Making Mountains Out of Molehills – Getting Rid of Moles

Ah, spring is approaching. Green grasses, beautiful flowers, warmer weather and cool breezes. Wait? What’s that mound in your yard? Why is your beautiful spring lawn disturbed by hills of dirt and soiled paths?

Looks like you have a mole problem, my friend.

Molehills

Signs of a Mole Problem
The most obvious sign that you have a mole problem are perfect little hills showing up in your yard that look somewhat like small volcanoes. While this could be the work of your 7 year old budding archeologist, it’s highly unlikely. The hills can, quite literally, show up overnight. You might also see raised ridges between the hills, which are the feeding tunnels directly under the surface of the ground connecting this network of access points.

Some might believe that damage to plants and vegetation is a sign of moles, but that’s generally not the case. Other types of rodents cause this damage. However, those rodents often use mole tunnels to gain access to your plants. Which brings me to my next point…

Moles have perfect limbs for digging

What Moles Eat
Contrary to popular belief that moles are after your garden vegetables, moles are carnivores. They eat insects that live underground – mostly earthworms and grub worms. Many websites state that the best way to get rid of a mole problem is to stop offering a smorgasbord of their favorite dishes. This can be an effective approach at reducing the mole infestation, but won’t take care of all of them. After all, while it’s a good idea to get rid of grub worms, you’ll never get rid of the earthworms in your soil effectively, so some provisions will be left behind.

Pest Control Options
One method, as mentioned, is to treat the grub worm infestation in your yard. You can find more details on how by reading a previous post on Treatment for Grub Worms. Grubs are Japanese Beetle larvae, so getting rid of them runs a two-fold benefit. As you’ll discover, however, this is something you’ll have to do each year, as beetles will continue to lay their eggs and re-infest your lawn.

Another treatment option is to flood the moles out. There is debate as to whether this is an effective method or not. Basically, you need to locate a straight feeding tunnel, insert a hose and open the flood gates. You’ll need to keep the water coming in until it starts pouring out of molehills, and be prepared to see moles flee the premises. You should probably have some help along and make an attempt to catch them though, because as soon as the water settles, they’ll likely be back.

Humane Mole Trap

Setting Traps
You can also set traps for the moles. There are humane trap options, should you choose to use them. The cheapest option is to locate a mole feeding tunnel and, doing as little damage as possible, dig out a section. Then dig below the tunnel and place a coffee can in the hole. Cover the exposed area with a board to keep it dark. As a mole works to repair the tunnel, it will unexpectedly fall into the can and will not be able to get back out. Then you can simply cover the can and take the mole to a new location – preferably the woods so no one else has to deal with it.

If you’d rather not deal with a mole face-to-face (at least not a live one, anyway), then there are several traps on the market that will take care of that phobia. Your options include mole-kabobs, decapitation or suffocation, to put it frankly. MolePro.com offers a comparison of several traps on the market, including those produced by Victor and Nash. I’ll save the gory details for you to examine yourself.

Mole Control

Star-nosed Mole - Canada & Northeastern U.S.

If you’re not so worried about your yard, but would prefer those pesky moles didn’t tear up your vegetable and flower gardens, then building a barrier is a good idea. You can use concrete blocks, gravel or anything of the sort that a mole can’t or won’t attempt to dig through. Just be sure that it goes at least two feet deep around the perimeter of your garden beds.

Another great way to keep moles under control is to have dogs. Even with indoor dogs that only go outside a few times a day, we don’t often have mole problems at my house. What few moles I’ve seen have not been due to molehills, but little presents my dogs have left on the porch as a badge of honor from the kill. Of course, the dog will probably need to be larger than the mole to be an effective deterrent. Chihuahuas and Teacup Poodles are probably not the vicious mole killers you need.

One final note about moles: stomping on and crushing the molehills won’t do anything to get rid of them. They’re brilliant dirt architects, and will quickly either rebuild the tunnels you destroy or create new ones for their escapades. Pesticides don’t usually work either, because moles only eat bugs and, therefore, have no desire to partake in poisoned pellets.

Now, get back to enjoying that beautiful spring day. The moles will wait until tomorrow to face your vengeance.