Victor 0631 Out of Sight Mole Trap Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Hallelujah!!!The wicked mole is dead.

For 2 years I have hunted this critter.I have read the entire internet.2 years of research led me here.

For those of you with mole problems, let me save you some time.Forget everything you think you know.The only way to deal with moles is to kill them.The only way to kill them is to trap them.Baits don't work.Treating for grubs don't work.Moles primarily feed on worms, not grubs.Sonic vibration thingys don't work.These traps work.

BUT...

Don't follow the directions on the package.I will do my best to explain how to employ this product.

First of all, if you have to, stamp down all mole runs in your yard.Ordinarily, you don't want to do this, because it just encourages the mole to dig new runs, thus doing more damage.But you need a current picture of where the mole is active in your yard.

The next day after you have stamped down all the runs, observe any new runs.You are looking for long straight runs.Long straight runs are like mole highways.The curvy short runs are hunting roads.The curvy runs are less traveled.Hunt the highways.

Open the trap and set the safety catch.Set the trap down next to the run where you want to place it.Take your foot, and stamp down the mole run just where you want to place the trap.Should only be about your foot's width.Don't push down hard.You want the ground you stamp down to be level with the rest of the yard.

Now take a straight blade shovel and create a notch on either side where the trap blades will go.You don't have to go real deep.Just a couple inches.Wiggle the shovel if you have to, to create those "pockets" for the blades of the trap to go into.

Carefully place the trap into the notches or pockets you just created until the trigger of the trap is level to the ground.

Unhook the safety.

It took me 3 days to catch my mole once I set my trap this way.I moved it once after the first day because I wasn't happy about the run I had originally placed it. If you don't catch your mole after 3 days, then look for a better spot.

Warning!!If you go out to check your trap, bring a shovel and wear shoes.When I got mine, he wasn't dead.The trap had just got him in the back and he wasn't going anywhere, but he was alive.So when you pull up your trap, go slow and be gentle.You don't want to accidentally release him.Be ready to whack him with the shovel.

For 2 years this mole has terrorized my yard.I was at my wits end.My yard is destroyed.Let the healing begin thanks to this product.Now kill some moles!!

EDIT 3-24-09: I just wanted to give everyone an update.I got my third mole last night using these traps.Add that to the 3 my parents have killed, our family alone is responsible for killing at least a basketball team of moles.If anyone has any questions about how to kill moles, post or email me, and I am positive we can kill your mole too.

EDIT 3-16-10:I've been reading some other reviews here and I wanted to clear up some misconceptions and misunderstandings.

First, if it looks like the moles are going around your trap, the most likely cause is that the trap is set too deep.That ties to another reviewer who said they set the trap with the trigger at grass level.That would be too shallow.Before you set the trap, tamp down the run to GROUND level (not grass level).When you cut the notches for the trap blades, and place the trap in the ground, the trigger should lay even with the rest of the ground.

Second, while true that moles will eat grubs, their primary food source are worms.Worms are usually more plentiful, and they move through the ground, thus making them easier to find for a hungry mole.Grubs are more stationary.A mole will eat them, but it requires more luck to find them.

Third, if you don't get a mole in the first day, don't panic.Give it a few days. Remember, the best place to put the traps are in the long straight runs. Those are the mole highways.Just because it's a highway though, doesn't mean your mole will use that highway every day.Give it some time.It's not necessary to move your traps too often.Even if your mole seems to be active in another area of your yard, if you picked a good spot to place your trap, he will come back and use his highway again.

Fourth, moles are territorial.There may be some overlap, but it's minimal.HOWEVER, keep this in mind.Just like you, moles prefer to travel along pre-dug roads.You don't build a new road every time you want to go to the grocery store.Moles don't like to either.So, even if you kill your mole, it is VERY likely that another mole will move into your yard.Keep in mind also, that the runs you see at ground level, are only a fraction of the amount of tunnels that might be running through your yard.Moles don't hibernate.They follow the worms in the winter, and worms dig in deeper during the winter.For a mole to survive the winter, that mole has a whole labyrinth of tunnels deep under ground.Easy pickings for another mole looking to move into your yard.

EDIT 4-29-10:Taught my boss how to use these traps and he got his first mole this weekend.The moles in St. Louis are having a bad day!

EDIT 5-28-10:Got another one last night.I've had a mole kicking around the area for the last few months and just couldn't get a good run to trap.Finally, the idiot moved into another area of the yard, and to do that he had to make a couple long straight runs to get there.Well,that was his last mistake.I had the traps in the ground less than 12 hours.I woke up this morning to dead mole.There really is nothing better with your Corn Flakes than dead mole.

