a couple of weeks ago i noticed some mole activity in my yard, went to ace and bought some bait kind fo treatment, cost me $25.

but it obviously didn't work, this morning i noticed they are still living well...

what would you recommand to get rid of these little things? hopefully cost efficient.

thank you very much.

Why try adding plants to make them move? That would mean planting the whole yard.

And these animals can cover up to 3 miles of total distance put together in a day (recall from college class).

I laughed as my brother in law put the electronc gadgets in my wife's mother's yard. The moles hung-around for weeks.

So I got one trap, put it in the ground, and caught it within 24 hours.

Personally, I've never cared for the act of trapping. But there is no other viable good option. So I just get it over with and "move on".

There is a reason why the pros use traps. And it's not just for proof to get paid. It's because pros use what works. Most of the other mumbo-jumbo takes a second and third row seat to trapping.

If someone has a bit of spare cash and the resources, I'm positive that the shorter type of tree root barrier panel along a yard perimeter will restrict a lot of mole movement. They don't go "up and over" very often.

M. D. Vaden of Oregon

I have tried and failed miserably with all other measures mentioned above and have to agree with this one.

I think of them as nature's rototillers cultivating and mixing up the soil over the decades.

In the redwoods, I saw the fallen redwoods turn the soil in a larger and slower fashion. When a dead redwood falls, it heaves the soil, loosing the surface, breaking compaction from elk walking around, and mixing organic matter with soil.

The moles just do it more frequently and in a smaller fashion.

They have their niche in nature, that's for sure.

M. D. Vaden of Oregon

Moles don't hurt anything, they just make a few piles here and there. Nice fluffy dirt, toss it in your garden beds.

Moles do not eat your veges or flowers.

That is what I thought and yes I left them alone for about 3 years.The damage they have done was terrible.They dig under roots exposing the roots to elements.I lost lots of my plants after just letting them do their thing.I had to replace lots of expensive and well looked after plants..
I agree that in small numbers and in some places they can indeed be left alone.Never again in my garden.I did it and it got out of hand very fast.
Unless someone has experienced what they can do (and they will!!!) in few years you won't have any yard left (including your lawn)
So from now on I don't want any of them.They multiply and entire family will move into your yard.
I did accept them willingly for few years because like many I felt they can't do any damage.O boy was I ever wrong..

One infamous mole thread:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/nwest/msg0914445415560.html

Short answer:
If you are trying to save plants and trees, traps are the only answer that works.

If there is one acre of forested land, with nothing but trees and native plants - maybe no big deal.

But the valve box comment above was an excellent example.

Someone down here paid me a good chunk of money to unbury their irrigation valves without damaging the wires, valves or pipe, because one or two moles had completed filled the vavle boxes with soil.

The can not only puncture pone or creekbed liners, but they can undermine creekbeds with soil and interfere with the water level.

It all depends on the yard.

Thanks and thanks again for posting this.
I had a huge problem and yes had to pay also for fixing problems.
I was so naive and made nothing of the little damage they did until it got out of hand.
If it did not happen to our yard I would still have a hard time believing that these small and innocent creatures can do so much damage..