Question
I need to get rid of moles.  The snow piles insulated the lawns, and the mole holes & trails are very visible now that the snow has melted.  I want to pour ammonia in the holes but do not know if the chemical will kill the grass.  Please advise.  Thank you.

Answer
Cute, aren't they?

And boy are they persistent.

You are not the first homeowner to battle with local Moles.  And you are not the first one, RoseMary, to speculate on the effectiveness of Household Ammonia to get rid of them.

It would get rid of me.  So, Why not Moles?

I mean, what Mole in its right mind would not get a whiff of that stuff and run for the hills, right?

Unfortunately, Moles don't mind it as much as we do.  To quote BugInfo.com: "There have been many home remedies suggested for repelling moles, and these include pouring household chemicals such as bleach, lye, or ammonia into the tunnels.  People have tried flooding, hooking a garden hose to the car exhaust and pumping this into the tunnels, or even offering the moles chewing gum, under the impression that the gum will then clog the innards of the mole.  According to university experts in the field of rodent and mole control, none of these alternative measures works in any dependable fashion."

Aluminum Phosphide is slightly more effective and is said to work well on gophers and squirrels.  Not so well on Moles.  BugInfo.com (http://www.buginfo.com/articles/moles.cfm) recommends various lethal traps which, it points out, may be illegal in some states because they are, quite simply, cruel and inhumane.

There are better ways the way I see it.  My preferred method: I call it Shock And Awe.

Moles are Carnivores.  They love insects, and they especially love Earthworms.

But Urban Legend says that Moles love grubs.  And so several well-meaning friends may have told you by now that if you have Moles, you must have a grub problem.  We know that Earthworms and other insects are their main diet, and grubs are just sort of incidental.  Bottom line: don't worry that you have a definite grub problem here - if that has crossed your mind.

A Shock and Awe campaign will repel them from your real estate.

Rat traps are sometimes recommended to catch moles.  Maccabee Gopher traps are popular answers to Mole invasions.  Farm supply stores usually carry them.  If you have to dig below the ground down to the main tunnel, keep in mind that this can be 1-2 feet down.  The newest tunnel is usually the one that will catch your mole.  You can use carrot tops and other fresh greens as bait.  Check the traps daily or more. You have to be persistent.

Flooding the Mole tunnel with a garden hose, or filling it with smoke from smoke bombs or a road flare, can persuade Gophers and Moles to move out of your lawn.  Flooding is popular because it is so easy, but it is not expected to be a permanent solution, unless the poor Mole happens to drown.

Smoking them out is much more effective.

You can find special rodent smokebombs on the market that work fairly well.  Even better are long-burning road flares, which you can pick up at any auto supplies store.  Light the flare carefully and stuff it underground, into the tunnel, then shovel dirt back over opening and step
on that to seal the tunnel.  

Watch the rest of the lawn for the escape route at the other end of the tunnel; when you spot it, plug up that end of the tunnel.  Do this over several days, wherever you see a tunnel.  Diligence usually pays off.

Getting these varmints to set up house in someone else's real estate is sometimes as easy as buying a cat.  Some people swear by garter snakes, although these can be hard to come by.

There is a popular castor oil remedy that I don't like because it does hurt the moles: You mix Castor Oil and Detergent with water and spray this stuff at the entrances to all the tunnels. The Moles get this on their fur and try to lick it off; it gets into their digestion and eventually kills them.

Some people sprinkle used cat litter, dog poop, or urine (from whatever source you can find) at the tunnels.  This is a psychological deterrent with DANGER written all over it.

Human hair and flavored bubble gum are also considered Mole-unfriendly.  How effective they are depends on the Mole(s).

In my opinion, a diligent, multi-weapon assault would be effective.  It's a war of wills when you have these.  Shock And Awe, Madame, is your answer.