EDIT 7-22-10:So about a week after I killed my last mole in May I got another one destroying my yard.Took me 2 months, but that mole is now dead.What a wonderful thing heavy rain is.When it rains, it brings the worms up, and the moles are soon to follow.Right into the waiting arms of the sharp teeth of my mole trap.

EDIT 9-9-10:Pics are up!If anyone has any suggestions or questions about the pics, just leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

EDIT 9-10-10:Less than 12 hours later, I'm the proud parent of a dead mole.I kill more moles before 9am than most people do all day.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Victor 0631 Out of Sight Mole Trap

Product Description:
Features malleable iron jaws for superior strength and durability (setting levers are included). Ideal for sandy soil. Fully assembled, sure firing trap.

Get 19% OFF

Want to buy Victor 0631 Out of Sight Mole Trap at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below:

Flys-Off Insect Repellent for Dogs, 6 oz Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My dog, a dauschund, has a habit of attracting bugs.It is so bad sometimes we call him "pig pen" because they swarm around him like the dirt on the character in Charlie Brown.Bought this product and use it on him whenever we spend long stints outside.Works great!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Flys-Off Insect Repellent for Dogs, 6 oz

Product Description:
Flys-Off Insect Repellent for Dogs

Want to buy Flys-Off Insect Repellent for Dogs, 6 oz at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below:

Victor M252 Electronic Mouse Trap Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Okay, I read all these reviews, and expected some problems because of the 1-3 star users.But I really can't deal with the mess and unpredictable results of spring traps, or the unwelcomed surprise of running across a dead mouse somewhere when I least expect it (poison).And I am squeamish!I really wanted this thing to work.

So I called Victor (Woodstream Corp) and talked to someone in their Customer Care department.I asked her my favorite question, "Tell me all the tips that consumers are likely to miss, or misunderstand about how this thing works."And I also asked her tons of questions I had myself.Here is what I learned:

1.First and foremost, people overbait these traps BIGTIME.(See the 2nd photo provided by a customer.)If some of that huge mass of peanut butter falls onto the metal floor-plate, the trap zaps the peanut butter and de-activates!Mice can now come in and dine on the peanut butter.She said to just put a TINY dab of peanut butter on the far wall (opposite the entrance).Use a toothpick.Or spread a very thin smear of it with a knife.Mice have a very acute sense of smell, and that's what draws them in.They don't need any more bait than that.

2.The mouse has to contact BOTH metal plates in order to get zapped.And both plates have to be clean of debris.That means after you catch a mouse, take a Q-tip or whatever, and remove any hair, any little spot of urine, whatever, from the metal plates.This is not a squeamish job at all and they don't come anymore squeamish than I am!(I do shuddering freak-outs at the sight of a mouse, dead OR alive.) There was a teensy smear of liquid (I assume urine) and two hairs that had shed off the mouse.

3.Be aware that "On" means that the LINE icon side of the switch is pressed down.The CIRCLE icon pressed down means "off."People get those confused.Turn it OFF when cleaning or baiting.Turn it ON once the trap is baited, and the top door has been snapped shut.

4.The batteries go in with the flat side of the battery against the springs.And I have had battery connections with other things "not work."I had this problem continuously with a radio.Finally, it dawned on me, give a little pull on the springs.One was coiled into itself just slightly.That fixed it.You need the springs to push against the batteries enough to hold the two tight against each end.And they need to be lined up straight, not crooked.

5.When you bait the trap, close the door FIRMLY, and turn the unit on.You will see a green light BUT!!! it only stays on for 2 seconds!That green light is SUPPOSED to go off.It only goes on for the 2 seconds so that you can confirm that the unit is on, and it's working.Otherwise, if it stayed on all the time, it would eat battery life.So when it goes off, don't think, like I did, that there's an electronic failure.

6.For safety reasons, the unit is designed so that when the door (over the maze and metal plates) is open, the unit will de-activate.I have no idea how the other reviewer shocked himself, but for sure, turn the unit OFF before tinkering around with baiting, cleaning plates, or messing with the batteries.In any event, when you set the trap, bait it, then double check to make sure the door is snapped closed.Then, and only then, turn the unit on.You will see the green light for about 2 seconds, which shows you it's working and ready to go.Then the light goes out.If you open the door again (and she didn't say this but I have a feeling it's the case), turn the unit off and then on again after the door has been shut.

