As the snow melts in Cincinnati, many home owners will see some startling changes to their lawns:  mounds and tunnels, destroying the turf.

The eastern mole — the most popular mole in this part of the country — does not hibernate.  Instead, the moles simply burrow deeper in the ground when the surface is frozen.  Once the snow melts and ground thaws, the moles surface, looking for their favorite food, the earthworm.

In mid to late January this year, the moles emerged during that period of time when the weather was more mild, just before the snow began falling again in the area.  Redwine Pest Control received calls from its current, as well as new, customers.

For some of our customers, we were able to get out to trap the moles.  For some others, the weather set in too soon, and those customers will have to wait a few days for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw.  We predict we will be out again to trap the moles no later than March 8.

A few notes concerning moles:

• The main food source for moles is earthworms.  Contrary to a popular belief, the mole’s main food source is not grubs.  Do not hire a lawn company to control grubs for the purpose of ridding the yard of moles.  Grub control certainly has its place; in many cases, it will help save a lawn, killing the grubs that feed on the grass roots.  However, the primary purpose of grub control should not be to control moles.
• Moles are insectivores, meaning they eat insects.  Therefore, they do eat grubs, as well as ants and other insects as well.
• Trapping is the proven method of mole control.  There are other options of mole control, but in my experience and research indicates that the best way of controlling moles is still trapping.
• The number of moles present in lawns can vary greatly; there is no formula for determining how many moles might inhabit a lawn. Where mole activity is found, there is usually more than one mole present; usually more moles present than most people anticipate. A female produces 2-6 young per litter in the spring.
• When moles go deeper into the ground, they can no longer push up the soil to create tunnels. Instead, the tunnels are deeper and out of site. The moles then have to “excavate” the dirt by pushing it up to the surface. Trapping the mounds is ineffective, as the moles will not go through the trap. Sometimes when placing traps on mounds, the moles knock the trap while excavating.

Check out our company web site at www.RedwinePest.com, or these resources for more information:

Effective Mole Control, Ohio State University Fact Sheet W-11-2002, http://ohioline.osu.edu/w-act/0011.html

– Controlling Nuisance Moles, Robert A. Pierce, Extension Fish and Wildlife Specialist,  School  of  Natural Resources  , http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/wildlife/g09440.htm

Moles,   Internet      Center   for Wildlife Damage Management, http://icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/Moles.asp

Wildlife Conflicts Management: Moles, ADM-10-W, Purdue Department of Entomology,www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/ext/targets/ADM/ADMPDF/ADM-10.pdf

Moles and Their Control, Missouri Environment and Garden, Vol. 11, No. 6, June 2005,http://agebb.missouri.edu/hort/meg/archives/v11n6/meg2.htm.

Managing Mole Problems in Kentucky, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture,http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/for/for42/for42.pdf.