P3 International P7901 Mole Chaser,Multicolor

I live smack in the middle of 60 acres of agricultural land. We have our house surrounded by about an acre of chain link fense to keep our dogs from roaming and for protection. And other than our dogs, there is no way to stop any critter from coming to the house. They were here long before we were. Any critter that ventures inside the fense is fair game and most of these animals seem to know it by now, except for an armadillo or two. However, the little underground critters do not seem to care and they continue to dig tunnels to the point at times during the year walking on the ground feels like walking on a mattress. And every day, I mean EVERY DAY, I go out and back fill the tunnels where the dogs have dug but never seem to catch the little buggers. And if they did, there were plenty more to replace them. Poison is not an acceptable solution, neither is the "tunnel traps" that kill them ... there is no way to keep up with this task, and the jeopardy to hurting my dogs is just not agreeable to me.So I bought 4 of these spikes and placed them around the yard inside the fense using the 50-foot radius as a guide (making allowances for where the house is situated). THEY WORK !!! Takes a bit of digging a pilot hole, then inserting the 4-D batteries (which should last 4-6 months), and setting a marker for them with a tent stake and plastic landscape ribbon, but after about an hour.....all I could hear was a buzz from these spikes. Sounds a bit like the noise you would hear from a hearing test. They all sound different, and they are timed differently, but you know when they are working.Okay, now it's a little over a month later and I have not had to backfill one speck of landscape. Go Figure! The critters just do not come within the range of the noise these spikes put out. The dogs don't mind the noise, neither do any family members....no chance for accidental poisoning or getting hurt from a trap, and the wildlife on our land is now back in balance.Our soil is sand and clay and while our weather has been dry, these units seem to be working well. I feel it is important to make sure you submerge these spike to ground level and find a way to identify their location. This way, you will not trip over them accidentally, not damage them with the lawn mower, and can find them when they stop working...the identifier will show you where they are, because once they stop working, you won't be able to hear them to find them.They are VERY EFFECTIVE....and worth the time and effort and money to make a difference in life's quality.

Often, when mechanical or electronic items such as this receive negative reviews, it's due to user error. I will tell you that after using this product for over 10 years that they work, and they work well. I've used them at three different homes in various settings. Yes, you must follow the instructions and keep them supplied with fresh batteries, but is that so difficult?These work because Gophers, Moles and Voles perceive them as a persistent threat. They will in fact, burrow straight up to unit in order to investigate a possible intruder on their turf. This does not mean it's not working. When they find they cannot intimidate this inanimate object, they will then become frustrated and annoyed by the constant and unrelenting underground buzz and vacate the area for quieter surroundings. (Think living next door to a rock band.)My only complaint with these is that they don't make them with a DC power connection. Although the elements may intrude with such a connection, it would save on batteries if they could figure out how to accomplish it.One tip: When you load the batteries into the holder, don't drop the holder into the cylinder. It can break the electronics. Lower it gently and it will survive for many years. My advice: Buy the middle of the road model (with the silver aluminum shaft). The black plastic shaft on the base model could be damaged by impact (shovel) and high end model isn't worth the money for the small increase in power. These will effectively cover a 500 sq. ft. area.

I've bought a number of these over the years since the heat and cold throughout the year tends to take their toll on them. However, it puts out a buzz every 15 seconds or so and runs on 4 D-size batteries. The buzz chases the moles away. Some people have had mixed results for this, but I found in the Florida sandy soil that a couple of these in an area of about 800 square feet seem to work pretty well.The circuitry is a little on the cheap side however, and after a year or so with rain, heat, etc. the device may fail. Some of these devices have a cylindrical aluminum tube and others have a cylindrical plastic or composite tube. The aluminum tubes seem to hold up longer.

Vendor provides no warranty on failures after a year, which I have observed on 3 of 8 units so far. Also, batteries only last about 6 months but varies considerably from one unit to the next with batteries from the same box installed on the same day. This does not bother rodents except where they nest underground. For example, voles tunneling under the snow don't seem to mind. Overall, a mixed experience. Above ground, motion-activated flash and noise generators, repellents, or the baits work better.

These were my final step "pre" doing the Bill Murray / Caddy shack approach to getting rid of my gophers. Put several in the front yard, several in the back, and waited for results ... they didn't come ... The gophers would literally burrow up next to them, chuckle at such a preposterous notion, and head off their merry way leaving tic tac trails through my gardens everywhere. Let's face it, the only way to get rid of these guys is to face that it can't be done. Castor pellets / spray works relatively well if you do it often enough / at least once a month ... I've had "Clark Pest Control" in for almost a year now and I may as well have been spending my money on "insert derogatory word here" (complete waste of money) ... All they do is use a tool you can buy at Home Depot for $25 to insert poison pellets in to the gopher burrow ... All in all ... forget buying any kind of product that uses this technology.