I LOVE these traps!I don't have to even LQQK at the mouse, let alone have my fingers anywhere near where the mouse can brush against them.Also, as much as I detest mice because they are creepy, foul, dirty, slithery little things who dart and crawl around in mucky places, I do not want to torture them!I know for a fact that three mice I caught with a snap trap had to have had pretty horrible deaths.One I heard for a solid hour, banging around, sometimes squeeling.The next morning it was dead, but it had been caught by its little nose, only!Pretty gruesome!This is much more HUMANE.It zaps them and within 5 seconds they are dead.I imagine during the 5 seconds, they are quickly rendered unconscious.This is 8,000 volts that goes into a critter that size.Quick and humane.

Oh, before I close this review?Product Guarantee!!!
If you DO have a trap malfunction after the return period allowed by your retailer, the woman told me that the company itself has a product guarantee of ONE YEAR.Keep your receipt and if anything goes wrong with the trap (obviously excluding your prying up the metal plates or whatever), they will take it back and send you a new one.

So my recommendation is the full 5 stars.I think their box-side instructions are not good enough.It says nothing about bait amount, and it says nothing about keeping the shock plates free of things like hair or droppings.It does explain the green light only stays lit for a short time, but I missed that.I'm sure others could too.

Lastly?My own advice:Get a strong flashlight and plug holes with steel wool inside cabinets, closets, anywhere you find them.Fine grade can be molded easier and tighter than coarse grade.Use silicone caulking in addition, or put it in cracks.Any mouse can crawl through a hole the size of a dime, and smaller mice can flatten out their bodies and get through 1/4" size crack!While they can chew through silicone caulking, one of the things that draws them in is the heat inside your house.(Bingo!Found that on google.)The caulking, or even expandable foam, can at least prevent them from sensing heat.Maybe even reduce their detecting the smell of food.Pay particular attention to holes cut for plumbing pipes.Stuff and caulk those, especially.

For trivia, a mouse can run 6 miles an hour, and sprint faster. It can only see 24" ahead of it, but can detect movement 45 feet away.They breed horrifically fast, I think it's 3 weeks old they can breed.
You now know everything I know about mice.And about these e-traps!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Victor M252 Electronic Mouse Trap

Product Description:
The news is that they haven't made a better mouse trap. Rather, Victor has gone and made the best mouse trap. The Victor Electronic Mouse Trap humanely and swiftly delivers a high-voltage electric charge to the rodent, killing it in seconds, with no sticky messes, snapped fingers or poisons. You'll never touch a dead or squirming mouse again. A green indicator light blinks for 24 hours to signal that a mouse has been caught, and that it's time to simply open the lid and dispose of the dead mouse. Safe to use around pets and children, the humane trap meets International Humane Kill standards. The mouse dies within 10 seconds. And, for added safety, the unit deactivates if the top door is accidentally opened. A unique tunnel design prevents mice from escaping and decreases the risk of shock to humans. The trap uses 4 AA batteries (not included), with one set of batteries exterminating about 50 mice.

Get 6% OFF

Want to buy Victor M252 Electronic Mouse Trap at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below:

Flowtron MT-125 Mosquito PowerTrap Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I took a leap of faith and bought one of these units a while back through Costco. Man I want to like this unit, but it is impossible.As expected, the fan went out in about a year.This is pretty consistent, and I figured, well, I'll see if I like it, and if I do, I'll just replace the fan when it fails.Not entirely a bad deal, since the fan is $44.95 or so, and this is one of the few Mosquito traps that combine LPG, octenol, and some electronic sounds/lights.

But the company can't get out of its own way.They're a bit hard to reach to begin with, but the only way to get a replacement fan for this unit is to mail them a check!The single customer service representative who seems to reply to email and answer the phone (Shelly), isn't setup for any type of payment, even though they run an online store for accessories.And on the accessories website, they don't sell parts, just accessories.With every single review containing stories of fans failing after a year, how much trouble would it be to carry the fan in the online store?And keep in mind this is YEARS after reviewers started reporting fan failures.What an idiotic company.

I really wanted to keep this sucker, but alas, back to Costco it goes.Costco's stopped carrying these, so no wonder why.For folks who haven't bought from Costco, Flowtron surely must have extracted a lot of money and grief with this stuff.Here's hoping justice is served by their departure from the marketplace.

Seeing another review in this thread, I guess I'll try a liberty next.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Flowtron MT-125 Mosquito PowerTrap

Product Description:
Take back your with the flowtron Mosquito PowerTrap.This patented operation safely and easily eliminates mosquitoes and other insects with out the use of insecticides,fogs or sprays. Features include safe, low voltage power pack,octenol cartridge that creates an irresistible attraction for mosquitoes, a powerful vacuum to draw in the insect to the no escape trap where they dehydrate and die.Computerized operation.LED lighting identifies operational status

Want to buy Flowtron MT-125 Mosquito PowerTrap at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below:

Springstar MOS12 Mosquito Trap Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A year after my previous review created a minor stir on the internet, I'm back to report what I've learned. I've learned so much that I'm doing away with the old review, but copying it to this review's own "Comments" section for archival purposes.

