| It's
not that moles are bad little critters. They eat grubs
and worms and spend their lives underground for the most
part. The problem is the little highways they dig just
below the surface of your lawn. They'll damage your
grass by separating the roots from the soil, and you can
turn an ankle if you step into one of their tunnels.
Of the dozens
of mole home remedies, vibration is said to annoy them and
drive them off. We decided to test this theory, and
hopefully evict the moles from our lawn in a humane
manner. Since I couldn't locate any of the plastic
daisies that usually infest the local garden centers, I
decided to invoke the Linux motto. "Do it
yourself."
Premise:
Create a pinwheel on a metal pole. You've probably
seen the plastic variety. As the pinwheel turns, the
vibration is transferred down the pole into the ground, thus
annoying the moles and driving them away.
Read
the mole diary and find out how effective the daisies
were.
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Click for video
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Warning!
This project utilizes aluminum sheeting. Sharp edges
can result in serious injury. Heavy gloves should be
worn at all times when working with metal. Do not
place a finished "mole daisy" in an area where
children or animals can come into contact with its sharp
edges. |
| What
you'll need: |
| Aluminum
flashing material |
You
can purchase aluminum flashing material that comes in
rolls from the hardware store. If you wish,
substitute this heavy material with aluminum pie
plates. Thinner mole daisies may not last very
long in gusty conditions. |
| Metal
rods |
A
thin metal rod transfers vibration better than a
wooden stake. Each rod should be approximately
3' tall. I used hollow metal rods found at Wal-mart.
Two 6' pieces became four 3' rods. |
| Miscellany
|
Tape
measure, paper plate, metal shears, indelible marker,
hacksaw, 8P nails, screw anchors, hot glue gun. |
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Construction:
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Begin
by drawing a circle on the sheeting by tracing around
a paper plate. |
If
you're a stickler for accuracy, measure the diameter
and adjust the circumference to cure any high or low
spots. |
Wearing
gloves, cut out your circle. Buff edges with a polishing wheel to
remove any burrs. |
Poke
a nail through the center and work it around until the wheel spins
freely. Slide a screw anchor onto the nail about 1/8" from the
head. |
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Hot
glue the anchor to the nail. Make sure the wheel
spins freely. |
Make
four cuts as shown. Leave at least 2-3" from the center uncut. |
Bend
the left (trailing) corners of each petal toward the back (long part of
the nail).
Just because the guy in the picture wants to take chances doesn't mean you
should. Wear gloves!
|
Bend
the right (leading) corners of each petal toward the front (short part of
the nail). When completed, you should have what looks like a
convincing boat propeller. |
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| A
hollow metal rod makes it easy to poke or drill a
hole through. Don't make the hole any larger
than the nail we're getting ready to fit in there. |
Carefully
insert (using a hammer) the daisy post into the rod.
How many
times have you been directed to carefully insert
something with a hammer?
|
Secure
the nail with a spot of hot glue. A dab of hot
glue on the nail point makes it a little less sharp,
but this whole thing is like something out of a
Freddy Krueger movie, so bother with it if you feel
obliged. |
Cap
the hollow rod with a spot of hot glue. This
will keep water and bugs out. |
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Mole Daisy Video |
| Place
mole daisies in the paths of the mole's
tunnels. If you know the location of his base
of operations then place one or two mole daisies
right on top of it. Keep in mind that these
whirlie-gigs are wind powered. It may take
some adjusting to get them pointed in the right
direction to catch the prevailing breeze. |
Notes:
Each mole daisy built as described above can be
expected to function well under a
moderate breeze for a few weeks. However, the aluminum will quickly
wear as it spins around the nail, becoming more
loose as it goes. This will result in more
instances of the mole daisy slamming into the rod
and eventual failure. It was hoped that these
periodic banging noises would startle the moles as
much as it did us humans. Extend the mole
daisy's life by cementing a washer on either side of
the hole in the center of the daisy. Washers
should take much longer to wear than soft aluminum.
For
some reason birds seemed attracted to the mole
daisies during operation. Perhaps they enjoyed
the flashing or the movement. In the early
afternoon when the sun is brightest, blackbirds,
robins, and pigeons could usually be seen lined up
to watch the nearest daisy. Birds are strange. |
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