I once was involved with a television program called “Ask the Professional”. It appeared on public television through Delta College. My husband Chuck, a horticulturist at Dow Gardens, was one of the moderators and I was behind the scenes answering the phone. Homeowners would call in and ask a question and the phone answerers (there were three of us) would write down the questions and a runner would take them to the studio where the professionals would answer them on live T.V. I can say without a doubt the question most asked was, ” how do I get rid of moles?” You have all probably mowed your lawn at least once this season. It’s usually that first mowing that gets us groaning about the damage done by those tiny but destructive creatures the moles. Every time I hear the word mole, I think of Austin Powers, but I digress.
Anyway, we received so many phone calls about moles, the phone answerers would just start answering people ourselves. In this article we are going to discuss the best way to get rid of the cute little beasts. The best way, according to Christopher Solomon of MSN Lawns and Landscapes, the three Reder brothers, and the mole trapping guy from the Midland Country Club is to trap them. In other words, use some sort of mechanical device that kills the moles. Moles are solitary creatures who don’t like other moles around. Usually this means that all the damage done to your lawn has been done by one or two moles. If you trap and kill one or two you have solved your problem….almost. The problem remains that if you kill one mole, another one will sniff out the empty tunnels and take them over. You will have to keep killing them until they stop moving in. You will probably have to kill several moles. The most efficient way to trap them is to put the trap in an active tunnel. You will have to squish down the tunnels and see which ones pop back up. Place your traps in those passages.
The downside to this is dealing with a dead mammal. I personally do not like to kill anything so I am glad I don’t have moles in my yard. The up-side to leaving the moles in your lawn is that their diet of worms and grubs causes their excrement to be a valuable soil additive. Great huh? If you tramp the tunnels down often enough the moles will burrow deeper and you can live in harmony with them because you won’t see the tunnels anymore. So if your a non-killer like me you can reach a compromise.
In the nursery, we have finally filled the nursery with many beautiful plants. We have quite a nice assortment of unusual specialty plants and the greenhouse is full of wonderful perennials. Stop out and see us. We have had some beautiful, warm days great for strolling through the nursery.