Get rid of voles How to exterminate voles

Review by :

5 stars!! This book has all the magic of Xanth and then some! Join 3 interesting characters on their amazing quests in the punny, exciting, and wonderful land! Travel into the realm of the gourd and encounter an amazing animated skeleton, head underground and explore the different kinds of creatures who reside there and see how they can help poor Volney who is looking to fix the Vale, find out how Cherie reacts to Chem and Xap's daughter, and much, much, more! If you are a Xanth reader, this is obviously a must-have, and if you are not then this will get you hooked! Remember to look for the other great Piers Anthony novels to suit your taste and quench your thirst for adventure- they're out there waiting for you to order, read, and enjoy them! As a more than satisfied fan of Xanth I truly suggest you do just that with this book....What are you waiting for?

Review by Naor Wallach:

Xanth stories are fairly predictable: there is always a quest that normally involves a young man setting out to make his mark on the world. There are always magical creatures of unique types involved - who somehow all manage to speak English. There are references to the past history of Xanth: whether that is the Mundanian invasions, Castle Roogna, Magician Humfrey, or the current King and Queen of Xanth. And normally there is a lot of humor in either the situations encountered in the book or in the liberal use of puns.

This book falls flat on many counts.

The plot is the usual one. A young man (16 years old) goes on a quest, is joined by magical creatures, and finds love as the party overcomes one challenge after another.

On all other counts, this book is a bore. The plot feels recycled. Oh, the idea that the demons inhabit the Vale of the Voles and that therefore the Voles are asking for help in getting rid of the demons is new. But, how different is this than the other stories that we read in the Xanth series? We have travel through the gourd - repeatedly - to counter physical distance; we have demons impersonating anyone and everyone to drive the good guys off the path of goodness; and we have the predictable putting together a group of individual misfits who grow fond of each other as they accomplish the main task.

The old haunts are all there, but they only make cameo appearances. Normally, each book spends a chapter or two on how the hero's party makes it in to see Magician Humfrey and the difficulties in solving the three puzzles needed to gain access. In this book that is given short shrift - now, it is most likely that Piers Anthony is laying the groundwork here for a follow-on story, but it is very clumsily done. Castle Roogna, King Dor and Queen Irene barely make an appearance although the problem of the Voles should be one of the issues that they should tackle, no? The Gap Chasm and its dragon are mentioned and then dispensed with. So it goes with all the other parts of Xanth that we've learned about over the years.

So, how about the humor and puns? What humor? This story is so dry it reminds me of the skeleton hero - Marrow. There is absolutely no humor here except for some sophomoric attempts in creating sexual tension between Esk (the hero) and Bria (the Brassie lady)- you see, Bria keeps finding excuses to kiss Esk and he is embarrassed by it, while the Demoness Metria keeps trying to seduce Esk and he keeps resisting. This sexual theme is repeated through the story over and over again - so much so that it was annoying rather than cute.

Puns? Oh there were a couple. The Lost Path is where all lost items end up until they are found in which case they are no longer lost and therefore leave the path is the most interesting one of them all. That's it - nothing new is there. I suppose Piers Anthony grew tired of finding ways to incorporate his reader's suggestions into the stories so he just didn't but the book is much the lesser for this decision.

As you would expect, the party of adventurers overcome much adversity and this was another weak point. All of the hurdles they overcome are so clearly moral stories that it was sickening. Jeepers, do we really need to be pounded over the head with an obstacle that has the heroes facing their deepest fears and yet still managing to overcome them? And, they are the fear of failure or of fitting in? Blech!

So, in sum, a very disappointing entry in a series that has brought great joy in the past. Since there are many more Xanth books in print, I am hoping that this was a temporary aberration and that Piers Anthony regains the magic in the future volumes. This one is definitely a loser!

Review by Meghan A. Mac-Rhyann:

For several years I've been plagued by gophers. I have dogs that would like to help me root them out and so they've had to be confined to a pen that has chicken wire to prevent the digging (the only time they dig is to go after the gophers). My yard looked like it had the measles from all the gopher mounds and mowing was a real drag. I did get smelly things, tried all the organic methods I could find from garlic to peppers to castor oil sprayed on the runs (apparently they don't like that). There was no change. I just hate to kill them! This little thing did the trick. I live in clay soil so I guess it's helpful but the mole holes have completely stopped. There is no evidence left that they like my yard. I bought two and put them one in the front and one in the back but the gophers in the side yard seem to be gone too. I'm on just under 3/4 acre. I think the change is these devices as the timing was right but as soon as it warms a little more here, I will know for sure. I'm pretty sure already as I was getting new mounds of activity and they have completely stopped, so I'm thinking these babies did the job. Yippee, no gophers! Maybe I can let the dogs back into the big yard!

Review by Steven W. Graff:

The burrowing activity has certainly been reduced, and plants are no longer disappearing or dying from gophers and moles destroying their roots, but on occasion I still see evidence of burrowing activity right up to 8" from the repeller. The Sunforce Repeller has a been a reasonable substitute for poisons or traps in an area that is contiguous with a wild life preserve.