I'm now positive that the Springstar (non-)"trap" is obsolete.

First, the results of my experiment with laying metal cans all over my property (tops cut off) partly filled with rainwater (to lure mosquitoes into laying), then dumping the water on a regular basis (no lures, poison, soap, or anything but nasty rainwater and tin cans): unsuccessful, due to me not finding a remaining area of stagnant water, which ended up being a drainage tube beneath a road bordering my property. The roadworkers needed to 'dig down' beneath the normal soil level to get the pipe in, which left standing water in there, and made the pipe easy to miss. No amount of "traps" elsewhere compensated for that, neither Springstar "traps" nor my DIY knock-offs!

But I overcame it.

Here is what I learned.RULES FOR GETTING RID OF MOSQUITOES (without buying an expensive machine):

- Find ALL areas of standing water.
I know this is obvious, but you have to SEARCH proactively. One missed area cost me a summer of enjoying the outdoors.

- Eliminate the areas of standing water that you can.
You may not be able to get rid of them all. But do what you can. Tires, junk, bad roof gutters, etc..

- Now for the breakthrough: USE A NON-TOXIC ANTI-MOSQUITO PRODUCT IN STANDING WATER YOU CAN'T GET RID OF. I'd tried to take a bucket and bail out that drainage pipe, and after about 5 bails, I realized it was futile. It set me to creative/desperate thinking....

I realized I had a 1 ounce bottle of "Precor" brand concentrate. Precor is a brand name for a dilution of S-Methoprene, which is an "Insect Growth Regulator", or "IGR" for short. An IGR is a hormone that essentially keeps baby mosquitoes from turning into adolescent mosquitoes (and therefore adult, biting mosquitoes). Doesn't kill them, just prevents them from becoming mature, flying biting insects. Precor is marketed as an anti-flea spray solution, to spray on your carpets and furniture so any flea eggs hatching there will never mature into adults (and bite you). A little research yielded the fact that this S-Methoprene is also sold as a product to do the same on mosquitoes (and other insects). One product I found is known as "PreStrike Mosquito Torpedo" made by Wellmark. It's a little fishy-shaped nugget you drop into standing water. It sinks to the bottom and time-releases S-Methoprene into the water, "up to" 2 months, 1 fishy per certain amount of water, more fishies if necessary.

Instead of ponying up for the fishies right away, I decided to use my otherwise-wasted Precor to see what the results would be. (The Precor was wasted because a stray dog I picked up and found a home for had fleas which were smart enough to stay on the doggie, and never bred anywhere but on the dog.) I diluted the Precor per manufacturer directions (1 ounce per 1 gallon of water), cutting the recipe in half. I found that using a spray bottle (properly labeled with cautions) helped me squirt the recipe far into the drainage tube. 1 ounce (1 gallon diluted) treats 1000 square feet of carpet, so I used a commensurate amount in the stagnant, shallow water. I started early in the year, after the last freeze and reapplied after rains. With the expressly-made methoprene dunks, reapplying's not as necessary, but you may need to use more than the minimum amount to 'recharge' the new standing water.

My home is now a different place outdoors. Can you imagine what it's like with no mosquitoes. It's not summer yet, but at the end of April, with all the other insects going gangbusters, one strain is notably missing. It's awesome. And I found, I don't mind bugs so much. Just mosquitoes. They give other bugs a bad name.

Let me tell you about "Mosquito Hawks" for a second, because they're NOT mosquitoes at all. They look like HUGE mosquitoes, and I'm sure you've seen them (web search an image to see). I still had tons of them, so I did some research. I thought they were male mosquitoes (only females bite animals), but they're not. They're actually called Crane Flies. They DON'T eat mosquitoes. They don't even breed in water--they eggs are laid in soil and eat grass roots, which is why I still have lots of those. But I don't mind them, because they DON'T bite. They're either vegetarians, or don't eat at all after they turn into fliers, they just want to mate. They're dumb, clumsy, and harmless. So don't worry about those. Mosquitoes have the same body shape, but are small.

