Serving Greater Cincinnati.
(513) 544-7285

Home | Blog

Bed Bugs
About Bed Bugs
Download Treatment Checklist
Bed Bug Products - Mattress Covers and More

Pest Control

Lawn Care

Contact Us to receive information on our services, a price quote or free inspection.

Resources - RHS Publications and Weed Identification Photos

Employment

Feedback Area for our current customers. Please tell us how we're doing.

Keep Your Lawn Looking Beautiful With Quality Mole Control

Mole control is usually a process that often takes time, patience and persistence. There are no proven, consistent methods of mole control in which one application can rid a lawn completely of moles. While baiting is sometimes used to help control moles, the only proven method of control is by trapping. RHS uses the trapping method, and checks the traps on a regular basis, while providing you with a service report at each visit.

Moles can enter the property throughout the year, even after the property has been mole-free for some time. They construct tunnels that they may or may not re-use. There are active tunnels, which moles use more often, and there are probing tunnels that moles may never enter again. The goal is to identify and trap the active tunnels by making repeat visits. This is a process that requires patience and persistence. Read more below.

The goal of mole control is to minimize and prevent lawn damage. Since there are no proven preventive mole control measures, moles must be dealt with as they arrive. There are no proven, consistent methods of mole control in which one application can rid a lawn completely of moles. Therefore, the goal is to trap as many moles as soon as possible, while dealing with new mole activity as soon as it arrives. This is the best way to minimize lawn damage.

How many moles are in my lawn? 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.

How soon will my lawn be free of moles? How long will I need mole control service? There are several factors that come into play here -- the extent of mole activity, the size of your lawn, number of moles present, environment, time of year, weather, and new mole activity -- as well as many other factors all play a role in mole eradication. Therefore, it is impossible to say how long the service will be needed.

What causes the large mounds of dirt in the lawn? 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.

Do I need mole control during the winter? Don’t moles hibernate? Moles are active all year long, and do not hibernate. When the ground is frozen, they go deep into the ground, following the food source. Even during the winter in the Cincinnati area, moles can be quite active and near the surface so long as the ground is not frozen. Winter is a good time to trap moles, to help prevent moles from mating and having babies in the spring.

What do moles eat? Will grub control help rid my lawn of moles? Earthworms are the primary food source for moles; it consists of more than 80% of their diet. They also eat grubs, but ridding the lawn of grubs does not prevent moles from entering and staying in the lawn.

Trap is set (not tripped; No mole trapped)

Trap is triggered, or “tripped;” means a mole is probably caught.

Resources:

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.