All You Need to Know About Mole Infestations
Get Professional Advice When You Detect Moles
Worried about mole infestations? We all know moles live beneath the surface of the soil. Most of their excavation goes unseen. As they hunt for food, they push the soil to the surface of the ground. People recognise these as little soil piles.
We can see ridges from underground tunnels joining one sand pile to the next. You cannot miss the signs of moles digging in your yard. Firstly, soil mounds may appear on your lawn (also called a mole hill). Secondly, you may notice underground mole tunnels.
Lawns and lush gardens are the ideal environment for them and can be a great food source. Moles damage our turf and are most often observed during spring and autumn. They are closest to the soil surface during these seasons, but they dig a lot deeper during the hot summer months.
Reclaiming Your Backyard. A Guide to Moles.
You need not despair when discovering small, volcano-type mole mounds of soil in and around your backyard. These are not colonies of ants. They are mole hills.
A busy little creature has excavated moist soil from underneath your lawn. You won’t find mole populations infesting your yard, since they are solitary creatures and prefer to live alone.
Moles can cause extensive damage to your yard and garden. The best method to get rid of mole infestations is to call in mole control services. They should be able to advise you on how best to tackle a mole invasion.
Moles are tenacious creatures and hard to remove. It is wise not to go the DIY route, which could become expensive and quite ineffective. You can contact the mole experts in your area today to get the mole issue sorted.
How to Differentiate Between Moles and Voles
The damage moles cause differs substantially from the damage voles cause. Moles leave behind soil mounds that are volcanic in appearance and raised ridges where they have burrowed underground. Voles, however, leave trails on top of the soil’s surface.
I Have a Vole Invasion. What Happened to My Yard!
Traces of voles include travelling paths that are well worn. They also nibble the bark from the bottom of tree trunks. Voles eat bulbs, plant roots, and the tubers of plants.
Voles leave behind entrances to their burrows throughout the infested area. These creatures are mouse like in appearance and have snouts that are elongated. Voles are busy above ground during the night and day.
They often appear during the spring. We refer to voles as field mice in South Africa. We detect the most obvious sign of these little creatures by their above-ground burrow openings when they become exposed during the spring months.
Field mice live in colonies. Here they differ from moles that prefer to live alone. Voles are difficult to control, as their colonies are vast.
What Do Moles Actually Eat?
Moles are insectivores. Their feeding habits differ substantially from that of field mice. They live on worms, grubs, and other subterranean insects. Getting to know what they thrive on is a big step in the right direction towards eliminating these burrowers from your yard.
Many old wives’ tales in getting rid of moles just do not ring true. Ignore popular belief that liquid dishwashing soap or castor oil will get rid of them. To get rid of them in a safe and humane manner, you will need the help of professional pest controllers.
How Can I Tell If It’s a Mole? How to Identify Moles.
- There are 18 species of moles in Southern Africa. We find golden moles in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is the only region in the world where the golden moles occur. Their habitat is in the southwestern Cape. The region we find them in stretches from the Cape Peninsula and extends up the coast of the Namaqualand, Port Nolloth, and on Robben Island.
- Moles are typically 15 to 20 cm long.
- They are sausage like in their appearance.
- Their fur is usually tan brown to black, although the Golden Mole has a beautiful golden coat.
- Moles have outward-facing, large front claws suited to digging burrows.
- They have pink, elongated snouts. These are all easily distinguishable features.
- Their powerful, outward protruding front teeth are sensitive and hard to miss. Their teeth are used to source their food, as moles are blind.
Do You Have a Mole Problem?
If you have moles in your yard, you can rest assured that they won’t eat your garden plants. When mole activity becomes apparent, call on a pest control service to assist with your mole invasion. Molehills can become problematic for your lawn or garden, but it isn’t always necessary to kill moles.
Home remedies like mole baits, mole traps, and other mole repellents don’t always work, and learning how to get rid of them isn’t easy. There are many recommendations regarding methods of mole control. Pest infestations in South Africa are best undertaken by your pest control specialist for the optimal results.
Learn more about pests we exterminate, treat, and remove to make informed decisions about your home and garden. Since moles aren’t dangerous pests and they do not harm your garden, some people are happy to ignore them.
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