Review by :

5 stars!! This book has all the magic of Xanth and then some! Join 3 interesting characters on their amazing quests in the punny, exciting, and wonderful land! Travel into the realm of the gourd and encounter an amazing animated skeleton, head underground and explore the different kinds of creatures who reside there and see how they can help poor Volney who is looking to fix the Vale, find out how Cherie reacts to Chem and Xap's daughter, and much, much, more! If you are a Xanth reader, this is obviously a must-have, and if you are not then this will get you hooked! Remember to look for the other great Piers Anthony novels to suit your taste and quench your thirst for adventure- they're out there waiting for you to order, read, and enjoy them! As a more than satisfied fan of Xanth I truly suggest you do just that with this book....What are you waiting for?

Review by Naor Wallach:

Xanth stories are fairly predictable: there is always a quest that normally involves a young man setting out to make his mark on the world. There are always magical creatures of unique types involved - who somehow all manage to speak English. There are references to the past history of Xanth: whether that is the Mundanian invasions, Castle Roogna, Magician Humfrey, or the current King and Queen of Xanth. And normally there is a lot of humor in either the situations encountered in the book or in the liberal use of puns.

This book falls flat on many counts.

The plot is the usual one. A young man (16 years old) goes on a quest, is joined by magical creatures, and finds love as the party overcomes one challenge after another.

On all other counts, this book is a bore. The plot feels recycled. Oh, the idea that the demons inhabit the Vale of the Voles and that therefore the Voles are asking for help in getting rid of the demons is new. But, how different is this than the other stories that we read in the Xanth series? We have travel through the gourd - repeatedly - to counter physical distance; we have demons impersonating anyone and everyone to drive the good guys off the path of goodness; and we have the predictable putting together a group of individual misfits who grow fond of each other as they accomplish the main task.

The old haunts are all there, but they only make cameo appearances. Normally, each book spends a chapter or two on how the hero's party makes it in to see Magician Humfrey and the difficulties in solving the three puzzles needed to gain access. In this book that is given short shrift - now, it is most likely that Piers Anthony is laying the groundwork here for a follow-on story, but it is very clumsily done. Castle Roogna, King Dor and Queen Irene barely make an appearance although the problem of the Voles should be one of the issues that they should tackle, no? The Gap Chasm and its dragon are mentioned and then dispensed with. So it goes with all the other parts of Xanth that we've learned about over the years.

So, how about the humor and puns? What humor? This story is so dry it reminds me of the skeleton hero - Marrow. There is absolutely no humor here except for some sophomoric attempts in creating sexual tension between Esk (the hero) and Bria (the Brassie lady)- you see, Bria keeps finding excuses to kiss Esk and he is embarrassed by it, while the Demoness Metria keeps trying to seduce Esk and he keeps resisting. This sexual theme is repeated through the story over and over again - so much so that it was annoying rather than cute.

Puns? Oh there were a couple. The Lost Path is where all lost items end up until they are found in which case they are no longer lost and therefore leave the path is the most interesting one of them all. That's it - nothing new is there. I suppose Piers Anthony grew tired of finding ways to incorporate his reader's suggestions into the stories so he just didn't but the book is much the lesser for this decision.

As you would expect, the party of adventurers overcome much adversity and this was another weak point. All of the hurdles they overcome are so clearly moral stories that it was sickening. Jeepers, do we really need to be pounded over the head with an obstacle that has the heroes facing their deepest fears and yet still managing to overcome them? And, they are the fear of failure or of fitting in? Blech!

So, in sum, a very disappointing entry in a series that has brought great joy in the past. Since there are many more Xanth books in print, I am hoping that this was a temporary aberration and that Piers Anthony regains the magic in the future volumes. This one is definitely a loser!

Review by Tony P. Trus:

Normally I don't waste my time writing reviews since others have far more time on their hands. This little miracle gadget deserves a great deal of praise.

I bought two of these items with the hope that doubling down on the traps would mean faster eradication but little did I know that my mole problem would be solved in 4 days time. On day 1, I set out both traps randomly in different areas of the yard. About 4 hours later I caught my first one and wasn't sure if it was beginners luck or if the trap was just that good. I emptied the trap out (very easy) and reset it elsewhere in the yard and went back inside. Before bed, I went outside just out of curiosity to see if I got a 2nd one but no such luck. The disappointment of two kills in such a short amount of time would not last long because when I woke up the following morning, I had caught another mole!

I reset the traps and left them in the yard but for the next 3 days I didn't catch a thing. Perhaps this was because there wasn't any new mole tunnels that emerged (I stomped down all the mole tunnels after the first two so I would know where new moles were burrowing). On day 4, I noticed two small tunnels reappear from where I had previously smashed the soil down and immediately I removed the two traps and placed them near to eachother in the new section where I knew a mole to be. 6 hours later I am about to get into my car to get my son from day care and I noticed that one of the traps popped up and was ecstatic. The mole must have literally just set the trap off because when I pulled it out of the ground, the mole was still squirming. I immediately got a shovel and put it out of its misery but needless to say the trap worked.

