MolesGarden Pest or Nature's Rototiller?
By Amy Ockerlander
This certainly has been the year of the moleor at least it seems like it.Our spring and summer has been unusually cool and rainy and with that comes a welcome lushness and abundance to our gardens. For most of us, our lawns are greener than they have ever been and we've had to water less, thanks to Mother Nature.
For those of us who notice such things, it has also presented the perfect conditions for increased mole activity. I can't recall another July where I have seen so many mole-hills piled on the lawn and in the perennial garden. I'm also finding those just-below-the surface tunnelsthey border my vegetable patch on two sides! So why does it seem that there are more moles tunneling about this year than previous years? That is because of our particularly wet spring and summer and the moist soil it has produced.
But I'm not really worried. As much as I am inclined to fear plant damage, our PNW native mole, the Townsend mole, is strictly a carnivorous creature. The mole is dining on the life in the soilgrubs, earthworms, even slugs--and as such, is a great indicator of healthy, biologically active soil--just what my plants prefer. Also, as moles tunnel about, they aerate the soil and leave their manure behind; hence the nickname "nature's rototiller".
Moles create two types of tunnel systems: long tunnels that are deep and permanent, used mainly for getting around, and straight "runway' tunnels that serve as temporary feeding channels. These runway channels are created where soil life is most abundant and moles travel them regularly, checking for any insects or worms that fall into them. If the soil is moist near the surface, this is where you will find the most soil life and, consequently, the feeding channels. From above ground, the channels appear to us as long, raised ridges of soil in the lawn or garden beds, and they easily cave in when walked on. As soil moisture decreases in the summer, the runway channels are created deeper, where the soil is still moist and cool and where soil life is more likely to be. We are no longer able to see any evidence of their presence from above ground, and it is about this time when we forget we ever had a mole problem!
In addition to the two types of tunnels, there are also the familiar mounds of soil that are piled above the soil surfacethey can be a foot tall and wide in some cases. These tell tale "mole-hills" are made of excavated soil that has been brought to the surface from tunneling activity underground. The hills are an excellent source of rock-free topsoil that is useful for a variety of garden applications such as top dressing bare patches in the lawn prior to re-seeding or filling in caved-in runway feeding tunnels!
And so, that brings me to the inevitable mole question: What can one do to encourage moles to move on and tunnel elsewhere? The options are slim to none, actually. Mole deterrents, according to research done by the WA State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife are unreliable and may be largely ineffective. Castor oil or ground-trembling devices may seem to be working but in actuality, the moles have simply moved their current feeding grounds in search of food or have burrowed deeper into cooler soil. Scare tactics such as gassing, stuffing tunnels with sharp objects and flooding may pose more of a danger to the gardener than the mole!
Fortunately, what may seem like a huge population is actually no more than one or two moles per city lot or a maximum of six moles per acre. They are very territorial and will not overlap with other moles except during their breeding season during the winter to early summer.
As so, as it turns out, the best mole advice is tolerance and tunnel patrol. Rake out the mole-hills in a lawn and re-seed when you encounter them (remember that beautiful top-soil!), and fill in runway feeding tunnels when they are a nuisance or hazard. And lastly, take comfort in the natural, native mole habitat that you have cultivated--fertile garden soil, teeming with lifeyour garden will thank you for it!
For additional questions regarding moles or any other gardening topic, contact the Garden Hotline, 206-633-0224 Mon-Sat., 9 to 5 or help@gardenhotline.org anytime.
WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Living with Wildlife, Moles: http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/moles.htm
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