Victor M9012 Mole and Gopher Chemical Free Sonic Spike - Outdoor Mole and Gopher Repellent

I’ve used these for years to keep moles away from my lawn, and with generally good success. Sonic spikes won’t completely repel moles or gophers from your lawn – nothing will. But they work better than anything I’ve tried, including mole traps, gas, powder, and castor oil. I use six of these spikes in my 1500-sq foot lawn. That may be overkill but I figure it’s better too many than not enough. In my lawn, they provide about an 80% reduction in mole activity.Whichever method of mole repellent you use, it’s hard to determine if the repellent is working because you need a side-by-side “control area”, without any mole repellent, to compare against. For most of us that’s not feasible. But one summer I used these in my lawn and the resulting mole activity was low. The next summer I didn’t use sonic spikes and the moles were very active and caused a lot of damage. So the following summer I used the sonic spikes again and the mole activity was again very low. That convinced me that these really do work – at least, better than anything else.I live in a wet winter climate and the main problem I’ve had with these is water penetration. I’ve had to replace the cores every year or two because water gets trapped inside the tubes and degrades the buzzer. But I recently started applying Mortite (a string-like putty/caulk) to seal the seam below the cap, and I hope that’ll keep the tubes totally dry inside year-round.The batteries in mine last 6-8 months, so I hope with the Mortite seal all I’ll have to do is swap out a new set of batteries once or twice a year.

One worked and one did not! Also I had purchased the same spikes 3 years ago, although they are slightly different than the ones I originally purchased they all made a somewhat loud beeping sound. When I went to replace the batteries in the old original spikes nothing happened they did not beep so I purchased a pack of new ones. I would like the manufacturer to send me 1 new replacement spike for the new one that did not beep. both were installed with NEW size D batteries.

Like the yellow cap, easy to locate when ready to replace batteries. Putting the stakes 10 to 15 foot closer works great in sandy soil. I made a yard map of mole stakes to easily locate the stakes when the batteries need to be replaced. Also do not over tighten the cap of the mole stakes, lightly tighten. We've successfully deterred moles on our rural property for over a year. I recommend these to anyone that wants to deterr moles without using dangerous chemicals.

Awesome non-lethal mole and gopher deterrent

Ordered and installed immediately. One of them died within a day or so. The other is still going strong. I’ve tried all methods to get rid of a gopher and this potentially helped. It’s hard to exactly know as I’ve also used poison and other methods. The sound is noticeable up close but about 20 feet away you have to listen carefully. Must have a large diameter pipe or a small trench shovel to install tightly.

We have a 1/2 acre and get moles. Have used similar spikes like these in the ground with success but needed to buy more so went with this brand.The good: the Yellow caps are a great idea. Will make it MUCH easier to find in the green grass when batteries need to be replaced. The other brand I've bought and used over the years has green caps, so can be a real challenge to find in the grass. I'm sure my neighbors are amused when I'm out walking in circles with my head down.The bad(although not too bad) this brand holds just 3 "D" batteries(other brand uses 4) so it might seem like a savings BUT having the two brands in my yard these tend to run out of power vs the 4 battery version. Easy to replace though and this brand has a handy pop up "ring" to pull the battery tube out of the holder that stays in the ground.TIP! Any of these sonic devices will work their best when the ground is tight around them when you bury them. So they will work better in clay soil vs sandy or loose soil. Also, invest in a auger for a electric drill or a cordless one that has a 40amp battery to drill your hold in the ground. MUCH easier and saves a ton of time. You can get the drill here on Amazon like I did, but just be sure you buy one long enough to get entire mole chaser tube in the ground.As far as do they work? YES...they work great for me. I've tried the solar powered versions as well but they don't seem to send out a strong enough vibration to keep moles away nor do they stay charged enough to work 24/7 like these do. Plus, if you have shade in your yard they won't charge up to full capacity anyway. Stick with battery powered ones.UPDATE: One of the 4 quit working and thought it was batteries but isn't Email to company asking for a replacement has gone unanswered so far........