| Those Blasted MOLES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Moles feed primarily on earthworms, beetle grubs, ants, and various other small animals found in the soil. A much smaller portion of their diet consists of various seed and vegetable matter, but they usually do not eat bulbs or the roots of plants.
Although they tunnel under trees and shrubs and sometimes injure roots and expose them to drying air, too few roots are affected to impact the health of trees or shrubs - even in heavy infestations. Thus, moles do not warrant control except for their aesthetic effects on turfgrass. Their home ranges are usually 1/4 to 1/2 acre in size, although male moles can have ranges of over 4 acres.
Their tunnels can be shallow or deep and straight or winding, with each type having a different purpose. The shallow tunnels which push up long ridges of turf are created during the growing season and may be either straight or winding.
The shallow straight ones are part of the mole's transportation network and travel between tunnels. Recent research indicates that these are also earthworm traps. It seems that the worms when they encounter one of these while burrowing tend to turn and crawl down the tunnel rather than proceeding to the other side. The moles regulary inspect these tunnels and eat the earthworms found crawling down them.
The shallow winding tunnels are created by the moles while feeding. Once the mole eats its fill or food becomes scare, it turns around in the tunnel and goes back to the rest of the tunnel system. These winding, dead-end, feeding tunnels are usually not revisited by the mole. (This tells us that trapping or baiting these winding tunnels is usually futile.)
Cone-shaped mounds of loose soil 4-6" high and about a foot in diameter indicate a deep tunnel. These are usually found in pairs, 6-12 feet apart. These are the vertical entrances to deeper horizontal tunnels which do not disturb the soil's surface. These deep tunnels are used for bearing and rearing young, and thus usually indicate the presence of a reproducing pair of moles. They are not commonly seen in mowed areas but tend to be in fence rows, old fields or wooded areas.
It is typically the young moles, born between late February and June, striking out on their own that venture into lawns in spring and again in fall. They are driven out of the tunnels by their mothers as they near maturity and are forced to look for a new home and feeding grounds.
Moles are primarily controlled with harpoon or choker traps set across straight tunnels that intersect with other tunnels. The tunnel is mashed down, and the trap is set on that area. As the mole tries to rebuild the tunnel, it springs the trap and is killed. There is also a pesticide Bromethalin, known as Tomcat, available for mole control. It comes in the form of a plastic worm which is dropped in a hole made in the top of a straight tunnel. The hole is then repaired, limiting exposure to non-target animals.
Stop in and see us for help with any of these items to eliminate moles.
|
