Moles are infamous for wreaking havoc on your lawn and garden. These creatures can turn a perfectly manicured lawn into a maze of mounds and tunnels that cause even the most relaxed homeowner a great deal of stress.
Due to this, you would need solutions to safely rid these common pests from your garden and lawn.
How To Identify Moles
Moles are ground-dwelling carnivores that prefer to eat insects instead of your garden plants. However, their underground tunnels can ruin your garden and lawn and make easy access to your plants for other rodents.
Spotting them in huge numbers would not be a challenge, especially if you also have many soil pests. Considered to be an insectivore, these creatures are usually blind and are continually searching for food as they tunnel their way underground beneath the earth.
Most people typically interchange moles with creatures like pocket voles and gophers. Although they have similarities like creating tunnels and being active underground, it’s worth noting that they typically differ on the food that they consume and the damage that they typically cause.
For example, gophers love roots and bulbs. On the other hand, voles favor grass, and when they see shrubs and stems nearest their holes and runways, they can’t help but gnaw on them. Unlike the herbivore gophers and voles, moles can’t resist the carnivorous insects.
It’s also worth noting that one thing’s for sure when it comes to gophers, voles, and moles: they cause damage to your beloved lawns.
The tunnels created by moles drive homeowners crazy as it causes damage to plants. It doesn’t help that they interfere with mowing with its volcanic, rounded shape mounds.
On the other hand, when you’re looking for a culprit when your plant suddenly disappears, you may blame gophers for this as they eat whole plants. They’re also known to pull things below ground.
When you see many small holes and connecting runways through the damaged grass, it’s time to check if there’s an increasing number of voles in the area. It also doesn’t help their case that they spend time above ground eating grass and nibbling on other plants.
Nash 100 Choker Loop Mole Trap Pros
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Perfect for eliminating big moles
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Safe around children and pets
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Easy to use
Nash 100 Choker Loop Mole Trap Cons
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Can’t catch small moles
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Not durable
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Lack of safety pin
Common Signs of a Mole Infestation
Sometimes, we’re just too excited to get rid of moles to ensure that we’re living a pest-free life, but unfortunately, hold your horses first. You should take a step back and assess if you have mole infestation in your area.
Because moles live underground, it’s a challenge to eliminate them, but that doesn’t mean that you should give up right away. Take the time to look for signs of their existence to ensure that you’ll employ the best extermination strategy against them.
Some of the signs that moles exist in the area include:
- Molehills and tunnels
- Plant damage
- Raised ridges crisscrossing your yard
- A specific path of dead or discolored grass
- Squishy or loose regions of your lawns
Their defense mechanisms have also evolved to a point where they know what to do when attacked. Moles utilize thick grass and ground cover to cover their trails that lead to their shadow tunnels. Aside from this, they also create openings that are 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter.
These creatures are also sneaky as it is active throughout the day, so if you’re not careful enough, they can attack anytime. On the other hand, because of this, anyone can easily spot them scurrying across the yard.
How To Safely Get Rid Of Moles
To eliminate moles effectively, be patient to identify the main mole runways and tunnels because it could lead you to their hideouts.
- To locate mole tunnels frequently, open a mound of soil and probe for the opening, usually a short tunnel leading down a few inches to the main tunnel.
- The runways and tunnels can be identified by the mounds of soil created as they are constructed.
There are a lot of ways to control the mole population in your area. These methods are:
- Baiting
- Trapping
- Gassing
- Repelling insects to remove their food source
If you prefer to get rid of moles more humanely, there are possible solutions that you can employ to reclaim your lawn and garden. You may:
- Plant marigolds, daffodils, or alliums in your yard
- Put traps in your yard and let a mole enter into the plastic tunnel via doors that close behind the mole and traps it
- Get rid of grubs
- Use a natural, homemade repellent
Many people claim the most humane and safest method is to use a bait or trap for the moles in your yard with all the options available.
Moles can decimate your garden, and get rid of them is not an easy task. Visit Pest Guide for some useful resources on how to eliminate these specific pests from your garden.
Read about these useful steps you can take to prevent pest infestations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Find Out How You Can Get Rid of Mole Problems With This TrapNash 100 Choker Loop Mole Trap
Nash Products has been making and improving their Choker Loop Mole Trap in Southwest Michigan since 1894. Generations of families and businesses have relied on this trap to control moles.
- Made of galvanized steel & cast aluminum
- Rustproof
- Lifetime warranty on parts
- Safe for children & pets
- No bait needed
Your best bet for eliminating moles is to set your Nash traps where moles look for food. Since earthworms are a primary food source for moles, the best time to trap moles is when the soil is warm and moist and worms move up toward the ground’s surface. Worms crawl into the tunnels to be in the air yet in the dark. Worm breeding takes place under these ideal conditions.
To trap the eastern variety mole, test for an active mole run 24 hours before setting the trap. Step down on each of several different runs. The damaged tunnels on active runs should show signs of repair within 24 hours.
On the other hand, trapping the West Coast mole is similar to trapping the Eastern variety, but there are some differences. West Coast moles generally burrow deeper than East Coast moles and their runs are more challenging to find.
Contact Pest Guide Now
When dealing with a severe mole infestation in your yard, professional help may be required. Our free resources, guides, and product reviews are also available for you to use when removing moles in your property. Contact Pest Guide today!
Pro Tip
“By mowing your lawn regularly, moles will have less food source and will choose a different yard with more vegetation.”
Frequently Asked Questions
You should wash out your eyes immediately with fresh running water. Ensure complete irrigation of the eye by keeping eyelids apart and away from the eye and moving the eyelids by occasionally lifting the upper and lower lids. Seek medical attention without delay; if pain persists or recurs seek medical attention.
2-undecanone offers long-lasting protection from mosquitoes and ticks but its ingredients were less effective compared with DEET, Picaridin, and OLE, offering limited protection. However, 2-Undecanone is relatively safer, but should still be used with caution, especially on children.
Yes. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), insect repellents like 2-undecanone are considered safe during pregnancy when used as recommended.
When there are many moles in your yard and there are no other pests, there’s a possibility that you have an oversupply of grubs and bugs. Take note that when you get rid of grubs and bugs doesn’t necessarily decrease the mole population because it’s just a part of their diet.
You can tell the difference between a mole and a vole without seeing them by checking the damage. Mole damage will feel squishy and unsupported and may collapse when stepped on. In contrast, voles create shallow burrows as they dig, often on the ground’s surface and in a slight depression.
The most strategic place to set a mole trap is along long stretches of tunnels that moles most frequently use. Traps are not effective on mounds. Target long, straight stretches of tunnels or places where tunnels enter or exit the yard.