Released March 21, 2008

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- For some gardeners, moles can make a mountain out of a ... mole hill.

"These little critters - moles - are just 4-9 inches long, but their underground tunneling makes them one of the most destructive mammals that can inhabit a front yard," says Dr. Rebecca McPeake, associate professor/extension wildlife specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Their digging activities aerate the soil and they eat invertebrates - like earthworms and grubs - but their digging often damages roots and bulbs, and the volcano-like mounds of dirt they leave behind can make a lawn downright unsightly.

Gophers can also wreak havoc in lawns and gardens. They range from 3-10 inches, and their mounds are crescent-shaped rather than circular like those created by moles. They mainly eat plant material.

Raised earth and ground that sinks beneath your feet are telltale signs that one of these burrowing pests are on site. To control the problem, you must figure out which pest is present.

Moles follow their food source, McPeake says. When the ground is dry, they burrow deep to find grubs and earthworms; when the ground is warm and moist, they inhabit the subsurface tunnels that are can be easily detected by property owners.

"When we water and fertilize our lawns, we create really good habitat for earthworms and grubs - and really good habitat for moles," says McPeake.

Moles don’t always leave mounds on Arkansas property, possibly because of the texture of the soil, says McPeake.

Dying or vanishing shrubs and plants may be the fault of gophers.

"I’ve had people tell me they saw plants just disappear," says McPeake. "The gopher pulled the whole plant underground."

Dr. Stephen Vann, extension plant pathologist, knew from the mounds in his side yard recently that he had a mole in his yard.

There was a tunnel that ran from his neighbor’s yard to his air conditioning unit and then along the foundation of his house. He quickly researched how he might stop the mole from destroying his lawn so that he could quash the problem before more moles appeared.

There are several folk remedies for ridding property of moles, such as using chewing gum as bait to cause digestive blockages leading to death, but they simply don’t work, says McPeake.

Poison baits are available in stores, but are illegal to use under Arkansas Game and Fish regulations. Plus, moles don’t eat grain, which is used in many poisons.

Fumigants, too, are illegal, and even if they weren’t, they don’t typically work. Moles are accustomed to living in areas with little oxygen, and the fumes don’t stay trapped under the ground but rather escape through the coarse dirt.

Some companies market mole repellents, but the effectiveness of those is questionable.

"It’s not really clear whether repellents work. Perhaps the moles’ food source dries up or they move somewhere else for another reason," McPeake says. "They’re difficult to study because of their underground habits."

Traps are the most reliable way to deal with moles, and in mapping out a strategy for his lawn problem, Vann learned about two of the most popular types of traps available - a harpoon trap and a scissor trap.

The harpoon trap is probably the easiest to use and is available at most home and garden stores, McPeake explains. The scissor trap requires some excavation of the tunnel, and repacking of the soil over the trap’s trigger.

Vann used a harpoon trap to trap two moles.

"It does take some patience," he says, "but I got rid of them."

For more information about ridding your lawn and garden of pests, contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu, and select the Search link to search for the pest. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.

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http://www.uaex.edu/news/march2008/0321moles.htm

Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207, ljames@uaex.edu