| Moles are a long-standing nuisance to the garden,
known for unsightly tunneling and uprooting favorite
plants. Moles are classified as insectivores, and
rarely consume plant material. Mole activity actually
aids the gardener by consuming white grubs and
other insects as well as aerating the soil. The garden
mole is often unjustly persecuted for the crimes of
voles, white-footed mice, and the common house
mouse, which adopt the mole tunnels as their
gateway to feast on seeds, bulbs, and roots.
However, if the unsightly tunnels and uprooting of
plants cannot be tolerated, there are several control
methods that can be adopted.
Integrated Pest Management Strategies
1. Grow castor beans around the garden. There are
several theories why this works: One theory is
because of castor beans’ fast growth rate, it
reduces soil moisture content, thus reducing the
amount of insects in the soil along with their
predator, the garden mole. It has also been
suggested that castor beans or oil deter moles
because they are poisonous.
2. Flush the moles out with water. Open the
molehill, poke a garden hose into the hole, and
turn the water on for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch for
the animal to emerge and then dispose of
it manually.
3. Buried fencing of small mesh or tightly woven
hardware cloth, ideal for small areas, controls
moles, mice, and rats. The fence should be
slightly above the soil surface and extend 18–24
inches below ground. The underground portion
should be bent outward (away from the protected
area) in an L shape.
4. Live and lethal trapping is the most successful
and practical method for controlling moles. Some
models of lethal traps that are available and
effective include: Out O’ Sight trap, Victor trap,
and Nash trap. If the trap fails to catch the mole
after two days, the mole has probably changed
habits, or the runway was disturbed too much
while setting the trap, and the mole detected it. In
either case, the trap must be re-set.
5. Use chemical pesticides. Gopha-rid, Dexol
Gopher Gasser, and Scoot Mole Evacuator are
just a few of the products available. |
