ST. LOUIS – With these wonderful spring temperatures, we’ll start to see a new set of challenges from the pest perspective. As we focus more on our outdoor landscapes, we’ll notice the increased activity of moles as our soil softens.
The pesky critters breed from late December through late March until they have a litter of babies.
“So, you’ll see them now because the soil’s getting softer and they’re moving around and you’re in the breeding season. And then you’ll get to June, July-ish…depending on when the litter was born, that’s the 12 weeks. Then they start scattering,” Joshua Paske, Paske Pest and Wildlife Solutions, said. “So, now it looks like you’ve got this bigger issue, and you do. It’s because babies are moving now away from mom.”
Moles are on the move for food and the better your lawn the more plentiful that food source is.
“So, the more fertile your soil is, with lots of earthworms, the more possibility you’ll have of moles. And if you back to woods or back to a creek, those things all unfortunately feed the bigger problems,” Paske said. “…you know, nice back, private backyard turns into a haven for these guys.”
There are basically two options of control and that’s bait or traps.
“So, there’s tradeoffs to both. It just depends on the consumer and what their family is okay with. And certainly, trapping is usually cheaper than going with the mole worm route,” Paske said. “So, it just depends on the consumer and kind of what they’re after. I mean, there’s no really right or wrong answer. They’re both effective.”
While it can feel like a losing battle, Paske says you need to stay consistent if you want a nice lawn.
“It’s not one of those things that I would tell you to give up on. If you don’t treat ’em, they just keep breeding. If you think that they’re going to have a nest every year and put five in your yard, even if they leave you for a minute, they’re going to your neighbors. And then if your neighbor’s not dealing with them, you’re just going back and forth,” he said.
Not only does it damage your yard, but you could easily roll or twist your ankle on those elevated mole runs and eruptions.