grubs-ants and moles concerning the 1st precept

[chataranga]

Greetings all,
I've a problem with moles in the yard the last few years. Apparently they like to eat grubs and the lawn must be loaded with grubs because it feels like walking on a sponge from so many mole tunnels-really not much of an exageration in some spots. what would a buddhist do? Also what would a buddhist in florida do regarding the huge problem with fire ants. I've seen a post similar to this but it was about gardens and aphids-this is simply my ego and wanting to be able to walk in the back yard without feeling like I'm on 3 inches of soft foam.
Thank you and blessings to all.

[polarbuddha101]

Let them be and consider yourself lucky, now you have more furry friends to hang out with on the lawn and spread metta to! As for ants, try not to get bit and if you do, you'll survive, so let them survive too.

[Cittasanto]

You could try to make the place less habitable for the neigbours?
I don't know how but there is plenty of info you could research.

[marc108]

http://www.amazon.com/Mole-Gopher-Repel ... 85-1519019

Repels moles, gophers, voles and other burrowing animals from lawns, gardens and planted areas. Castor oil, the active ingredient, repels moles and gophers with its taste, smell and feel.Environmentally friendly, biodegradable, not harmful to birds, pets or plants. Effective for up to 60 days.

[chataranga]

Thank you all for your thoughtful input. Blessings to you and yours.

[gendun]

The gardener in a college I worked in used to push children's toy 'windmills 'on sticks into the soil.
He said that the vibration running down the sticks as the plastic blades turned was a source of aversion to the moles which would move away..

[SarathW]

Can you consider them as pets not as pests?
When I was young I used to play with them.
You catch one of them and put in your palm then turn your finger around the mole and it will dance!

[chataranga]

I'm more apt to buy some little windmills, drive them away and consider them someone else's pets. It has become difficult to walk in the yard especially while mowing or trying to find a place to put a table and chairs that is firm. Thank you for sharing a chilhood memory though Blessings and stay safe.

[corrine]

I bought an item on Amazon called a 'mole (and gopher) mover'. It worked. I had so many holes in my yard that I turned my ankle a couple of times. It does not hurt them. They just do not like the sound it makes and they go somewhere else. I also bought an 'insect relocation' device on Amazon. One that does not hurt the bugs. It gentle scoops them up and I take them out to live where they will be safe but not in my house. In my house, my kitties would eat them. I know the device is okay because I watch them run away after they are freed.

corrine

[chataranga]

Thank you Corrine for the input.I'll check out amazon and see about giving the mover a try. Blessings and stay safe.

[Kamran]

With regards to killing insects, I noticed this sutta where the Buddha does not mind lighting oil lamps at night even thought it resulted in killing many moths.

One time the Buddha was staying near Savatthi, in Jeta's grove, at the garden of Anathapindika. At that time he was seated under the open sky, on a night of blinding darkness, while oil lamps were burning. And also at that time a great number of winged insects were flying around and falling into those oil lamps, thus meeting with misfortune, meeting with ruin, meeting with both misfortune and ruin. The Buddha saw those great number of winged insects flying around and falling into those oil lamps... And then the Buddha, understanding the meaning of this, gave utterance — at that moment — to this profound utterance:

Rushing up but then too far, they miss the point;
Only causing ever newer bonds to grow.
So obsessed are some by what is seen and heard,
They fly just like these moths — straight into the flames.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .olen.html

[candace]

Yes, I have the same problem: dead grass, no one has never seen so many moles, and ants. Grass will not germinate and the ants are blamed. Last summer I watched a documentary on a similar problem in China where a small rodent was blamed for killing grazing grass used by sheep in a large area. What they realized was that the very warm winter had allowed more generations of animals to survive and live there, throwing the populations out of balance. When I saw what was happening on my lawn which has been 100% natural for the thirty years I have lived here, I thought of this film and how the animal populations will change in response to changing conditions.

This portion of my lawn is a wasteland! It is spongy and dead. I must find the right solution for me. My thinking has almost always been to coexist with all animals, to kill less and less as my connection with all living things increases. However, I do kill dangerous hornets that are too close, for example. I must either chose to have my lawn restored in that portion that is dead, by applying something toxic in a limited area,or basically renounce the lawn project, because nature will take several years to heal in this case. We may not be able to quickly respond to a natural imbalance by natural means--we may not have this power.

Up to us, I guess.

[binocular]

This portion of my lawn is a wasteland! It is spongy and dead. I must find the right solution for me. My thinking has almost always been to coexist with all animals, to kill less and less as my connection with all living things increases. However, I do kill dangerous hornets that are too close, for example. I must either chose to have my lawn restored in that portion that is dead, by applying something toxic in a limited area,or basically renounce the lawn project, because nature will take several years to heal in this case. We may not be able to quickly respond to a natural imbalance by natural means--we may not have this power.

One idea is to thoroughly dig up the patch of wasteland with a spade, and then even it out with a hoe and a rake. Preferrably, fertilize it with home-made compost.

Then plant plants that improve the soil (you'll have to ask that at your garden nursery, for your location and season) or plant marigolds / tagetes. Bugs generally don't like them.