Moles have destroyed more gardens than most people realize. They like to eat grubs and earthworms and they do a lot of digging to find them. The problem they give to gardeners is by means of their tunneling. Their tunnels leave pockets of air close to your plant's roots. The plants unable to get moisture, shrivel and die. More water will not help your plants with tunnels close to their roots. The water you give your plants in order to save them will be diverted by the tunnels. You can cave in the tunnels and then water your plants but the mole will quickly return to restore his tunnels.
An unsuspecting gardener may wake up one morning and find all of his crops dead. He may even blame himself for not giving his plants enough water but the real reason for his plants demise is due to the mole. Most traps cannot kill the mole. Some of the older traps with spring loaded long daggers are the best way to kill mole.
Basically the mole killing machine is spring loaded device with a flat trigger. To set the machine you first depress the soil on top of the tunnel. You then trigger the trap a few times to make sure the knives go through the tough soil. Set the trap and you're ready to kill. When the mole presses upward to move through the compressed tunnel he will trigger the trap.
This trap has too short of knives. In Missouri the moles dig deep. Find the older traps that have longer knives.
These bagworms are a real problem in my area. They can demolish a tree by eating all the leaves. Sometimes their nest are so high there is not much to do. Insecticides is the recommended treatment for bagworms. Get a pressurized tank and spray all their bags. Be careful of wind direction. I have had insecticide blow back in my face many times. I think I sprayed myself more than the bagworms.
The torch is my preferred choice of treating bagworms. If the bags are low enough to reach, torch them all to hell. The torch is also great for starting a fire in your garbage pile or burn can. The lighter I use is from Menards. Did you know this cheap lighter is refillable with butane? This red lighter pictured to the right is a keeper.
The ticks are my worst enemy. I'd rather live more north than live among ticks. It is best to keep your yard mowed short and always wear boots. Ticks like to cling to doors while waiting to brush up close to you and latching on. One bite from a tick is enough to give you a red hard bite that takes weeks to go away. No privacy is allowed when ticks get a hold of you. They get inside your clothing and look for the most vulnerable and softest place to bite.
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