Moles Popping Up In UC Yards

Tunnels, mounds and holes in your yard means you have furry friends by the name of moles.

Putnam UT Extension Agent Wayne Key said about three to five moles live in an acre of land and continuously dig looking for bugs to eat.

“If you got a lot of moles, it means you got a very healthy yard with lots of healthy invertebrates and so fourth like earthworms and grubs in the lawn,” Key said. “So, that is really a good thing about the health of your soil, but it can bring in those worrisome and nuisance moles.”

Overall, controlling mole populations is difficult since the soil in the Upper Cumberland works well for shallow tunnels. If moles are ruining your yard, Key said traps such as the scissor jaw are the most successful.

“The most practical method of getting read of moles and to eliminate their damage is trapping,” Key said. “Traps are very challenging. There are several different kinds on the markets like the harpoon trap.”

Key said to set up a trap flatten a moles borrow on the surface and stick a flag in the ground. If the flag rises after a few days, that indicates an active path to establish traps.

“The only indirect method we have is to remove their food source,” Key said. “So using a chemical or insecticide on the yard for example before a rain. That helps control worms and grubs in the yard which is there food source.”

The mounds from moles digging can create an unaesthetic yard and cause damage to your lawn mower if you go over a raised area.