The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 3 Summer 2012 | Page 28
Q&A
AskHenning
Henning tells us the truth about getting rid of moles in the garden.
Q
A
One of the most often asked question at the nursery is how do I get rid
of moles in a humane way. My answer is pretty stark and horrifies all the
Greenies amongst us. There is no such a way. You either trap them, flood
them, poison them or learn to live with them!
The majority of gardeners know the mole as a subterranean beast waiting
to remodel that carefully groomed lawn and thoroughly plough through the
freshly planted flowerbeds and vegetable patch.
Most moles leave telltale tunnels or shallow, surface ridges as well as
circular mounds of dirt above ground .These tunnels are feeding or foraging
pathways as the mole plough through the soil to devour the insects in it,
leaving the tunnels in their wake. These tunnels are often used once only.
The tunnels they create can be a nuisance, but in the process of tunnelling,
they help aerate the soil. However, while burrowing, moles sometimes
dislodge plants, damage bulbs or roots. Moles occasionally consume
underground plant parts, but they love meat and their diet consists of
insects, grubs, worms and larvae. Like most Zimbabweans, they prefer meat
to vegetables!
How to get rid of them
Hire a professional pest control company. Most of them will use a poisonous
gas to kill the moles.
Trap them, although, I have not seen a mole trap in any of the garden
nurseries or hardware stores.
Tidy up in their wake. When I go out and see how moles have ripped up my
lawn once again, I take a deep breath and try to remember all the good they
do. They mix and aerate the soil to improve it tremendously and eat many
destructive insects such as cutworms and various amounts of larvae.
I have heard of many home made sprays, old wives’ tales and gizmos on
how to get rid of them. Try your luck but please remember when using bait
to catch them, moles feed primarily on earthworms, insects and spiders and
rarely consume plant matter.
Moles are considered a nuisance when their activities conflict with human
interests. The fact is that their benefits outweigh our conflicts, so you could
leave moles alone and take satisfaction in knowing that better soils are
being created and God’s little creatures have visited your home!
That said, I wish I could get rid of them, unfortunately, it is easier said than done.
Some old wives'’ tales..
• Cats are one of the moles’ natural enemies. If you pour used cat litter into molehills, you may be able to convince them that they
should move to another area.
• Get some hair clippings from your hairdresser and sprinkle them into the molehills. Moles do not like the scent of humans and
they do not like the feel of the hair.
• Castor oil is an excellent repellent for moles. Water the area thoroughly beforehand
then spray castor oil onto your lawn or garden. After you have thoroughly doused
the area with castor oil, you will need to water it again to help the oil penetrate
into the soil.
From
• Cut the end off the bottom of a plastic coke bottle and put the top of the bottle down the molehill. The moles do not like the
sound of the vibrating bottle when the wind blows against it.
Henning
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