Mole Control

What to Do When Moles Invade Your Yard

When rating home features, the only thing Canadian homeowners love more than their lawn is their kitchen. So you can imagine the degree of distress when discovering you need mole control.

Moles are small mammals, often confused with rodents, but they’re more related to hedgehogs and shrews. These nuisance animals spend most of their lives burrowing underground with their clawed broad front feet eating slugs and worms. They find their way into homeowner lawns because they prefer the moist, loose conditions of lawns, gardens, and pastures. Worst of all, they are active throughout the year, so their damage is ongoing.

Moles vs. Gophers

Although moles and gophers can damage lawns and gardens with tunneling and foraging, their diets can identify them. Moles are insectivores. Unlike gophers, which are herbivores and feed on plants, moles are interested in eating the worms, grubs, and other insects found in the soil. So, while they might damage and uproot plants as they tunnel, they are not eating them.

Gophers vs. Groundhogs

Both gophers and groundhogs have brownish fur and large front teeth that help them dig. Groundhogs are larger and stouter. Although both are tunnel-creating rodents and herbivores, groundhogs are surface eaters that graze on grasses, clover, dandelions, and fruits and vegetables. Gophers feed on the parts of the plant that are underground, such as roots and tubers

Gopher Damage and Gopher Holes

While you may never actually see one, a gopher’s damage can be considerable. Luckily, they are loners and quite territorial, so unless you have a family on your property, there may likely be only one of them to remove.

The unsightly gopher mounds and gopher holes made are just the visible damage. The tunnels they create and the vegetation they kill are at the heart of the problem:

• Vegetation Damage: Gophers eating roots as they tunnel will cause serious vegetation damage. Your lawn will begin to have yellow runways that mimic their tunnel routes. Flowers and vegetables will turn yellow and die as their roots have been eaten.
• Tree Damage: Gophers clip the roots of trees and shrubs, making it harder for them to survive and thrive.
• Tunneling in Lawns: The ground above their tunnels will become soft and collapsible under your feet.
• Erosion & Drainage: Gopher tunnels weaken the soil structure, causing erosion, uneven ground, and water drainage issues.
• Underground Utilities and Cables: Underground cables, electric lines, and pipes can be damaged, disrupting services.
• Structural Damage: Tunnels dug beneath driveways, paths, sheds, and house foundations can cause structural weaknesses and upheaval.
• Safety Hazards: The holes pose a tripping hazard to people and pets.
• Parasites: Gophers carry parasites such as ticks, fleas, and lice.

Mole Removal

Because moles are predominantly underground creatures, eliminating them is tricky and best left to professionals. Depending on placement, traps, and bait can be the most effective method. This is a tedious and difficult process that Critter Control is fully experienced to accomplish. Critter Control has the right tools, skills, and knowledge to efficiently and humanely eliminate your mole problem.

Once the moles are eliminated, certain parts of your yard can benefit from exclusionary methods. Garden beds can be surrounded by wire mesh, for example, but unfortunately, doing this around an entire yard is impractical.