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Mole Control

The presence of ridges or small mounds of soil on the surface of lawns or gardens indicate moles are active in the area. Moles establish extensive tunnel systems to find food. They prefer moist soils. Moles mainly eat earthworms and white grubs; they will also eat beetles, spiders, and other insects that venture into their underground tunnels. They seldom feed on plant material. Lawn irrigation systems create a consistently moist, loose soil surface. This results in easy conditions and ample food for moles. They have main thorough fares that they utilize everyday to get around on a daily basis. Other areas that have a “squiggly” appearance are considered “feeding” areas, which are rarely revisited by the mole. Properly identifying the “active” tunnels is essential for either trapping or baiting unwanted moles.

Tips for minimizing mole damage in lawns:

Watering your lawn enough to keep it healthy, but no more, helps reduce the amount of moisture in the soil making it less attractive to moles.
Gas bombs, poison peanuts, and certain flavors of chewing gum, and grub control products are not effective.
Trapping is labor intensive but can be an effective means of control when done correctly.
Baiting can be very effective when the right bait is selected.

Trapping

Trapping is an option for controlling moles however, it can be a time consuming and laborious process. The three most common types of traps are harpoon, choker and scissors-jaw. Harpoon traps are the easiest to use. They do not require disturbing the soil when set up over the runway. The main runway can be determined by stepping down the raised soil. If the soil ridge is raised the next day, it is an active tunnel. Step down on the raised soil and set the trap over the runway. Move any trap that fails to catch a mole within two days. Inspect traps after a rain. The best time to trap is in early spring when ridges are first noticed. After the first fall rains is another good time to trap. Traps can be purchased from nurseries, hardware, and farm supply stores.

Control with Baits

Eastern Moles eat up to 100% of their body weight daily, 80% to 90% of that is consisted of earthworms. Rainbow Pest Experts use a bait product that looks and feels like an earthworm. It has as active ingredient that will kill them in about twelve hours after a single feeding. After a technician identifies the “active” tunnels, the bait is placed in the tunnels to ensure that only moles will have access to it. Often times mole activity extends to the neighbor’s yard, therefore, baits may need to be applied to those locations as well.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our mole experts!

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