Spring is upon us again. This time of year, we get lots of rain and hopes of a sun filled summer. Flowers bloom and the days become longer and everything just feels better than when we were in the cold winter. But pests, rodents and insects are all starting to wake up from their winter naps. Deep underground, moles have been working hard to survive the winter. They’ve always been there, awake the entire time, but deep underground where no one can see them. But when the spring comes, these little pests suddenly make themselves known. Let’s discuss moles, their habits and how to deal with them.
WHAT EXACTLY ARE MOLES?
Moles are small insectivores that live most of their lives underground. Many people believe that they are rodents. This cannot be further from the truth. The small insectivores do exactly what their name implies, they love to eat insects. Their entire existence is based on eating as many of these insects as they can. Grubs, aphids and worms are all tasty treats for this little guy. In fact, they will follow these insects wherever they go. The entire winter, as the ground gets colder, these insects burrow deeper underground to stay warm. The moles will follow them.
Moles dig for most of their day. They can dig up to two miles an hour. This doesn’t sound fast but when you take into the equation that they are having to essentially swim through dirt, this is extremely fast. And this fairly well describes their movements underground. They are wedge-shaped, and have large paddle like front claws. This helps them to dig and push the dirt around as they need to. When they are close to the surface, they simply displaced the dirt above them causing ridges all through your yard. This is, in most cases, what people see when they find that moles have attacked their yard. Call your Tulsa pest control company today for help.
MOLE DAMAGE
Moles don’t actually hurt the grass or plant life in your yard. But they can’t make these unsightly paths and mole hills. Mole hills are the result of the mole digging deeper tunnels under the ground. This means that they need to move the dirt that it has dug out of its path. It pushes the dirt above the soils surface. Because moles are so active underground, they must eat about 3/4 of their weight in bugs every single day. This is the only way that they can keep up the energy to continue movement. Moles do not carry much fat. Because of this, they can’t last much more than a day without eating.
This makes the mole very difficult to live trap. If you put a live trap in their tunnel system, and catch a mole, it’s likely that it would be a day before you could come back and find this animal. In all likelihood, that mole probably would’ve expired before you got there. Even if you found him before he did, he would be close to starving. Moles are very territorial animals. When one mole sees another mole, they can get very aggressive. In fact, if you were to relocate a mole that you caught alive, you would likely put it in the path of another mole. It would be weakened from its lack of food, and the relocated mole would die in a fight with the established mole that it is encroaching upon. So live trapping is not a very humane solution.
MOLE TUNNELS AND DENS
Moles create a tunnel system very methodically. They start usually under a tree or building with a nest area. It’s here that they will sleep and raise their young. From here they will build a set of tunnels that will reach out into areas that they use as hunting grounds. The tunnels that lead to the hunting grounds are usually deep. The tunnels that are used for hunting food will be at whatever depth the grubs are found. This will change through out the seasons. During the spring and summer months, this is often up close to the top of the soil. Get rid of these ridges with the help of your Broken Arrow exterminator.
In February and March, moles find themselves in their mating season. This is one time at which moles will meet up without aggression. The mole will start to dig outside of its normal territory, finding another territory with a female mole. When a suitable mate is found, they will mate and the male will continue on its way. The female will have a small litter of three or four pups. These pups will grow up in 6 to 8 weeks and go out and search for their own area to stay in.
STRIKING OUT ON THEIR OWN
Once they leave their mothers den, they will have to go above ground to find a new place to start digging. This makes them very susceptible to predators. Hawks, coyotes and other predators will find moles above ground and feed on them. The mole will do everything that it can to get back underground where it needs to be as quickly as possible. Once it goes underground, it’s likely it never comes back to the surface again. Eliminate moles with a service from your Tulsa exterminator.
Moles have terrible eyesight. Their eyes are extremely small and almost unfindable underneath their fur. But their hearing and sense of feel is amazing. They can sense vibrations above ground, and feel differences in temperature and bugs falling down inside their tunnels. They use their tail to rub against the ceiling of the tunnel to feel what is happening around them. When they sense that a grub has fallen in the tunnel, they will immediately go and feed.
ELIMINATING MOLES FOR GOOD
If you’re having trouble with moles or any other pests, it’s time to get professional help. You need to call on the best Broken Arrow pest control company, TermMax Pest Control to get help getting rid of these pests. We service the greater Tulsa area including Claremore, Catoosa, Coweta, Broken Arrow, Turley, Owasso, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Prattville, Jenks, Bixby and much more. Call today for free estimate. We’re here to help!
