As the soil freezes, moles move from tunneling near the surface to digging deeper in the ground. This Bt comes in two forms: a spray that kills adult beetles that munch on sprayed plants and a powder that kills grubs feeding in the soil. Most often, it’s the best kept yards that have the worst mole … It can take weeks for him to leave, and the chemicals used on your lawn to eliminate grubs are expensive and form a danger to wildlife, kids, pets and ground-feeding birds. Moles eat grubs and other unwanted insects, alleviating this damage. Trying to get all this done by late September.”. How to Treat & Repair a Mole-Damaged Lawn, How to Know If You Have Grubs Eating Your Grass. Mowing the lawn may now be slightly more challenging. Stick with the core aeration — always a good idea — and stop looking for trouble! Widely available via mail order and some hipper garden centers, nematodes are also effective after the soil warms up in the spring. WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM, Garden Plot: ‘Good luck and good night’ — at least for now, Garden Plot: As Graham Nash sang — ‘mulch your tomatoes well’. Then they turn into beetles, which feed on your decorative plants. Send him your garden or pest control questions at MikeMcG@PTD.net. Moles eat insects like grubs and worms, so one simple preventative measure is to eliminate this food source. Garden Plot: Is it safe to plant summer tomatoes? This The latter hasn’t been done in at least 15 years. Unfortunately, traps are often the response that at least temporarily solves the problem. Although both have long term benefits, they are stressful to the turf, and since you don’t see thatch, there’s no need to remove what isn’t there. COVID-19 cases on the rise in Md. BTG is the newest form of “Bt”, a family of naturally-occurring soil organisms, some of which have pest-controlling powers. The mail-order firm Gardens Alive sells the latter version as “. By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator (6/22/2020)It’s been a good year for moles. The neighbor is still getting estimates and advice on how to proceed. What Do Mole Eat - Reducing Food Supply. Grubs in your lawn can make the ground feel spongy. Moles are the underground equivalent of teenage boys; they live in the dark and eat no vegetables. Additionally, the digging that moles do aerates and shifts the soil and allows better incorporation of organic matter. Therefore: Moles do not eat plant material. Moles are the underground equivalent of teenage boys; they live in the dark and eat no vegetables. They eat the same things moles do; they just work from the top down. Does Valerie in Howard County have other options? You can’t — or shouldn’t — get rid of your earthworms, but you can eliminate the grubs with milky spore, beneficial nematodes and/or “BTG” the newest strain of Bt. The underground tunnels dislodge plants, crops and grass, drying out their roots. If the benefits of moles aren't enough for you to want to leave them alone, the best method to deter a mole is by trapping it. If it wasn't for the unsightly damage that moles do to your lawn, having a mole in your yard could be considered beneficial. You drop the sponge into a watering can and then water the nematodes into your lawn where they attack and kill grubs of all species. When the mole encounters the trap, it's often a harpoon or scissor-like closure that triggers and kills him. And my next-door neighbor is also hosting them. Although moles commonly eat grubs, using expensive grub prevention additives on your lawn is not an effective way to control them. Home remedies that include using chewing gum, human hair, gasoline, broken glass or mothballs to manage these underground burrowers are ineffective. It'll discourage moles from entering and prevent them from digging their way in. The solution to getting rid of skunks is to get rid of the grubs … OK; now you never want to dethatch and core aerate in the same year. They feed on roots, which can trigger drought-resembling dead patches. All rights reserved. To prevent moles, get rid of their potential food source by spraying your garden with milky spore disease or beneficial nematodes, available online … He has been the host of the nationally syndicated Public Radio show “You Bet Your Garden” since 1998 and Garden Editor for WTOP since 1999. Their first reaction is to apply a grub insecticide when mole activity begins in spring. They actually remain active all winter long, continuing to dig and eat voraciously. “Milky Spore” is widely available in powdered form. We have them in the backyard. They eat mostly grubs, which are