How Does a Mole Destroy a Garden?
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What Moles Eat
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The fact of the matter is very few moles destroy gardens by eating the plants. Moles eat grub worms, beetles, moth larvae and mealworms. That is why you will see a tunnel or a little pile of dirt near your garden. The mole is not there to eat your plants' roots, but the root-eating bugs. Moles eat a little vegetation, but it is usually seeds and fungus. They eat the fungus from a root of a plant and sometimes save the plant without you even knowing it.
The Tunnels
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If you see tunnel exits or little mounds of dirt around you may think you have a lot of moles. But normally it is only one and possibly a few babies that will be kicked out of the area when they are about 3 weeks old. All moles make many tunnels, but some make more mounds than others. They usually will tunnel more in the winter, because the food is more scarce. Much of the time, the moles have built walls inside the tunnel to block off anything getting to them. They will take down the wall and rebuild it as they go back and forth in the tunnel. This is why many of the methods of killing or getting the moles to move on don't work.
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Getting Rid of The Moles
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Moles are actually beneficial to your garden. However, if you find you absolutely cannot live with them, there are products to kill or repel them. Scissor and spear traps used to be the preferred method of killing the moles by professionals. These traps have become illegal in many states and now most professionals use live traps. However, moles are smart and the traps don't work very well. The ultrasonic and subsonic methods have never been proven to have any affect on the moles at all. There are some chemical poisons that work, but it's best to have a professional handle any type of poisonous substance. The best products are repellents that just get the moles to move on to another location. The best theory is, if you want to get rid of the moles, take away their food source. So, use garden grub, beetle and worm killer.
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