Moles !!!

If you live in Western Washington you’re likely familiar with mole hills. Moles seem to thrive in our area infesting lawns in nearly every neighborhood. They like to burrow under the best lawns and leave the unkempt ones alone. Green lawns mean there’s a healthy environment for worm growth – and moles love juicy worms. Where there’s a surface mound there’s an amazing labyrinth of tunnels as deep as 6 feet below featuring rooms for birthing, sleeping and food storage. Moles are amazingly adapted to their environment.

Getting rid of moles isn’t the easiest thing. There are numerous techniques including trapping and poisoning. I’ve attached a summary of methods. If you are frustrated trying these yourself feel free to give me a call for a referral to a specialist.

Mole Extermination

• The water method. Logic dictates that one should be able to drown moles by flooding their tunnels with a garden hose. This technique is rarely successful. Moles deal with water all the time and build escape pods in which to hide until the flood subsides. Then they go about the business of tunnel-construction for the sole purpose of raising more youngsters and getting at those juicy worms and grubs.
• The dog method. If you are lucky to have a dog that likes to hunt they will sit still waiting for a mole to emerge from a newly formed mound. They will pounce and dig like crazy and sometimes be successful at capturing the mole. They will have successfully doubled the damage to the lawn and perhaps delivered a lovely rodent to their master.
• Poisons and bait. These methods work quite well once you master the techniques of properly placing them. Baits need to be placed within the tunnel which requires skillful digging to locate the small earthen bores. Caution should be used not to allow other animals or pets to access the poison. One needs to study the patterns of mounding and tunneling to avoid wasting bait and poison. Studying the moles will allow one to identify the active areas. Most baits are applied to the tunnels between mounds.
• Electronic chasers. A variety of electronic devices are available that promise to “annoy” moles into retreat by using low and high frequency pulses outside the range of the human ear. While these devices may chase them away for a time (likely into your neighbor’s yard), their tunnels (infrastructure) remain and as soon as the device is removed the moles move back in.
• Repellants and Insecticides. If you have a small yard, you may consider applying repellants in the form of liquids or pellets. These products claim to make the worms and grubs taste bad and the moles move on. A home remedy includes the use of castor oil. These products need to be re-applied frequently especially during rainy periods or on lawns that are irrigated.
• Traps. A variety of traps have been invented to physically kill moles. Generally, these traps need to be installed below ground and depend on a trigger activated when moles move through their tunnels. Live traps are not practical. Setting traps involves a significant commitment to studying mole tunneling habits and plenty of trial and error as one develops the proper skills. Note: Washington State passed a trapping law that inadvertently made trapping moles illegal. This has since been tested and trapping has resumed relying on the fact that moles are considered rodents.
• Web Apps. We can only wish!