does not. Don't waste your time and money on treatments that probably won't work. Yep, getting rid of the grubs is the way to go and this is the best time of the year to treat for them Thanks for the responses. @Rob R.: To be honest, I wouldn't buy the things from Amazon because I've already comparison shopped around this town, where I've also gotten a couple of divided reviews. I just generally refer to Amazon's reviews, this site and then the search engines before purchasing some products. @Wayne Mitchell: Unfortunately the wife is pretty steadfast against using chemical pesticides, perhaps if they cost her the tomatoes, but we're not there yet. Though, I did see in my research last night an organic mixture posted by chfite, so I might give that a try, but since at least one of our acquaintances and a couple of reviewers feel they have gotten some results from the spikes, I wondering if they're alone. Oh, and I read somewhere that you can actually hear the spikes above ground, so I'm kind of hoping somebody would know what that is like. --- (chfite's mixture: http://forum.doityourself.com/outdoo...tml#post746228) I used the spikes for gophers with good results - yes, you can hear them above ground They are, however, something the animals can get used to, so it is possible they are only a temporary fix - it's the elimination of the grubs which is the long term solution (they're not good for your lawn anyway) TryAgain - Using pesticides is a personal choice. The primary chemical in GrubEx is halofenozide a pretty mild insecticide. You can find the MSDS sheet here. Milky spore on the other hand is a naturally occuring bacteria not a pesticide. It has been in use for years. It is not a pesticide. As far as I know it is no risk. I believe it is similar to BT used to control gypsy moths. Once your lawn is infected it will remain so for years. There are many products marketed to control moles. Most of them either don't work or they are marginally effective. There is a reason that pesticides and MS are recommended. They work. BTW - They won't bother the garden. In my area at least, they limit their dining to grubs. Getting rid of Grubs will help.....BUT....they love earth worms also.
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