What You Need To Know To Win Mole Season
Though many people never see a mole up close, we're all familiar with the damage they cause. Torn up lawns, dead grass, and sprawling dirt ridges are a common sight throughout the U.S. These problems become even worse in early spring as young moles head out on their own.
To protect clients' lawns and gardens from these pests, pest management professionals (PMPs) need to know their targets and how to control them.
Know Your Target: The Mole
There are seven mole species in North America, with three being the most common: eastern moles, star-nose moles, and hairy-tailed moles. The range of these three extends from the east coast throughout the South and Midwest. The four remaining species – broad-footed moles, Townsend's moles, coast moles, and shrew moles – are isolated to the west coast.
Despite their differences, they all have one thing in common: a voracious appetite.
This appetite is what causes problems for property owners. In their round-the-clock search for food, moles tunnel 15 feet an hour, totaling to around 100 feet of tunnels a day. Contrary to what some may believe, moles barely eat any plant matter. Lawns and gardens are simply collateral damage as they search for grubs, insects, and their primary source of food, earthworms.
Moles are normally solitary and territorial creatures, with their paths rarely crossing. When they do, violence is soon to follow. However, there is one exception: breeding season. In the winter months of January and February, male moles (boars) will visit females (sows) in their burrows to breed. Boars leave immediately after and do not help raise the young. After a 40-day pregnancy, a sow will give birth to a litter of 2-7.
Pups are completely blind and furless for the first two weeks. Once they're six weeks old, they're ready to leave the nest. The young moles head out overland – one of the few times in their life they travel above ground – to find their own territory. They won't be ready to breed until the following winter.
This population boom is why March and April are commonly known as "mole season" in the pest control industry.
Identifying Active Mole Runways
The first step to getting rid of moles is knowing where to look. Moles do an excellent job of making their presence known, but all mole tunnels are not made equal.
The first type of mole tunnel is a foraging runway. These tunnels are easily identified by their haphazard, meandering nature. Moles don't use these runways as often, so they don't make good targets for trapping and baiting.
The type of tunnel PMPs should focus on are active runways. These are usually straight, often following structures like curbs, gutters, and fences. Moles return to these tunnels day after day. To check if a tunnel is active, step down on it or stick a long dowel into it. If the damage is repaired the next day, the runway is active.
Once a PMP identifies an active runway, they have their choice between baiting and trapping.
In both cases, Bell has you covered.
The Tools You Need For Mole Control
Bell Laboratories' TALPIRID® Mole Bait is the first and only mole bait registered with the US EPA using proven laboratory results on wild moles. Made with the acute active ingredient bromethalin, this bait mimics the mole's natural food source: the earthworm. Moles can consume a lethal dose in a single feeding and die in as little in two days – usually in their tunnels.
To use TALPIRID Mole Bait, identify an active runway. Use a dowel to make a hole in it, then put a bait worm inside, pushing it all the way in with the dowel. Be sure to wear gloves to ensure your skin is protected from the active ingredient and the bait is protected from human scents. After placing the bait, carefully reseal the hole with a small amount of dirt to keep light out of the runway.
Five to seven days after application, check for activity. If the treated runways are still active, repeat the process.
If trapping is preferred, use the TALPIRID® Mole Trap. This heavy-duty trap is made from glass-filled nylon, which means it will never rust and works in all soil types.
To use the trap, identify an active runway, then place the trap so its jaw will open around the tunnel. Step down on the yellow foot pedal, and the trap will open. When a mole returns through the tunnel, it will push up the soil and trigger the trap. The trap's dual springs and curved jaws will capture the mole, and the yellow foot pedal will pop up, notifying you of the capture.
Winning Mole Season With TALPIRID Products
During mole season, beautifully manicured lawns can become an ugly patchwork of mole tunnels and mounds overnight. Thankfully, trusted and tested tools like TALPIRID Mole Bait and TALPIRID Mole Traps exist to help PMPs stop clients' mole problems at their source.
To learn more about TALPIRID products, contact your Bell technical representative or visit belllabs.com.
