It is truly amazing that such a small creature can be the focus of so much interest, anger and even hatred. For some lawn caretakers, moles can be their arch nemesis, seeming to challenge them for control of the yard. Part of their mystique is that moles are mysterious, live in the soil and are rarely seen on the surface. While they can certainly cause damage to a lawn, they often take the blame for damage they didn't cause. And moles are rarely given any credit for the good work they do.

About the Moles
The most common type of mole in our urban area is the eastern mole. In more wooded, wetter areas, we occasionally find Star Nosed moles. Moles are about 6 inches long, grayish-brown in color, tailless, have an extremely short, pointed snout and paddle-like front feet. There are a lot of misconceptions about what moles eat. All moles are basically insectivores. They are burrowing around in the soil looking for grubs, wireworms, beetles, ants, insect larvae, earthworms and other small invertebrates. They rarely if ever eat plants, bulbs, roots or other vegetable matter.

Moles have an extremely high metabolism and a voracious appetite that keeps them moving almost constantly in search of food. They are incredible excavators, tunneling 12 to 15 feet every hour. While digging, they can hear and smell their food. Moles have a few deep tunnels that lead to a burrow but those aren't the tunnels that bother gardeners. It is the shallower foraging tunnels that cause problems. Moles are fairly solitary creatures and you will seldom find more than one or two in a yard.

Impact on the Landscape
The tunnels moles make when looking for food are within a few inches of the surface of the soil and cause raised ridges on the lawn. If the tunnel isn't too close to the surface, you may not see the ridges but you will find the soft runs when you walk across the lawn. Most of this activity takes place in open grassy areas where the moles don't have to work around tree roots, but they can wander into a garden or flower bed. Their only serious impact in the landscape is the unevenness they cause on the surface. They don't actually harm anything else. And, as much as we may not want to acknowledge it, they help control quite a few harmful insects and help relieve soil compaction.

Methods of Control
For many gardeners, the ridges and tunnels created by moles are serious enough to warrant taking some sort of action. Other than learning to live with them, there are several ways to deal with moles. For our purposes, we will divide mole control methods into those that are (a)practical and proven and those that are (b)not safe, and are impractical or unproven. Whatever methods you decide to use, keep in mind that moles are most active and closest to the surface in spring and early summer or during wet periods. They also breed in the spring, so trying to control them early will help limit the future population too.

(A) Practical and Proven
Trapping There are several types of effective traps that have been marketed for years. Because of the nature of the mole, live traps are not very workable.

All those that work kill the mole. Traps are available at most hardware stores and directions for setting them should be followed carefully.

Repellents
Another approach is to repel moles from your landscape. Recent research done in Michigan has proved that moles are repelled by the scent of castor oil. There are now products on the market made from castor oil that can be sprayed on the lawn. When the diluted oil soaks into the soil, moles avoid those areas. Effectiveness will vary with the type of soil and timing of the application.

Minimizing Food Source
Many of the prime food sources for moles can be minimized by using beneficial nematodes. These are actually microscopic worms that target grubs and many other insect larvae in the soil without harming beneficial soil dwellers such as earthworms. To work, the soil needs to stay moist. Beneficial nematodes can be purchased at some garden centers early in the growing season or mail ordered. They are living organisms and have to be handled carefully. Once the soil is inoculated, the nematodes can reproduce quickly, controlling soil larvae all season long. They should be reapplied yearly. There is another biological control called milky spore disease, but it isn't as effective in our climate.

(B) Questionable Remedies
Repellents Actually planting castor beans or another plant they dislike called gopher or mole spurge (Euphorbia lathyris) can work, but they work in such a limited area (immediately around the plant) that they aren't very practical. Sonar/sound repellers are available and their effectiveness is questionable. They also have the same drawbacks as castor beans, only working in a very limited area. Whirlygigs are also sold for repelling moles. Unless you really are into that look, they aren't very effective either. Another home remedy that appears in old books and articles is putting used kitty litter, dog or cat hair into the runs. Since moles rarely use the same run again, this doesn't work well either.

Minimizing Food Source
One of the old-standard ways to control moles was to poison their food source. This shot-gun method may kill some of the grubs, but also kills a tremendous number of beneficial soil insects and upsets the balance of micro-organisms in the soil, causing further problems. If chemicals are used, carefully follow all directions and precautions.

Poisons
There are poison smoke bombs sold for tunneling rodents. These can work but are incredibly difficult to use. As often as not, you will find smoke seeping from a dozen spots you didn't know about in the yard. There are also poison pellets on the market, but since moles only eat live insects, this method does not work for moles, but may kill other creatures.

Mole Control Options
Recommended Products
ShotGun Mole Repellent
Compression and Hose-End Garden Sprayers
Quality Tools and Gardening Gloves
Grass Seed and Lawn Fertilizers

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