[Groop]gary vs. the moles

[Eric Chun]

Purdue News

May 1998  Expert: Get rid of moles now with know-how

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Spring is the best time to
eradicate moles, but many common home remedies don't
work and may be hazardous, a Purdue University
expert says.

Judy Loven, Indiana state director of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Animal Damage Control
Program stationed at Purdue, says: "Now is a good
time of year to deal with moles. They are mating and
breeding, which means that the males are roaming out
and about."

She says that using traps to kill them is still the
most reliable method for getting rid of the
critters. Make sure you use well-functioning traps
and set them on the main paths of the mole. "You can
locate surface main runways by flattening down a
small section of the runway," Loven says. "The runs
that are repaired by the mole within a day or two
are the main runways."

For those who would rather not kill moles in their
yard, the small animals can be safely captured and
relocated to a woody or weedy area, Loven says.

Although many other methods advertise that they
work, their usefulness -- or uselessness -- becomes
apparent once homeowners educate themselves about
what moles are and how they live.

Moles are carnivores and they don't eat grain, so
plant- and grain-based poisons that work on
groundhogs aren't going to work for moles, Loven
says. Fumigation doesn't work on moles, either.
"Unlike groundhog's burrows, which are short and
finite, moles create a seemingly endless grid of
tunnels," Loven says. "There isn't enough fumigant
in the world to get rid of moles."

Among the products and remedies to avoid:

Ultrasonic transmitters: These send out sound
waves that are supposed to nauseate the moles and
make them move away. "It's a nice idea. They don't
work at all, but I wish they did," Loven says.

Chewing gum: A home remedy is to chew some gum and
place the wad in the mole's tunnel. The idea is
that the mole will eat it, not be able to digest
the gum, and die. It's a waste of time and gum,
Loven says. "First, none of their food smells or
tastes like gum, so they aren't going to eat it,"
she says. "Second, insects are made up of some of
the most indigestible substances known. If they
can digest insect parts, they wouldn't have any
trouble digesting bubble gum."

Whirligig daisies: "Those are cute, aren't they?,"
Loven says. "The moles are supposed to not like
the vibrations and leave the area. But I've seen
moles living alongside interstate highways. I have
seen moles living in the medians between airport
runways. Vibrations don't seem to bother them."

Mothballs : Perhaps the best-known of the folk
remedies, mothballs may also be illegal. What many
people don't realize is that mothballs are an
insecticide that has its use regulated by the
Environmental Protection Agency. "The active
ingredients are very volatile and evaporate in a
short time -- a matter of minutes or hours at the
most," Loven says. "Plus, the chemicals used in
them are carcinogenic. We don't want them out and
about where they can do damage to the environment
or get into the ground water. You certainly don't
want to use them where there are kids or pets."

CONTACT: Judy Loven, (765) 494-6229

Compiled by: Beth Forbes, (765) 494-9723; e-mail,
beth_forbes@uns.purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail,
purduenews@uns.purdue.edu

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