Moles are pretty interesting little creatures, but when they are in your yard, the damage they do can far outweigh any curiosity about these blind, velvety excavators. But you don’t have to let them take over without fighting back. There are simple steps Triad-area homeowners can take to keep moles at bay. 

First, a bit about moles

Moles are often assumed to be rodents, because they have a similar size and lifestyle — and even name — to the vole, but they are not. Moles are actually insectivores, another type of small mammals which includes shrews as well. 

In terms of appearance, a mole has very soft fur and is about six inches long. They have big, flipper-like front feet for digging and, with skin over their eyes, are virtually blind. Moles live underground nearly full time and generally without any companions. 

The activity that takes up most of their time, and which drives homeowners crazy, is tunneling. This is both how they create homes for themselves and how they locate food. Moles are able to hear a grub or worm falling into a distant part of their tunnel and quickly scurry to capture it. The problem is, they often push dirt up to the surface and sometimes even create visible tunnels — though they mostly tunnel deeper underground. 

How to keep moles out of your yard

So, how exactly do you keep these tunneling loners from digging up your yard? Not easily. According to N.C. State University’s wildlife and agricultural experts at the Cooperative Extension, “There are no short cuts or magic wands when controlling moles.”

Methods they recommend are exclusion, meaning creating an environment that will not be attractive to moles; packing soil; chemical treatments and trapping. It can also be a good strategy to eliminate the food supply moles rely on — like grubs and other insects — by using insecticides. 

The most effective method of keeping moles from your property is likely trapping, though. There are many models of mole traps available, and if done right, these can work very well. Because they are loners, you will not have to trap as many as you might think. But the few moles present may also be hard to locate. 

If you need help, call Critter Control of the Triad

As mentioned above, there are many methods people rely on to eliminate or exclude moles from their properties. But this is not always as quick and easy as you’d think. Packing the ground, spreading some insecticide and putting a trap in one of their tunnels will not guarantee that your mole problems will be solved.

Many people still experience mole problems after a lot of effort. This is where a good critter expert, like Critter Control of the Triad, can come in handy. Those living around Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, Burlington and in the surrounding areas of Guilford, Forsyth and Alamance counties, can give us a call today at (336) 370-0445 for back up.