If you've got a bad case of soil compaction, Mother Nature has a critter for you. But not all homeowners like its ankle-breaking aeration.
Moles - those chipmunk-sized mammals that can devour more than their own weight in earthworms, ants, grubs, and other insect larvae every day - may tunnel around several lawns in their quest for food.
"One run could cross three yards," says Ken Yerg, owner of ACE Wildlife Control in Toledo. "One acre could be their home range, but they will go until they find food."
Mr. Yerg says many areas have moles. "They will live in clay soil or sandy soil. I find the most moles in very healthy lawns," he says. Healthy soil includes earthworms and other staples of moles' diet. If you see piles of soft dirt in a lawn connected by sunken lines, you have stumbled upon a mole's neighborhood.
Moles can tunnel 12 to 15 feet per hour, according to Ohio State University experts. The best time to get rid of moles is in early spring before they give birth, or in late fall.
Although a number of gadgets are available to rid lawns of moles, experts say trapping works best.
"Start trapping as soon as you see the damage," Mr. Yerg says. "Don't wait. It's a lot easier to trap two moles than 20."
The straight line is usually the moles' main tunnel, and the squiggly branches are usually detours taken in search of food. "A main run beside a driveway or a walkway is a good spot for a trap," Mr. Yerg says.
"I have the best results with the NoMol trap," says Yerg. It's a body-gripping trap that is spring-loaded. Once a mole enters, the spring is tripped and the mole is euthanized. Traps can be found at home and garden centers and hardware stores, and special-order traps can be found on the Internet. "Different situations call for different traps," Mr. Yerg says.
For a list of recommended trappers, contact your local cooperative extension office. Trappers could charge per animal or have a flat fee. Mr. Yerg says he charges $239 for two weeks of service. If you want to try trapping on your own, here are some tips:
● Find the main tunnel. Usually it is the central link, with other smaller tunnels working off of it.
● Collapse the tunnels by walking over them. The mole will have the feeding tunnel back up within a day.
● Set an underground trap into the main tunnel area. Check the traps daily.
● Man's best friend could be good mole trapper. A dog can hear them in the tunnel underground.
"The longer you wait to trap them," Mr. Yerg says, "the more extensive the tunneling becomes." Don't waste your money on gimmicks. If you don't want to trap moles, just collapse the tunnels and live with the moles. Look at the bright side. They are great soil aerators and having them around is a sign of healthy soil with a good population of earthworms.
First Published April 7, 2004, 11:25 a.m.
