Mole Myths

The most frequently asked critter-type gardening question at garden centers throughout the realm is: "How can I get rid of the moles destroying my yard? And often the question is asked as if the homeowner believes we have an easy answer, a magical cure that we're hiding. But there is no easy answer, no miracle stashed under the counter.

Moles are perfectly adapted to do what they do and to most of us that's fine as long as they do it in someone else's garden. But before we can even consider a 'control' we need to know the enemy and a good place to start is by analyzing the pervasive myths surrounding them.

Myth: Moles eat grubs

Really? Let's think about this for a minute. If moles are such efficient predators of grubs then we should never see a grub problem in our turf. But that's not the case. About every other year grubs are a really big problem, causing much more damage than moles. Yes, moles do eat grubs once in while but grubs are way down on their list of preferred meals. Moles eat other insects in the soil and will eat a grub or two if they bump into them but they don't hunt them.

Myth: Pouring/spraying/broadcasting insect poison all over my lawn will make the moles will go away.

Think so? You might kill a few grubs but so what? (See above.) You won't kill earthworms, the main diet of moles and don't even think about trying to get something to annihilate the worms in your landscape. No garden center will carry a product labeled to kill worms and even if you found something you would create an environmental disaster in your yard. Might as well concrete the whole thing and be done with it.

Myth: Poison peanuts work.

No they don't. Moles are carnivores, confirmed meat eaters. Vegetable matter, like peanuts, poison or otherwise, are of no interest to them. If you've put out poison-laced peanuts before and the mole disappeared it was coincidence. But you probably killed a few mice, maybe even a neighborhood dog.

Myth: Moles eat my bulbs.

See above. Bulbs and any other plant materials, are veggies. Moles could care less about them. But mice and other garden fauna might take advantage of the mole's tunnel and happen upon your bulbs or plants for a nibble or ten. All the mole did was build the highway to the grocery for them.

Myth: My yard is riddled with moles. There must be at least ten of them!

Nope, moles are solitary creatures with few enemies other than territorial rivals. If a mole-digging dog or mole hunting cat isn't in the area what else is going to bother them in our modern landscapes? Nothing. In a typical urban or suburban garden all the damage you see is more than likely from one mole.

Myth: Moles are always in my yard, never in my neighbor's.

Maybe, if your neighbor does next to nothing in the yard. On the other hand your yard is a veritable Eden with well kept turf, a variety of plants, soil that's being constantly enriched, and water often provided on a timely basis. All that promotes abundant soil life and that attracts a hungry mole. They might be destructive from our point of view but they ain't stupid. But the mole will wander over to your neighbor eventually. (It may have come from there.)

Myth: Castor oil works.

Actually this is not really a myth. Lots of folks have excellent results with castor oil formulation, sometimes for 4 to 6 weeks. It's an easy to apply repellent, causes no harm to the turf and may push the mole off your property into castor oilless hunting grounds for good. On the other hand a lot of other folks have wasted plenty of time and money spraying this stuff all around their yards with no luck at all.

Myth: Those clacking whirling thingamabobs work.

No they don't. But if you're into annoying whirling plastic lawn art, knock yourself out. It'll amuse the mole.

Myth: Traps work. They do if you choose the right spot, adjust for your soil type and set them correctly. Trapping is a skill that takes patience & practice to learn.

Myth: Moles only work during certain times of the day.

Moles hunt when they're hungry and that can be at any time, night, day, dawn, twilight and even holidays.

Myth: Moles never come above ground.

And hummingbirds never perch and sharks never sleep, right? Sure they do. It's often easier to cross over a walk or drive or road than to tunnel under it. Remember, they ain't stupid.

Myth: Poison smoke bombs work.

Do they? Then why are there so many other 'cures' on some store shelves. The mole's underground network is extensive and they are sleek animals that can move very, very fast underground when threatened in any way. And not being able to breath is definitely a threat.

Myth: Chewing gum works.

The idea here is that the moles gobble up the gum and it somehow causes such distress to their digestive system that they die an agonizing death. Unless you use chewing gum made entirely from earthworms the moles won't be interested.

So what are we gardeners to do?

Here are the options:

Do nothing. Learn to share, firm up the runs and hills so you don't scalp the turf when you mow, encourage the grass to fill back in and relax.

Get a dog and train it to hunt moles but be prepared to resod a few times a year.

Get a cold drink, a flat bottom shovel, park yourself quietly in the yard for a while and wait until you see movement. Then stealthily creep over and whack the shovel on the spot, THUMP!, quickly popping the critter out and finishing the deed if need be. Be sure to load up on patience.

If there's a slope try flushing the mole out with a garden hose jammed into the run on the high side. If the mole is unlucky it'll emerge soaking wet and vulnerable to your attack. If you're unlucky you not only will not get your mole but the runs will sink, evolving into ruts.

Try to gas it out with a hose attacked to your tailpipe. I've actually seen this 'cure' in some garden magazines. (Please don't do this.)

The Bottom Line

The only way to know if you got your mole is to see the body. However, it continues to confound that people move to a country setting and actually are offended, sometimes personally, when they discover there are creatures out there that actually have the audacity to cross their property line!

I once had a call from someone who wanted to know if they could sue the previous owner of their newly purchased home because they weren't told about the moles. While there's probably a lawyer anxious to take a case like that, winning it, like winning over the moles, is another matter entirely.

Tom Schneider is a horticulturist and former garden center owner. He now spends his time gardening and assisting his wife, Deb, with their online machine embroidery design business, Windstar Embroidery. Visit Windstar Embroidery for embroidered gifts and quality machine embroidery designs.