Moles should not be confused with voles. These small mammals are usually mouse size and feed on worms, grubs and insects in the soil beneath the lawn. They do not feed on the roots of the plants (voles do). The bottom line is that moles and voles both are extremely difficult to control to the point of exasperation!
You may hear that if you have mole activity you have grub problems. You probably have grubs but unless you have 10 plus grubs per square foot you don’t have a grub problem that will harm the lawn so treating for grubs in most cases is not needed or recommended. Using an insecticide to kill grubs also causes collateral damage in the form of killing earthworms, crickets and other beneficial soil flora and fauna which include bacteria and fungi such as mycorrhizae. The presence of these soil organisms is essential in maintaining a healthy, self-sustaining and dynamic soil community. Without these organisms in the soil you your trees, shrubs and turf do not grow properly and are more susceptible to disease attack. In many cases these soil organisms keep the bad bacteria and fungi in check.
The moles are either just moving from point A to point B or they are foraging for grubs and worms. This is normal activity and the activity will peak in the spring and fall but lessen the rest of the year.
Traps and poisons are of limited use and effectiveness though there is one new product that does show promise. It comes in the form of gummy earth worms which are placed into the active tunnels. The moles eat the worms which have a compound such a Bromethalin which causes severe, internal neural damage and the mole dies usually within 24 – 36 hours of ingestion. Bromethalin was developed in 1985 to combat the development of resistance to Warfarin type compounds that have been heavily used world wide for rodent control.
You have to follow directions to achieve success but the product seems to work. You can buy this product at Home Depot, Lowes, Gemplers and hardware or garden stores under various trade names such as Tomcat or Talpirid. You can also click on product recommendations and see the Amazon link for mole killer.
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