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Burrowing Pests - Advice Needed

Does anybody have a good (inexpensive) technique for eliminating moles?
It's getting awfully trecherous walking on my backyard - you either sink or
trip over a tunnel!  I've read the appropriate threads on rec.gardens &
rec.gardens.edible,  but still am not sure which method to use.

In SFG, Mel suggests lining a raised bed with wire n" deep.  Has anybody
tried this?  It almost sounds like it would keep burrowers out and still
allow beneficial insects to roam around. But how would this affect root
growth?  In my case, the soil line on my raised beds (enclosed by wood) will
probably settle to 8".  If I "cage" the bottom of the bed down, let's say,
6" would my toms, various peppers and legumes be adversely affected?  Would
their roots even reach the bottom of the cage?  (I just read this - are
these stupid questions, or what???)

Also, seeing how the mole tunnels are pretty much on the surface, does this
mean they don't like diving deep to do their digging/eating?  Does anybody
have literature that suggests how deep these fellas normally dig?  My
thought (earlier this morning as I was being beat to death by my tiller) was
not to "cage" the underside of the bed, but instead to drop wire mesh
straight down another 12" along the sides of the bed.  Guess I figured that
would discourage the moles from trying to enter.  As you can read, that
tiller REALLY rattled my brain!

I have learned that ridding the area of grubs would help reduce mole
presence.  So, is there a product available that can be applied to the
veggie garden which is safe to humans and plants, but deadly to grubs?
Although I'd prefer an organic solution to this problem, at this point I
wouldn't be shy about using a highly radioactive deterent either.

I'd be curious to hear any thoughts from SFGardners on this topic.

Thanks!

Harry
Pasadena, MD - where today it was absolutely beautiful!
Zone 7


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