Diluted methoprene is not dangerous to mammals (including humans, dogs and cats), and apparently not birds either (Prestrike advertises it for use in birdbaths, though I'd use a bacterial "donut" dunk for those, read on), nor does it affect our hormones--only insects. It's one of the less-harmful ingredients in flea collars, and there are Methoprene "dip" products designed to stop fleas' life cycle inside pet fur, but I digress. Of course you or pets shouldn't have direct contact with it or drink it, duh; direct contact with the solution is listed as "harmful" on the product's warnings. Methoprene will disrupt the maturation of other insects exposed to it, particularly other water-breeding insects like dragonflies, which also eat mosquitoes. So use it carefully--but you will, because it's not cheap. Literature does seem to suggest it degrades in direct sunlight. But the time-release nature of the Mosquito Torpedoes probably counteracts that. In my case, the water was almost entirely inside a dark drainage pipe.I discovered that there are 2 basic alternatives to PreStrike Mosquito Torpedoes, which seems to be in a class all its own (only PreStrike seems to make methoprene-based treatments marketed against mosquitoes):

- Bacteria-based "donuts" generally called "Mosquito Dunks" which float on the water and time-release bacteria which kill baby mosquitoes. Search Amazon for these. These special bacteria eat growing mosquitoes, but not you. In fact, the MSDS amazingly states, "No hazardous or toxic components". There's a CYA warning on the product packaging, but when was the last time you saw an MSDS with no warning at all? The reason I didn't get them is because they float, and I'm concerned they'll be washed over the lip of that drainage ditch during rains. I wonder if their floating aspect is necessary for the bacterial action to work. I'd think they'd be difficult to skim out of decorative ponds, and confuse the issue of how many were deployed. Still, this is probably the least nature-disrupting solution, especially for fish ponds, as fish are sensitive to just about anything. (There's also a mosquito larva-eating fish breed, BTW).

- Natural plant-based products which repel and/or kill water-borne insects. Most commonly, these include garlic juice, garlic being a natural pesticide (repels and kills). Natural oils used in combination or separately include lemongrass, mint, and others. These are most commony sold as mosquito "granules" or "bits", usually being ground corncob, wound straw, or other benign carrier soaked in the scenty stuff. Amazon terms to search would be "Mosquito" plus: Granules, Bits, Repellant, or Treatment. Or maybe just search "mosquito". These seem to be marketed for people with large areas of standing water, like farmers with irrigation ponds. It makes sense. Some of these products say you can sprinkle them right on the ground, and repel mosquitoes in the yard itself, viz. "Dr. T's Mosquito Repelling Granules", which contains Lemongrass Oil, Peppermint, and Garlic, boasting a "pleasant aroma". Sounds almost like I'm going out to dinner. I haven't tried this product--I don't need to. I just thought the active ingredients (all mixed into clay) were very creative and compelling, and I nearly bought it before discovering what I use now.

Products in these bullet points above are admittedly more natural and probably better-suited for treating large areas. I'm targeting a small, specific area of standing water which I'm extremely serious about. My concern was driving the breeding mosquitoes to find other patches of water off my property, then later as flyin adults returning to feed on me. Mosquitoes have an extremely keen sense of smell, and although the garlic stuff will kill skeeter larvae, the mommy mosquitoes will be turning up their noses at the garlicky water. I figure: if I can't get rid of standing water, I might as well use it to my advantage, and use a product which mommy mosquitoes won't be any-the-wiser about, but which will essentially 'abort' their unfortunate offspring. IGR's don't actually kill the skeeter pupae. So it's arguably not even a pesticide. They just stay kids forever, and eventually die naturally, still in the water. Think of it as my compromise between the uber-natural garlic-soaked corncobs, and a nasty pesticide. In keeping with the Springstar lure ("trap") idea, I wondered if a Springstar-like contraption could be made at home, but dramatically improved. One could even use their already-owned Springstar jug, but any stable container would do. One could drop a chunk of those PreStrike Mosquito Torpedoes or bacterial Mosquito Dunks into one or more deliberate containers of standing water. You'd really have to trust your product though, as you'd see all kinds of wrigglers, and wouldn't have a way of confiming whether they're really hatching, except if you getting bitten, and by then it's too late. But, some may want to experiment with this. The dunkers would be far cheaper for that purpose, and you'd...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Springstar MOS12 Mosquito Trap

Product Description:
This unique mosquito trap catches only the ones that bite.Particularly effective on the Culex mosquito, the one that spreads west nile virus.The trap works by luring female mosquitoes inside using a pheromone- once inside they cannot escape.Two per average yard will reduce the population significantly.Trap can be rinsed out and reused many times during the season, more bait will be required (SpringStar mosquito refill lure, item S1519).Try it, you'll like it.

Get 12% OFF

Want to buy Springstar MOS12 Mosquito Trap at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below: