Moles vs Voles

You first have to determine if the tunnels through your lawn are actually caused by moles. Moles look eyeless and earless, have velvety, shiny fur and large paws with large digging claws which are held out to the side, not underneath the body. You will probably never see them though because they spend most of there time under ground. They create tunnels just under the surface looking for food. They also create surface runways that they only use once. Entrances to tunnels have piles of dirt around them from the mole plugging up the entrance from underground. Moles eat insects, but grubs are only a small portion of their diet. Controlling a grub problem will not necessarily control a mole problem. Moles are best taken care of with harpoon traps positioned over tunnels with active use.

Many people who think they have moles actually have voles. They look like little mice and eat vegetation. They are active day and night and all year round. Voles create networks of above ground runways from one burrow to another which are often mistake for the evidence of underground mole tunnels as well as the above ground mole runways. The burrow entrances are about the size of a golf ball and are left open with no mounding dirt. Mouse traps at the entrance of the burrows baited with rolled oats with peanut butter, cookies, apples or small grain will catch them. Small have-a-heart traps can be used baited the same way in the runways. Place them down in the afternoon since voles are most active morning and late evening. Fill in burrows and rake away runways to discourage new voles from moving in.

As soon as you determine which critter is actually causing damage to your lawn you will be better prepared to control them. The key is the difference between the entrance hole between the mole and the vole. Moles plug up their holes creating mounds of dirt while voles have small unplugged, unmounded entrances.