undesirable, because grubs eat the roots of your grass. website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others. The last time I dethatched was about 10 years ago. If you have a mole problem in your garden, it is likely that you have a large concentration of grubs, which moles eat. Beneficial nematodes are microscopic predators; millions of them are packaged into sponges that are no bigger than a pack of gum. Yes — castor oil preparations. Sold under wonderful names like “Mole-a-tov-cocktail”, concentrated castor oil smells real bad. He replies: “I do not have a lot of thatch that I can see. Another option to deter moles is to install an L-shaped fence buried 1 foot deep around the perimeter of your yard. Do we need to talk to our other adjacent neighbors? He mentions that his lawn is fescue, which makes the overseeding an excellent idea, as fescue lawns do best when they get some fresh seed in the fall — which is also the right time for a feeding. Have the neighbors’ chip in on a pallet and Howard County might become a mole-free zone! Bill in Fairfax Station writes: “Should a lawn be dethatched? Kimberly Caines is a well traveled model, writer and licensed physical fitness trainer who was first published in 1997. Traps must encircle or straddle an active tunnel or be suspended above it. Note: Getting rid of grubs greatly reduces a mole’s food supply (and helps your lawn and roses) but it’s no guarantee that the moles will then move on. Find the product with the highest concentration of active ingredient, apply it heavily now — and especially in the spring — and the moles may choose to move next door. Moles eat lots of Japanese beetle grubs, which destroy rose blossoms.” The expert continued: “Moles give you free fertilizer and aerate your soil. According to Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, getting rid of a mole's food supply may trigger him to dig even more to look for food, increasing the damage. Many people approach the problem of moles by focusing on grubs—that if the grubs are gone, then moles won’t be in the lawn. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Editor’s note: Mike McGrath is on vacation; this week’s Garden Plot was first published on Sept. 7, 2018. prisons, 3 injured in Anne Arundel County shooting, Maryland man pleads guilty in slaying, shooting two detectives, Pentagon reports $5B in improper payments to civilian workforce, Congress, employee groups ramp up pressure to block Schedule F executive order, Air Force ready to begin deploying portions of ABMS next year, State Dept gives thanks to Foreign Service’s 'exceptional' volunteer workforce. WTOP Garden Plot editor Mike McGrath tells you how. Does Sonic Pulsing Really Get Rid of Moles? Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Copyright © 2020 by WTOP. Does Valerie in Howard County have other mole control options? What Do Moles Eat? Moles can do significant damage to your yard and getting rid of them may take some trial and error on your part. Unfortunately, if grubs aren't available, moles can resort to eating beetles, centipedes, insect larvae and pupae, spiders and vegetable matter. While moles do feed on white grubs, grubs are not present at this time of year (late winter to early spring). The reason why moles do so much damage is because they have to _constantly_ be actively searching for prey. You're better off learning about the lifestyle of a mole so you can effectively get rid of him. A nice amount of rain keeps soils moist and workable—the perfect environment to enable mole movement as they “swim” through the soil. © 2019 WTOP. Their primary food source is earthworms and many grub insecticides applied now, are known to reduce beneficial earthworm populations up to 70%. Get rid of grubs. This year I want to core aerate as well as apply lime. And this is the time of year to try one or more of them, as the grubs are close to the soil surface, feeding on the roots of your lawn and in their least protected position. I always feed and overseed the lawn in the fall. Anyway, Bill should have a core aeration performed to reduce soil compaction, which can work wonders for a tired turf. Her work has appeared in the Dutch newspaper "De Overschiese Krant" and on various websites. (This is what happens when the Nats stop being fun to watch.). Additionally, the digging that moles do aerates and shifts the soil and allows better incorporation of organic matter. Moles are omnivores that prefer to feast on grubs, earthworms, and other bugs. Only works when applied in late summer. Moles eat grubs and other unwanted insects, alleviating this damage.