Arguably one of the most disturbing sights you might come across in your garden is to see a perfectly manicured stretch of lawn dotted with mole hills all over the place.
Not only does it ruin the picturesque view, but it can actually signify that considerable damage is going on just beneath the grassy surface, not just affecting the structural integrity of the very ground you step on but also the root systems of some of your favorite plants as well.
In addition, moles are predisposed to staying in the same area if food is plentiful.
Thus, pest control in this situation is an absolute must if you ever plan of getting rid of the problem.
There are approximately 30 species of moles worldwide, and 5 of these represent potential pests in the United States.
Moles are small, blind mammals that have long, stream-lined bodies that spend most of their lives underground.
Their red blood cells have a special characteristic that allows them to optimize the use of the oxygen they inhale so that they can survive for long periods in the tunnels, while their broad paws have an extra digit which may be responsible for how fast and how efficiently they are able to dig.
In fact, most of a mole's time is spent digging new burrows, as much as 150 to 200 feet each day, or nimbly maneuvering inside the potentially dense network of tunnels at an astonishing speed of 80 feet per minute! A good fraction of individuals are aware that moles typically dig extensive networks of tunnels underground as their primary means of getting from one place to another.
But what they may not know is that these subterranean tunnels also double as food traps and storage larders, where the food consists primarily of earthworms that have been paralyzed as a result of a special toxin found in their saliva.
It has been said that once an earthworm falls into one of these tunnels, the mole almost instantly senses it and moves in to immobilize it.
Consequently, these tunnels may even contain hundreds of unfortunate earthworms just waiting to be consumed.
The large volume of food they consume each day is necessary to offset the considerable amount of energy they expend burrowing through the soil.
Aside from earthworms, moles also eat grubs, ants, as well as other bugs and their larvae.
Since mole infestations reek havoc in a garden setting and can make a real mess around the home, a lot of natural pest control methods have been recommended over the years.
One way is to plant certain species of plants that actively repel the moles.
These include the strong-smelling plant genus Allum, from which the pungent garlic onions, leeks, chives and shallots come from; the aesthetically pleasing daffodil, crown imperials, squills, marigolds, thorny bushes, castor bean plant, and the mole plant.
As castor oil is a typical ingredient for effective mole repellant concoctions, it just stands to reason that the actual plant would be an efficacious natural repellent, as well.
ON the other hand, the mole plant, also known as caper spurge, can actually be an attractive component of any garden as it happens to contain a strong-smelling milky-white sap that moles rush to get away from.
Be warned though, that both these plants are poisonous, and should not be included in your garden if young children play around the area.
Alternative, non-living mole repellants include burying material that may inflict physical damage on the mole in the ground, such as broken shards of glass, wire mesh and razor blades, as well as other substances that appear to repel the mole such as castor oil, lye, bleach, and cat litter.
Barriers can also be erected around prized plants or even around your lawn, but are not 100% foolproof.
Consequently, enterprising gardeners have also devised series of ingenious traps such as the harpoon-type traps and scissor-jaw traps.
These commercial traps can be quite expensive though, and would require you to research how to identify which burrows are active so you don't waste money in places where they are not needed.