If you’ve recently discovered tunnels or uprooted plants in your yard, you may have a mole or vole problem.

“When there is a lot of disruption in the lawn, the experience is usually with moles,” said Dr. Jim Parkhurst, associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. “Usually voles are not a primary concern, as their presence is not easily detected nor immediately obvious to the average homeowner.”

And, as it turns out, the more meticulous a homeowner becomes with a lawn, the greater likelihood of creating an environment attractive to moles.

Moles

Many people associate moles with problematic lawn conditions such as larvae or grubs from common lawn pests or noxious insects that moles enjoy eating. But those organisms make up only part of a mole’s typical diet, Parkhurst said.

“Earthworms and night crawlers actually comprise a large part of the diet and are especially sought out by moles. Worms and crawlers are valuable for good soil health, so we want to encourage their presence; yet, at the same time we are ramping up their attractiveness in the process.”

Eliminating grubs and larvae of problematic insects alone will not eliminate moles where ample alternative resources for food are present. Homeowners also are discouraged from using extremely harsh broad-spectrum chemicals to deal with moles, because they can eliminate many beneficial insects and other organisms in lawns—such as earthworms and night crawlers.

Voles

Similar to moles, voles also live underground, but they are herbivores; they feed on the cambium (inner layer of bark) and roots of woody plants and the bulbs and tubers of daffodils, hostas, irises and tulips. Although voles can be removed using physical trapping, it is time-consuming and rarely keeps ahead of the animals’ reproductive output. 

 

A well-designed toxicant application program often is needed to address more serious situations. Home gardeners who want to try trapping can place peanut butter-baited mouse traps in or adjacent to vole holes, and cover the hole with an inverted and weighted 5-gallon bucket, so other animals do not get into the trap. Moles also can be trapped, but Parkhurst warns it’s a temporary solution because it treats only a symptom, rather than the cause of the problem.

Other potential solutions

A variety of kill traps can be purchased at farm supply and hardware stores, but they can be dangerous. They can be hard to set and properly place without risking personal injury, and could cause harm to small children or pets. Leave the trapping to a professional; you can find a directory at dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/nuisance/trappers.

Sonic vibration-producing devices advertised commercially as mole deterrents generally are not effective. Home remedies such as gassing with auto exhaust; placing broken glass, pins or other sharp objects in tunnels; and using harsh household chemicals are ineffective and can be hazardous to residents and non-target animals. In some cases, they are illegal.

The use of fumigants and toxicants should be left to licensed or certified pesticide applicators, as most products are registered as “restricted use only” materials. For small landscaped areas—such as seedbeds and small gardens—perimeter barriers constructed of sheet metal or hardware cloth may be effective. Instructions for creating a barrier and other mole information is available at pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-201/420-201.html.