moles Archives | Northwest Exterminating

Why Are Moles Invading My Yard?

Jan 19, 2024 | Wildlife

Moles can be one of the most destructive pests for yards. Once these creatures invade, they will dig and destroy your yard! One of the best steps for mole prevention on your property is understanding what’s bringing them there in the first place.

Moles are looking for one thing in on your property – food! Moles need a plenty amount of food source to survive and tend to eat various lawn insects, including grubs, earthworms, and other bugs. If you have available food sources in your yard, they will dig through to get it and leave behind tunnels, holes, and mounds of dirt. Moles can dig up to 18 feet per hours and as they are digging will detach the roots of plants to not only allow weeds to grow but will also kill the lawn, plants, and trees too.

Some common signs that a mole has invaded your yard include,

Surface tunnels
Dying grass and plants
Increase of weeds around your property
Molehills or piles of dirt less than 6 inches tall and shaped like footballs

Mole Prevention Tips

Mole prevention starts with reducing the sources that are attracting them in the first place. Check out our do-it-yourself mole control tips:

Eliminate their food source: Eliminate moles primary food sources including earthworms, grubs, ants, mole crickets, and other lawn insects. Consider utilizing products that are labeled to treat these pests or contact your local pest control provider to help you eliminate the lawn pest.
Reduce water sources: Moles tend to prefer damp earth so it’s best to not overwater your lawn to limit moles and other lawn pests like earthworms. A good rule of thumb is to only water your lawn with 1” of water per week.
Apply repellents: Moles do not like the smell or taste of castor oil so look to utilize this around your property. It’s always best to use this repellent monthly while these creatures are active.
Consider traps and baits: During the fall and spring when mole season is most active, you can place a trap or bait where there is an active tunnel. The best way to find a active mole tunnel is by poking holes at the top of a tunnel and watching it, if it’s repaired within 1 to 2 days, there’s moles.
Call a wildlife professional: Moles can be difficult to eliminate and control so it’s best to contact your local wildlife control company for help. These wildlife technicians will be able to track the mole, utilize the best bait, monitor the tunnel to ensure moles are removed, and provide recommendations on treating the tunnels.

If you suspect a mole infestation on your property or other wildlife creatures, contact your local pest control company for a free evaluation.

Dealing with A Mole Infestation in Your Georgia Yard

Jan 19, 2024 | Wildlife

Georgia homeowners take pride in their yard and spend money and time to perfect it, which is why having a mole infestation can be so frustrating. Moles are looking to your home for a food source and will dig up your manicured lawn in the process! Understand moles and how you can prevent them from invading your Georgia property in this blog.

What Are Moles?

Moles are small animals, ranging between 4 and 11 inches in length, can weigh up to 8 ounces, and have a grey to brown body color. They have a small pair of eyes, and no external ears and are often known for their long, thin, and hairless snout. Moles don’t have the best vision but have an exceptional sense of smell. These creatures also have large front feet with webbed toes, which helps them burrow underground and search for food.

Why Are Moles Invading My Yard?

Moles invade yards for one reason – to search for food. If they’ve sensed food on your property, they will dig underground to find it. Moles’ diets consist of many lawn pests, including grubs, earthworms, mole crickets, and ants. These creatures also prefer damp earth as well. Once they’ve found a food source in your yard, they will create tunnels underground, damaging root systems of your grass.

How Can I Prevent Moles?

The best way to avoid moles is to make your yard undesirable to them. Check out our top mole prevention tips for Georgia yards:

Remove excess water: The overuse of sprinklers and irrigation systems can provide an ideal environment for moles. Loose and damp soil will make it easier for moles to create a tunnel through your yard.
Install barriers: Consider using physical barriers, like hardware cloth liners, around your flowerbeds or across the top of the bed to prevent mole digging. You can also place these barriers around the bases of the trees too to deter moles away.
Lay mulch in the fall: During the colder weather, mulch can become an insulator for plants and moles. Consider installing mulch after the first frost instead of earlier in the fall. Hopefully, moles and other lawn pests have found another environment by the time you’ve laid your mulch.
Eliminate their food source: Most mole infestations arise because of a grub problem. Look to eliminate grubs and other pests from your yard to help control the mole population and protect the overall health of your lawn.

A mole infestation can happen quickly and can be difficult to control and eliminate. The best and most effective way to remove and control moles is to contact your local wildlife control and pest control company for help. These pest professionals will set you up with an ongoing pest control service and schedule visits to identify the mole problem early and provide you with a treatment and prevention plan.

Do I Have Moles in My Yard?

Jan 19, 2024 | Wildlife

A perfectly manicured yard can be destroyed by moles in an instant! These creatures dig tunnels in search of lawn pests in your yard, including grubs, earthworms, and other bugs. Once moles invade, it can be difficult to control and remove them from your property as they can go undetected for long periods of time. One of the best ways to understand mole prevention is understanding the signs of their activity in the first place. We break down common mole signs and the preventative measures to place at your home to avoid their destruction.

Common Mole Signs

There’s no one sign that can pinpoint moles in your yard but there’s several to lookout for if you suspect you’ve got a mole infestation, including:

Molehills
Yellow or damaged grass
Tunnels and runaways
Overturned soil
Small craters
A spongy ground when you walk on it

If you’ve noticed any or all of these signs on your property, it’s likely that you have a mole in your yard.

