This has been the year of the mole. Our yard is working on the second coming of the moles this year. You never see one of the little buggers but you could break an ankle stepping in the run.
There are several ways to try to get rid of them. We either use the poison moleworms or the mole and gopher gassers. I liked the gopher gassers best because of the smoke that comes out of the ground. You find a run where the moles have digging around and light the gas bomb and put one in each end of the run. It looks and smells like sulfur. The gas leaks out of the soil and hopefully the mole will either run from it or inhale it and die. The bag says it will also get rid of gophers, skunks, and squirrels. A dead mole does not hurt my feelings at all. He makes a great mess in the yard. The moleworms really resemble a worm. It is made of bromethalin. I would not want to use this when you have pets around.

Another got product is called Mole Gel Bait. It comes in a tub that you inject into the run. Again I would not use around pets. It contains warfarin, which is an old type of rat bait.

My husband likes the gassers best. I hate to admit it but it makes you feel like you are doing some good. I guess we have a little bad attitude about killing the pest that try to take of our yard. Good hunting.

(Mitzi Thomas owns Minden Farm & Garden LLC. Watch for her column on Fridays in Webster Parish Journal. Email Mitzi questions at  mitzithomas40@yahoo.com.)