Mole Control: Understanding These Subterranean Pests and Removing Them

To a Michigander, your yard is your pride and joy. You’ve spent countless hours cutting, trimming, and manicuring to make it look lush and green. Then you wake up one morning and find mounds of dirt littering your yard. Your precious yard has been ruined by an unseen enemy: moles. Mole control is a tricky topic consisting of folklore and unreliable hand-me-down remedies. So what are these pests, why did they choose your yard, and how do you actually get rid of them?

About Moles

Moles are small subterranean mammals that feed on grubs, worms, and other burrowing insects that live in your yard. They prefer the soft loose soil of open fields and treeless yards. Using their extensive tunnel systems, they hunt and trap burrowing insects. It is a common misconception that moles are blind when, in fact, they can see. Their eyes are able to see light and movement even when they are closed. They detect their prey by sensing vibrations in the ground and by special sensors in their nose that detect movement and scent. A star-nosed mole can detect and eat its prey in 8 milliseconds, faster than the human eye can follow.

Spotting Moles

Moles go largely unnoticed until they breach the surface to push out the dirt they excavated, leaving large, unsightly mounds of dirt in your yard. It may seem like you have a mole infestation but, moles live solitary lives and one mole can do a lot of damage. Moles rarely come out of the ground which makes fighting them a challenge.

Mole Control: Home Remedies

Moles are most active in the spring and fall months because the ground is moist but not frozen. Over the years homeowners have tried almost everything to battle these underground pests but it’s hard to fight something you can’t see. Some popular home remedies include hair, mothballs, broken glass, and human urine. But these are almost always ineffective. Some homeowners prefer to attack grubs, their main food source. But spraying for grubs does not kill their other food source, worms, which are beneficial to your yard. Above and below-ground traps work some of the time but there is a lot of trial and error involved in guessing if the tunnel you trapped is still in use.

Want Something That Works? Call the Professionals

At Turf Tenders we use a specialized pellet that kills the moles in their tunnels. So stop wasting your time, effort, and money on ineffective home remedies and contact us today!