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Mole Control

When rating home features, the only thing American homeowners love more than their lawn is their kitchen, according to LoveYourLandscape.org. So you can imagine the degree of distress when discovering you need mole control.

Moles are small mammals, often confused with rodents, but they’re really more related to hedgehogs and shrews. These nuisance animals spend most of their lives burrowing underground with their clawed broad front feet eating slugs and worms. They find their way into homeowner lawns because they prefer the moist, loose conditions of lawns, gardens, and pastures. Worst of all, they are active throughout the year, so their damage is ongoing.

How to Identify a Mole Problem

Moles are rarely seen but leave indelible signs of their presence in the way of damaged lawns. Remember the adage, making a mountain out of a molehill? In the process of creating their extensive tunnels, moles pile dirt at the entrance of their tunnel. In addition to these mounds in your lawn, their tunnels rip apart the root systems of your grass, leaving dead patches.

Mole Identification

Critter Control’s experts will confirm whether your lawn problems are caused by moles and provide you with a reliable plan to get rid of moles. Your Critter Control technician will look for these telltale signs:

  • Raised mounds of dirt at tunnel entrances
  • Raised ridges crisscrossing the lawn and garden beds
  • Areas of your lawn where the soil is spongy beneath your feet
  • Discolored grass where moles have dug through roots
  • Weed growth where lawn is dying

Mole Control

Because moles are predominantly underground creatures, eliminating them is tricky and best left to professionals. Depending on placement, traps and bait can be the most effective method. This is a tedious and difficult process that Critter Control is fully experienced to accomplish. Critter Control has the right tools, skills, and knowledge to efficiently and humanely eliminate your mole problem.

Once the moles are eliminated, certain parts of your yard can benefit from exclusionary methods. Garden beds can be surrounded by wire mesh, for example, but unfortunately, doing this around an entire yard is impractical.

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Commonly mistaken for rodents, moles are actually classified as mammals of the order Eulipotyphla, which includes hedgehogs and shrews. Subterranean by nature, moles are solitary creatures and can be found throughout the United States. They are destructive because of their tunneling habits that mar yards, gardens, and even farms.

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Ranging in size from 5 to 8 inches, moles have either gray or brown fur. Their most notable feature is their large front feet with long claws, which allow the animal to dig with ease. Broad necks and strong shoulders also aid the mammal in excavation. Moles have long snouts, no outer ears, and light-sensitive eyes that are difficult to see at first glance, as they are covered by fur.

Moles can be found in various habitats like woodlands, grasslands, farmlands, and both urban and suburban areas. They create long, intricate tunnel systems with relative ease thanks to their efficient claws. Entrances to these tunnels are readily identifiable due to the mounds of dirt that appear above them, which are commonly called mole hills. Some species of moles are also semi-aquatic and search bodies of water for food while still living on land.

Are moles known to enter homes or yards?
The small animal is notorious for entering yards and gardens and digging tunnel systems in search of food, areas to breed, and secure locations in which to sleep. Moles prefer loose, moist soil, are active year round, and spend most of their time underground, which makes complete elimination a difficult task.

Do moles harm people or property?
Primarily carnivores that feast on earthworms, grubs, and other dangerous insect invaders, moles are generally beneficial, though their tunneling activities may become problematic. Their tunnels cause damage to lawns, gardens, golf courses, and pastures. Though more an irritation than fiscally taxing, mole activity can turn grasses unsightly shades of brown and even prevent planted vegetation from becoming securely rooted into place. Moles may bite when handled by humans.

Homeowners have many options when dealing with moles, as the pests are not protected under any law. From trapping to baiting, each method of mole control is best suited to particular sets of circumstances. For example, traps and baits can be effective but depend on placement.

Given the elusive nature of moles, trapping is a difficult and tedious process better left to professionals. The wildlife specialists at Critter Control possess the proper tools, skills, and knowledge to combat mole problems efficiently and humanely.

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