MOLES

Scientific Name: Family: Talpidae

Due to their nature, it is necessary to exterminate moles. They cannot be relocated.

Description

Moles are small mammals that have adapted to living underground. They have very small, nearly invisible ears and eyes. Their cylinder shaped bodies are covered with a fine, velvety fur. Moles have small, underdeveloped back legs and large, powerful front legs with oversize paws that are used for digging.

Moles as Pests

Moles are considered agricultural pests in some countries, while in others, such as Germany, they are a protected species. Problems caused by moles include contamination of silage with soil particles, making it unpalatable to livestock, the covering of pasture with fresh soil reducing its size and yield, damage to agricultural machinery by the exposure of stones, damage to young plants through disturbance of the soil, weed invasion of pasture through exposure of freshly tilled soil, and damage to drainage systems and watercourses. Other species such as weasels and voles may use mole tunnels to gain access to enclosed areas or plant roots.

Moles burrow and raise molehills, killing parts of lawns. They can undermine plant roots, indirectly causing damage or death. Moles do not eat plant roots, just the worms that are around them.

Moles are controlled with traps such as mole-catchers, smoke bombs, and poisons such as calcium carbide. Strychnine was also used for this purpose in the past. The most common method now is Phostoxin or Talunex tablets. They contain aluminium phosphide and are inserted in the mole tunnels, where they turn into phosphine gas. More recently, high-grade nitrogen gas has proven effective at killing moles, with the added advantage of having no polluting effect to the environment.

Diet

A moles diet consists of earthworms and other small invertabrates found in the soil as well as a variety of nuts. Mole tunnels act as “worm traps”. Moles can sense when worms fall into their tunnels and quickly run to the area to kill and eat the worm. Mole saliva contains an agent that paralyzes earthworms which the moles take back to a special storage area to keep the still living worms. Before eating the worms later, the moles pull them through their paws to squeeze out earth and dirt from the worms gut.

Getting Rid of Moles

Moles can be eliminated with several type of products and they are fairly easy to use by the homeowner. Mole Worms are poisoned bait that looks and feels like an actual earthworm, a moles favorite food. Once the Mole Worm has been consumed, death follows 24-48 hours later. The good thing about moles dying in their tunnel is that there is no messy dead mole clean up.

Mole traps are also quite useful and are placed above mole tunnels. they impale the mole as it travels in it’s tunnel. Again, the mole dies in the ground so there is no dead mole to take care of.