Mole patrol on hunt to control pest

Woo escaped, again.

She's our hamster. Well, technically she's my daughter's hamster, but you know how that goes. Woo has escaped before. It's not such a big deal since she's furry and cute with a tail much shorter than a rat. But our dogs don't find her cute. They think she's an afternoon snack. The race was on.

Hamsters and moles all seem the same to dogs. Personally, I don't mind moles because they're not hurting anything. They seem to know that, too, because my yard becomes a summer sanctuary. Moles are insectivores that tunnel through our lawns at 18 feet per hour, searching primarily for earthworms.

A 5-ounce mole will eat 50 pounds of worms a year. (Too bad they don't eat fire ants.)

Moles are considered distasteful by many predators.

That doesn't stop cats and dogs from digging them up, but it does explain why they leave them on our doorsteps.

Contrary to some beliefs, moles cause very little harm to plants. In fact, they're effective soil aerators. But for most people, the problem is the tunnels: They're mounded and soft, ruining an otherwise perfect lawn.

Controls for moles

There are countless approaches, many of which are unorthodox and unproven, for getting rid of moles. These are things like pouring pickle juice on the ground or poking human hair balls, razor blades and hot sauce in the tunnels. Someone once told me Juicy Fruit chewing gum worked. Not Bubblicious, not Wrigley's, but Juicy Fruit. Then there are sonic sticks that make an annoying noise that we can't hear but moles can. There are even vibrators that chase the moles into your neighbor's yard (evidently you stick these vibrators in the ground). None of these methods has been scientifically proven.

Another common approach is to rid your lawn of insects, thus eliminating the mole's food source. I find this approach doubtful since earthworms are a major component of a mole's diet.

The most effective way to control moles is by trapping. And by trapping, I mean killing. The trick, however, is to find them. Someone once told me the easiest way to find a mole was with a six-pack of beer. He said you sit on the front porch and by the third beer you should see a tunnel moving.

Poison and castor oil

Another method is to use a spring-loaded trap, such as a harpoon or scissor trap, which must be set on an active tunnel, such as one along a sidewalk or driveway where they go back and forth. To verify an active tunnel, tamp it down and 24 to 48 hours later it will pop back up. Set the trap on the active tunnel.

If impaling moles is too distasteful, you could poison them. Some people have reported success with baits that look like gummy worms. Latex gloves are worn when handling bait to avoid transferring human scent. The toxic gummy worms are stuck into an active tunnel for the mole to find and dine. Baits are risky if you have pets, although if you have pets, you probably don't have a mole problem, you have a hole problem.

A much kinder method of control that has reported success is castor oil products, such as Mole-Med. The product claims that the scent and/or taste of castor oil applied over the yard will send moles packing. Hopefully, you have an undeveloped area where the moles can live out their short three-year life span in peace, or else your neighbor will notice the moles are bad this year. Or maybe you don't like your neighbor and send the moles over for a visit.

Unlike moles, Woo was easy to catch. She was oblivious to the manhunt. I lured her out with a hamster treat shaped like a chocolate chip and put her away, safe and sound, and reminded her we have a small hamster graveyard next to our house where Cubby and Pancake rested in peace.

Stay put.

Tony Bertauski is a horticulture instructor at Trident Technical College. To give feedback or request column topics, e-mail Tony at tony.bertauski@tridenttech.edu.