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Cornell University : Cornell Cooperative Extension
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| Yates Association |
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Moles |
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First, the good news. Moles in your lawn and garden do NOT eat plants or bulbs. In fact, they are often blamed for the work of mice, voles, squirrels, or skunks. Moles eat only insects, primarily dining on grubs, some insects, and earthworms. They actually help to reduce the population of Japanese beetles. Moles are territorial and solitary animals, and need a large territory in which to forage for enough food to survive. (It needs to eat its own weight in insects daily.) One mole may tunnel 200 feet in a 24-hour period, making tunnels just under the soil surface. (They also maintain deep tunnels that are their more permanent thoroughfares.) So, the homeowner struggling with mole damage may have only one mole to catch or repel - but that mole can do a lot of damage in the meantime. Mole control is not an exact science and there are no easy answers, but alternatives range from persistently stamping down tunnels to traps and repellents. The family cat is often an excellent mole hunter. Other natural predators include owls, hawks, and skunks, so natural habitat nearby can help. Traps are effective if the homeowner places the trap in an actively used tunnel and does not leave human scent on it. (To determine an active tunnel, stamp down the tunnels one evening and watch which one(s) pop up again by morning.) In the past, Extension educators have suggested grub control to control moles. However, moles also eat earthworms - which are desired in a healthy soil - and the lack of grubs could cause the mole to dig even more tunnels looking farther for the food. Therefore, grub control is only recommended if indeed you have a grub problem, usually indicated if there are 8 to 12 grubs found per square foot of soil. You may wish to call Dial Extension tape #6235 on Lawn Grubs. Many other home remedies have been promoted for mole control but most do not work. (Remember that moles eat insects, and just tunnel around other impediments.) Finally, mole damage is most severe in late winter and early spring when the soil is moist. Sometimes improving lawn drainage decrease mole activity, and in any case the moles dig deeper or move on once summer comes and the lawn dries out between rains. It is an individual decision whether or not you fight the mole problem, but patience and some tolerance are helpful. Cornell
Cooperative Extension Yates Association |
