How to Deal with Moles in Your Lawn

by | Sep 23, 2019 | Landscaping & Gardens

Orchard Park Tree Treating Moles in Your Lawn

You’ve put in numerous hours in making your outdoor space beautiful. Suddenly, you see it. Tunnels and mounds all over your lawn, disturbing the landscape you’ve tolled diligently to build. If this sound like your situation, you probably have moles in your lawn.  

Known to tunnel through lawns gobbling up plants and worms under the surface, moles can leave your yard looking a hot mess. Sadly, folks don’t even realize they have a mole issue until there’s already an ample amount of destruction to their grass.

 

Signs of MolesOrchard Park Tree How to Deal with Moles in Your Lawn

The most definite sign would be if you saw a mole. Moles are weird-looking creatures with tiny eyes, pointed muzzles, and bodies about the size of a yam. These distinct critters use their big flipper-like front paws to get through dirt, chomping up insects and bugs along the way.

Since moles are nighttime creatures and spend lots of time beneath the earth, most folks don’t see moles in their yard. Instead, the most recognizable and familiar sign of a mole is underground tunneling seen on the surface. While these are usually the sort of grubs that can destroy your lawn, to get to the grubs, the tunnels they dig make raised mounds and areas through your grass which loosens dirt and can easily create long-term damage in your landscape.

So, while getting rid of grubs or other bugs that harm your yard might sound like a great option, when it comes at the cost of surface damage and tunnels, it might not be the best thing to let moles be in your outdoor space.

 

Getting Rid of Moles

Before you treat your yard for moles, you might want a tree care expert to inspect your lawn to verify a mole infestation before you perform any unneeded treatments. Sometimes moles can be mistaken for voles and pocket gophers. Once you confirm moles are the reason for your lawn issues, there are a couple of ways to get rid of them.

 

Mesh Wire Fence

If you’re only remedying a tiny space such as a garden, a mesh wire fence can be placed around the border to stop moles from digging beneath it. While these won’t eliminate the moles, it can help safeguard a small space.

 

Better Soil Drainage

Since moles love moist soil, excessively damp lawns make it easy for them to tunnel around. Discourage mole activity by enhancing soil drainage for a dryer lawn.