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Is your yard being overrun by the unsightly ridges and mounds of dirt caused by moles? If you are wondering if anything can be done, the answer is yes. This article will show you how to get rid of moles.
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Tips for Getting Rid of Moles
- Create an unfriendly environment for moles
- Build a deep fence around your yard or garden
- Scare them away with bad smells, a pet or ultrasonic sounds
- Humanely trap them and relocate them
- Consult local wildlife laws before trapping and killing them
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Introduction
- Moles are small, furry grey or black mammals. They live underground and aren't picky about the soil they live in, as long as that soil is moist and sandy enough to dig though easily. You can find moles under golf courses, parks, fields, forests, pastures, and cemeteries.
- You can also find moles living under residential lawns, digging tunnels, killing plants and making molehills, which is why many people consider them pests. You don't have to make a mountain out of a molehill, however! There are many ways to get those pesky critters out of your yard.
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Step 1: Know Thy Enemy
- So who is that elusive creature building tunnels and little mounds of dirt in your yard? If you are lucky (or unlucky) enough to catch a glimpse of it, you may think it looks like a rat, but moles are actually classified as insectivores, which means they are more closely related to bats than rodents. Here are some other things you should know about moles:
- Moles vary from five to eight inches in length, measuring from nose to tail.Virginia Tech: Managing Wildlife Damage: Moles
- Moles have tiny, almost non-functional eyes that are sometimes covered with fur.Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides: Moles
- With short, powerful front feet and large digging claws, moles can dig at the rate of 12 to 15 feet per hour.Tom Clothier's Garden Walk and Talk: When Mole Hills Become Mountains
- Moles eat 70 to 80 percent of their weight every day. They eat earthworms, grubs, and various insects.Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides: Moles
- Moles dig two types of tunnels: Deep ones for winter use and shallow ones for warmer weather. It's the digging of the shallow tunnels that disturbs plant life.
- Molehills are mounds of soil which are brought to the surface as a result of the activity of moles as they dig deep tunnels and create nesting areas.
- Moles are beneficial creatures. They eat many pest insects and their tunneling activity aerates the soil.
Step 2: Choose Your Course of Action
- Now that you know more about the furry little creatures living under your yard, it's time to decide what to do about them.
Leave the Moles Alone
- Why not learn to co-exist with the moles on your property?
- Moles are more of a nuisance than anything else. Moles are not dangerous.
- Moles do not eat roots, flower bulbs or other vegetation.
- Moles feed on pest insects which is highly beneficial to your yard and garden.
- The digging that moles do can eventually be beneficial to the soil, even if it creates immediate inconveniences such as yellowed grass and molehills.
Try to Get Rid of the Moles
- Sometimes it's necessary to get rid of the moles.
- The ridges of their shallow tunnels and the molehills they create are unsightly and make mowing the lawn difficult.
- The moles' tunneling activity as they search for food may turn the grass brown and disturb other plants.
- The tunnels they dig can cause the ground to sink when you walk on it.
- Moles are extremely fast and strong: One or two active moles can quickly destroy a nicely landscaped yard, causing hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars worth of damage.Washington State University Extention: Principles of Vertebrate Pest Management
Step 3: Know Your Options
- If you have decided that you need to get rid of the moles, the next step is to determine the method you wish to use to eliminate them from your property.
Modify Their Habitat
- A green, lush lawn is attractive and increases the value of your home. It will also attract moles.
- Over-watering your lawn will bring earthworms and the moles who eat them closer to the surface. Try reducing the amount of water you give your lawn.
- Consider changing your lawn completely. Converting your yard to gardens or a low-water landscape will save you money, provide a habitat for birds, and discourage moles from choosing to settle there.
- Block the moles out of your yard or garden. Building a barrier might not be the best way to keep moles out of large area, but it can work for small gardens. Use fencing with a small mesh, and bury it at least two feet below the ground's surface.The Mole Man: Mole Control
Chase Them Away
- Another option to consider is attempting to scare them away from your lawn. There are many things that are said to scare away mole from your yard, from the inexpensive or free solutions to more costly gadgets like soil vibrating and ultra-sonic devices.
- There are several types of chemicals used to reduce moles, but some of them are illegal to use and others are ineffective.
- Human hair, Castor Oil, moth balls, commercial mole repellents and other smelly items will initially scare off moles, but moles adapt quickly, and they will most likely return in short order.
- Soil vibrating and ultra-sonic devices have the same initial effect as the less-expensive smelly repellents, with the same result: The moles will come back for all that yummy food that is found in the soil under your yard!
- Some dogs can smell moles and may try to dig them up, but moles are fast: They can travel about 80 feet per minute through existing tunnels. Besides this fact, the mess the dog will make trying to dig up the mole will rival that of the mole itself!
- A common recommendation when attempting to eliminate moles from your yard is to kill off their food supply. Controlling beetle grubs is something you can try, but chances are there is enough other food in your yard, such as earthworms, to keep the moles well-fed.
- Another common thing to try is using a hose to flood the moles out of their tunnels. This also does not work well, however, as most moles have an extensive network of tunnels, and the water may not reach all of them. Even if you do manage to flush out the moles, they will only return later, unless you manage to trap and relocate them.
Humanely Trap the Moles
- Widely considered by experts to be the best way of getting rid of moles, humanely trapping a mole takes time and patience.Ohio State University: Effective Mole Control
- The best time to trap is after a rainstorm, especially during spring and fall, when the moles are closer to the surface.
- If you plan to use traps, try to keep the grass short to easier spot the tunnels.
- Tunnels are easiest seen in direct sunlight a day after the grass has been mowed.
- The three most effective humane trap designs are the scissor-jaw, harpoon, and choker loop.Ohio State University: Effective Mole Control
- Follow directions closely when setting a trap.
- Be sure to set the trap in an active tunnel. To find an active tunnel, look for ridges that follow a straight line in your yard. They may connect two mounds. Step on it to collapse the tunnel, then watch to see if it is re-opened within 48 hours.Ohio State University: Effective Mole Control
- After trapping the mole, you will need to release it far away from your yard. A large meadow or field is usually a mole-friendly place.
Kill the Moles
- WARNING! It is illegal to kill moles in some states. Check with your state's Department of Wildlife offices.
- If you don't have the time or inclination to humanely trap moles, you may wish to kill them.
- You can purchase lethal traps similar to humane traps. Lethal traps are similar to humane ones with the obvious difference that they kill, rather than trap the mole.
- If you have the time and patience, it is possible to watch for active moles by observing "moving" ridges. Such ridges indicate that moles are digging a surface run. At this point, it is possible to use a shovel to dislodge and dispatch the mole.
- Poisons and chemicals are harmful to wildlife such as pets, squirrels, and birds. Such methods should not be used to kill moles.
Step 4: Be Vigilant
- Control is short-term; prevention is long-term. Moles tend to return again and again to their favorite feeding areas. You must be vigilant and prepared to start all over again once you see mole activity in your yard. At the very least, take comfort in the fact that if the moles do return, you will know exactly what to do!
Conclusion
- Moles are not harmful to humans, nor do they eat organic vegetation. They are beneficial to gardeners due to the fact that they eat harmful insects that live in the soil. This makes them an important part of the soil ecosystem.Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides: Moles
- Their feeding tunnels, however, create unsightly ridges and molehills, and the movement through the tunnels disrupts and can harm the roots of turf and plants. The best way to get rid of moles is by using traps made specifically for moles.
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