Moles Are Frustrating!!

Moles Are Frustrating!

Moles can drive you crazy! If you're like most homeowners, you're probably confused by all of the so called "advice" on mole control. You’ve tried every rumor, home remedy, or control method, that well-meaning people have advised. In fact, chemicals, and home remedies, (including castor oil derivatives, and grub controls) are not only ineffective when dealing with moles, they allow the animals the time needed to establish themselves, and become real problems. The longer they have been in residence, the higher the population will be, and the more embedded they will be.

Mole Facts

Moles evolved as woodland animals in nature. They can however, quickly colonize and spread through adjacent residential properties, due to the abundant food source. Since moles need a well-established tunnel network to survive, the longer they're allowed to tunnel, the more habituated they become, and thus, more difficult to control. Trapping is the only effective method of control. It is literally a war of attrition.

Moles are insectivores (they only eat insects). They are not rodents. They also are not herbivores, (meaning they do not eat any roots, plants, or vegetative matter). The mole’s diet is restricted to ground invertebrates such as grubs, millipedes, ants, etc.. However, nearly 100% of the mole's diet, is the earthworm. Thus trying to control white grubs and lawn insects is no protection from mole activity.
Moles are territorial and normally avoid each other. The exception to this is during their breeding season. A mole can dig up to 18 ft. of new tunnels per hour. This can result in a lot of lawn damage. Also, during early spring, moles are searching for an ever dwindling food source as earthworms, and most other insects are not pro-creating during winter months. Mole tunneling at this time can be excessive as they search for this diminishing food supply. Because of these facts, the homeowner often is led to overestimate the number of moles invading their lawn, due to the massive damage.

There is no accurate way to determine the number of moles infesting a lawn until they have all been trapped and the damage ceases. Generally, the longer the problem has persisted, the higher the number of moles there will be.

Why Did The Remedies I Tried Seem To Work For Awhile?
The activity in certain lawns can simply come and go throughout the year. On large properties the activity may gypsy from one part of the lawn to another. This movement, or migrating, is controlled by climate conditions, ground moisture, and food supply. During long periods of no rain, the moles will either migrate to an area with more moisture, or merely burrow deeper. The moles are merely following the earthworms, which are themselves following the moisture. Moles do not hibernate, so when activity stops during spells of frozen ground, the moles have again followed the earthworms who have burrowed deeper into the ground to get below the frost depth.
Also, moles often may leave an area if disturbed. This can be due to the introduction of sonic devices or other noise producing devices. After a short period of time, the moles become accustomed to the noise and ignore it. Even without disturbance mole activity may last only a week or two in a particular area as they pursue their food source. There are also many poisons on the market that must be consumed by the mole to work. Many are pellets or granules. These poisons have zero chance of working as they in no way resemble or taste like any insect, which is all a mole has evolved to consume. Even the poisons resembling their food source have little chance of being successful. Poisons also have the danger of being found by children or pets.
This here-now gone-tomorrow behavior is probably the root of most of the subjective misconceptions that make home remedies, including mole poisons, appear to work. Subjective misconceptions are also the root of such remedies as lye, Drano, pickle juice, broken glass, red pepper, razor blades, bleach, moth balls, rose branches, human hair balls, vibrators, ultrasonic contraptions, bubble gum, castor bean derivatives, gasoline and explosives.

Moles Are Problems On Residential Properties Because:

1 - Restrictions on, or loss of, natural habitat: This can be due to new construction (excavation) nearby, drainage changes, or depletion of their food source. Moles are normally woodland animals. Suburban construction eradicates, or modifies hillsides, woodlands, and pasturelands, pushing moles into surrounding lawns.
2 - Artificial environments: This is created and maintained, through most current landscaping practices. Most landscaping depends on artificial means of maintaining lawns and flower beds. These soils are kept rich with chemical nutrients, as well as heavy applications of organic materials, such as mulch and top soils. Watering or irrigation is common. This type of landscaping provides a perfect environment for the moles food source (earthworms and insects).
3 - Unreliable methods of control: The mole has a low birth rate that is uncommon for a small mammal. Litter sizes are only three to four pups once a year. Natural survival rate is usually less than half in the wild, and yet we still have a problem with moles? Why?
Simply put, since there are no viable chemical solutions (including home remedies) to a mole problem, and trapping is a difficult skill to master for the homeowner, moles are able to flourish.