Controlling Moles

[tiedeman]

A lot of homeowners always ask me this question. I recently shared this advice with a local newspaper Q & A section:

Question: How can I control moles in my lawn?

Answer: There is a big misconception that if you take care of grubs, you will take care of the moles. Unfortunately this is not true because the moles main diet is earthworms. Taking care of the grubs and other insects are only a very small source of their diet. Many home remedies are thought to
be a cure to driving moles away such as moth balls, chewing gun, or broken glass, but they too are not effective. Some control methods that offer a limited effectiveness are poison baits and vibrating devices. But there are really only three main ways to control moles; trapping, direct killing, or
using a oil based repellant that is sprayed onto the lawn. Most importantly, patience is needed to see results.

[Billz]

which way would you recommend? My fert guy uses a repellant sprayed into the lawn, and has alot of success...he also uses the baits placed into the runs that look like worms, and has sucess there too...do you have to be licensed to do these things?

[tiedeman]

I personally would recommend to use a spray repellant. After you spray the repellant usually you have to water it in, because it is oil based.

This is the sticky situation in regards to my license, with controlling moles. If you are applying a product to for example kill grubs, which are only a fraction of the moles diet, then my license covers it. But if I were to trap the moles, then I need a seperate license. Moles, rats, & chipmunks are kind of a fine line in regards to what is covered by the Department of Agriculture, and what is covered by the Department of Natural Resources

[Billz]

Do you need to be licensed to apply the oil based repellants?

[tiedeman]

As I understand it, yes you need to be licensed