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Cinema comedies have been created
depicting the lengths some people will go to in order to dispense with a mole.
Moles are not rodents, although many people think they are. In reality, they are
of the taxonomic order Insectivora, like Shrews. They have eyes buried in fur,
no ears that show, a long, naked snout and paddle-shaped forelegs that are
clearly designed for digging. They have a definite dietary preference for worms,
grubs and other underground insects. On occasion, moles will temporarily
undermine the root systems of growing plants, but their most disliked escapade
is tunneling under the manicured lawns of humans and pushing up little mounds of
soil that are visible and easily depressed by walking on them. However, while we
tend to dislike this intensely when it disrupts our fastidiously maintained
lawns, it actually results in far less damage than that caused by various
insects, fungi and the family dog intent upon burying his latest bone for
posterity.
Moles spend the bulk of their lives underground in the loose, moist soil
preferred by earthworms and grubs. Some plant damage that occurs is due to mice
and voles who utilize mole tunnels, but the mole usually gets the blame.
What's a Homeowner to Do?
Unless it is a very extreme case, not much action is usually taken. It is often
best to leave the animal alone, at least as long as it is not literally
destroying your lawn. For most homeowners with a mole problem, it can be managed
with little effort. For one thing, you can run a roller over the mole's tunnels
and flatten them down and solve any problem of those mounds of earth interfering
with your lawn mower blades. Also, remember that if you water your lawn too
often or too much, that extra water will keep the mole's favorite dinner
selections near the surface and thus encourage more mole tunnels in your lawn.
Some anti-mole homeowners sow 'natural' lawns made up from native grasses and
forbs because they minimize mole attendance in the lawn. They are also
environmentally friendly substitutes and offer lower maintenance than
conventional lawn grasses.
If moles are invading your garden areas, you can erect barriers (sold in some
garden supply and hardware stores) or bury hardware cloth in an "L" shape at
least eight inches to a foot from the edge of the plot to keep out unwanted
visitors.
Some homeowners just ignore these tiny interlopers. This is clearly the most
cost-effective solution if you can adopt that attitude. The mole is, after all,
nowhere near as distressing a pest as ants and termites can be, or as noisy as
bats in your attic or neighborhood dogs that use your lawn for a lavatory.
For more diehard mole eliminators there are more extreme solutions including
poison, traps in their tunnels, sonic mole chasers, gas cartridges ignited and
inserted into mole runs, flooding burrows with water, mothballs placed in
tunnels, a Castor oil/water combination sprayed over the lawn, or inserting
porous lava rocks soaked with onion and garlic solution into their tunnels. All
these methods of mole elimination have had various degrees of success by
homeowners.
The Vole is another burrowing creature that frequently is mistaken for a mole.
Voles, however, are rodents and they are known to burrow into garden beds. Voles
also enjoy gnawing at tree bark and eating bulbs from the flower or vegetable
garden. A cat is a good vole deterrent because they absolutely love stalking any
kind of rodent. Hawks, owls and snakes also enjoy dining on vole. If voles are
residing on your property, professional pest control companies can help with
traps and baits.
Mole or vole, these lawn and garden pests are usually little more than an
annoyance that rarely, if ever, make it into the home itself. The one exception
might be in the mouth of a cat bringing home his trophy with pride.
About the
Author:
Megan Hazel is a freelance writer who writes about issues pertaining to home
maintenance including
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