For those that have the money to throw at this, I suggest getting two of these so you can boobytrap the yard at different sections. It will certainly work fine with one but may take a few more days but the sweet smell of success knowing that there are no more of these critters tearing up your lawn is nothing short of SWEET.

For those that don't already know this:

1) spend on a box of disposable rubber gloves to handle the trap(s). They have great smell and you don't want the oil of your hand on any part of a mole trap or they will avoid it like the plague. If you do touch it, throw it in a big pot and boil it in mild soapy water for 3-4 minutes and the smell will be gone

2) Waiting until late spring/summer means you will have to kill more moles because they give birth around April.

3) In the summertime moles will be much further underground for most of their life. They follow where the grubs and earthworms are and when the top of the soil is dry, they know not to be digging shallowly. If you plan to kill them when its dry out, wait until theres going to be a big storm and the ground gets nice and wet. The moles will come back to the surface and it will be your time to get them

4) Moles are territorial. There may be 3-7 moles in a quarter acre lot but each one of them have their own region of the lawn. Once a mole has claimed a region, it will ignore those "sonic" or "ultrasonic" stakes that they sell at the hardware store because they were there first and will fight if needed to keep their land. Once a mole is gone, the stakes may be helpful to keep new moles looking for territory away.

5) Mole sprays actually do work well on existing mole infestations and are a more humane way of dealing with them. They work by changing the flavor of the insects in the ground via active ingredients like "castor oil" and "capsicum". These ingredients give the insects a spicy putrid flavor which encourages a mole to search for food in another lawn. If you use this spray, you likely may turn your mole problem into your neighbor's mole problem!

One final note:

For the folks that read the review of the one user who claimed that he/she caught nothing with it and then switched to the Macabee trap and has been successful, keep in mind that this logic really doesn't make much sense. The Macabee trap is nothing short of AWESOME but it is for GOPHERS and really not ideal for moles. They are also a total pain in the rear to set up and require staking to the ground via a chain so the gopher doesn't run off with the trap. The point is, if you are going after MOLES, this is the device you want!

Review by DavidG:

Four years ago I started to have a mole problem. I tried the Victor Plunger type and the Victor "out of site". I had little success with either. The plunger type was sprung quite often but only chalked up on kill. Then next year I tried the "out of site" because my children were now waking around the yard and I didn't want them messing with the traps. To be honest I gave up on the Victor "out of site" rather quickly because I found it difficult to set and check. I let them take over the next two years but I did manage one kill with a shovel.

This summer my neighbors had their lawn re sodded and the varmints immediately started tearing it up. Critter Control showed up an set up these easy-set's which I had never seen before. They caught quite a few but the neighbors decided they didn't want to pay the a kill any more.

I found these traps on Amazon and order 2. As claimed they are very easy to set. First kill was within 5 hours of arrival. I let them set a few day and but no more releases so I pulled them and stomped down all the trails in my yard. A few days later I saw some activity so I set both of them again. I looked out the window a hour later and one was sprung. I figured it was a false release but to my surprise I had another one.

I've had no false releases with these traps. Follow the instructions. If you don't get something in 24 hours move them. Set them wherever you see activity. Don't just leave them in some old run. Good Luck.

Review by :

Rarely-seen photos and personal reminiscences color much of this occasionally dry but often compelling 1993 French documentary on the life and work of landmark film director Francois Truffaut. Most of the interviewed participants are those one would expect - close colleagues and family members. However, several vital figures are conspicuously absent; despite appearances from fellow New Wave directors Eric Rohmer and Claude Chabrol, Truffaut's friend (and equally important filmmaker) Jean-Luc Godard is nowhere to be seen. Gerard Depardieu (who starred in two Truffaut films) speaks; leading ladies Fanny Ardant and Marie-France Pisier are also included. Jeanne Moreau (who starred in Truffaut's "Jules and Jim" and had a longterm relationship with the director), however, is not. Neither is equally legendary Catherine Deneuve, who was also an offscreen paramour and onscreen lead in two Truffaut films. Perhaps the most conspicuous absence is that of actor Jean-Pierre Leaud, who for five films inhabited the role of Truffaut's alter ego, Antoine Doinel, from adolescence to adulthood. The father-son bond between actor and director lasted for 25 years (until Truffaut's untimely death). With the film's apparent focus on Truffaut's paternal manner with some of his actors and the director's nonexistent relationship with his own parents, Leaud's experiences and observations would have undoubtedly provided further insight. Infrequently seen footage, including Leaud's screen-test for "The 400 Blows", and of Truffaut presenting an award to Alfred Hitchcock, nearly make up for the notable absentees.