Preventing Moles

There are several methods you can utilize to avoid mole activity. Consider the following mole control tips and tricks:

Moles feed on grubs and insects so it’s important to eliminate these lawn pests to not only help reduce mole activity but also keep a healthy lawn.
Use nontoxic mole repellent in your yard by mixing three parts castor oil, one part dish soap, and water. Castor oil will upset mole’s digestion and encourage them to find a food source somewhere else.
Owls are one of the biggest mole predators. Consider installing an owl nesting box on your property in the late winter or early spring when owls begin looking to nest. Owls will help control both the mole and small rodent population on your property.
To keep moles out of a specific area, such as a garden bed, create a trench around the perimeter. Dig this trench about three feet deep and fill it with rocks or wire mesh to extend to the bottom of it.

Since moles live underground, it can be difficult to prevent and control them. The best treatment for moles is target elimination through baiting, which is best done by a professional wildlife control company. These expert professionals will be able to track the mole, strategically place traps, utilize effective baits, treat the mole tunnels to avoid another mole infestation, and monitor the tunnels to ensure all moles have been removed. If you suspect moles in your yard, call your local wildlife control company for a free evaluation.

5 Signs of Moles in Your Yard

Jul 28, 2021 | Pest Control

Moles can destroy your perfectly manicured lawn in a matter of days. These small, burrowing insectivores can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia. While they don’t actually eat plants and roots, their burrowing causes significant damage to both lawns and flower beds. Moles can dig up to 18 feet per hour and are most active in early morning and evening.

Moles are small in size, ranging between 4 and 11 inches in length and weighing up to 8 ounces. They are most notable for their long, thin, hairless snouts, small eyes, and lack of external ears. They are usually greyish-brown in color. Moles have large, powerful front feet with webbed toes that they use for burrowing underground while their hindfeet are narrow with slender claws. Moles are nearly blind but they make up for their lack of vision with an exceptional sense of smell.

Moles come into your yard in search of one thing – food! Their diet consists primarily of earthworms and grubs but they will eat other soil-dwelling insects, as well. Moles leave behind a trail of damage when they burrow in your yard, leaving visible trails and brown patches and holes in your lawn. Their tunnels cave in easily, leaving you at risk for injury when you step on them.

Some of the most common signs of moles in your yard are:

Raised ridges that crisscross across your yard
Areas of discolored or dead grass
Raised mounds of dirt (molehills) that mark the entrance/exit of tunnels, usually less than 6″ tall and shaped like a football or volcano
Areas of loose or squishy soil on your lawn
An abundance of weeds; moles detach plant roots when they burrow, allowing weeds to take over and flourish

Because moles live underground they can be extremely difficult to prevent. The best treatment for moles is targeted elimination usually through trapping or baiting. It is also important to treat existing tunnels so new moles don’t replace the previously removed moles.

If you have a problem with moles or any other pests, contact your local pest control company who can properly assess your situation and treat it appropriately.

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What Attracts Moles to Your Yard?

Nov 25, 2020 | Wildlife

The last thing any homeowner wants is damage to their yard after all the hard work they’ve put in to get it just right. One of the most destructive pests to yards is the mole. What attracts moles to your yard? How do you get rid of them?

Moles are burrowing insectivores, feasting on a wide variety of lawn insects. They are usually about 6 to 8 inches long with gray to black velvety fur. Moles have slender, hairless snouts and small eyes and ears. They have large front feet with long claws that they use to dig through the dirt. They breed in early spring and are most active then and in the fall. Other than during mating season, moles prefer to be alone; if you have a mole problem you are usually only dealing with one.

Moles are attracted to food sources in your yard, digging through leaving behind tunnels, holes, and mounds of dirt. Moles require quite a bit of food to survive. Common signs of moles include: surface tunnels, dying grass and plants, an increase in weeds, and molehills (which are piles of dirt less than 6 inches tall and shaped like footballs or volcanoes). Moles can dig up to 18 feet per hour. As they dig they detach the roots of plants which not only allows weeds to take root but also kills the lawn, plants, and trees.

Treatment

Eliminate food sources. Primary food sources for moles include earthworms, grubs, ants, mole crickets, and other lawn insects. Use products specifically labeled to treat these pests and employ methods to minimize their presence in your yard to also help prevent moles from coming in search of them.
Don’t overwater. Moles like soft, damp earth (and so do earthworms, which they love to eat). Try not to overwater your lawn to limit both mole and earthworm activity. Most lawns only need 1″ of water per week (whether through irrigation or rain). Set sprinklers on timers and turn them off on days it rains. Try to water early in the morning so the water has time to evaporate before nightfall, helping keep the soil dry.
Apply repellents. Moles dislike the smell and taste of castor oil. Most mole repellents utilize this as the base product, making them effective at deterring them from your yard. Mole repellents should be applied monthly while moles are active.
Use traps and baits. These methods are best used in fall and spring when mole activity is at its peak. The first step is to identify an active runway the mole is using. This can be done by poking holes in the top of a tunnel and watching it; if the damage is repaired within 1 to 2 days, that is an active tunnel. Place the trap or bait in this active tunnel.
Call a professional. Moles can be difficult to eliminate without the professional expertise of a wildlife control specialist. These technicians know how to track moles, where to place traps, what baits to use, how to treat the tunnels so new moles don’t replace the eliminated ones, and how to monitor the tunnels to ensure the moles have been removed properly.

If you have a problem with moles or any other wildlife, contact your local pest control company for a comprehensive evaluation and elimination plan.