Subject: Moles and grubs, etc.

From: John Schinnerer <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 17:48:48 -0700

Aloha,

I'm seeking info on moles and grubs, namely:

Since moles are insectivores and don't eat my garden plants, is there any
reason I should try and eliminate them from my garden soil?  They take out a
plant or two if they tunnel through root areas, that's the only damage so
far.  Do they eat beneficial insects?  Naughty insects?  Both?

They eat grubs - what roles do grubs play in my soil?  Good, bad,
indifferent...?

If I wanted to keep moles out, what have people found to work (Pacific NW
USA)?  Noisemakers, castor oil, flooding, etc.

thanks,
John Schinnerer

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From: Toby Hemenway <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 09:25:40 -0700

Moles themselves don't do much harm; their principal food is earthworms,
but worms breed pretty fast, thus unless you've got tons of moles they
shouldn't hurt worm populations  (moles often mean your soil is good). The
grubs that moles eat are usually white grubs, the larvae of June beetles,
definitely a naughty insect (chickens and ducks are really good at nailing
grubs). Moles are pretty non-selective in their bug feeding, usually eating
soil-dwelling larvae and adult insects. Many beneficial insect larvae don't
live in the soil, but up on plants, so moles probably take out more bad
bugs than good.

With moles, it's the collateral damage that can be a problem. As you noted,
they can trash root systems by accident, or while going for root-feeding
bugs. You'll just have to observe whether plant damage escalates. A lot of
other animals use mole tunnels: shrews (also bug-eaters), mice, voles,
rats, and gophers, and that's where more harm can come from. But since you
say there's not a lot of damage, I'd live and let live. Supposedly moles
can spread disease, but this seems to be a broad brush that many poorly
understood species are tarred with. I think moles get their bad rap because
they make those ugly mounds in nice suburban lawn-carpets. That's clearly
the work of Satan's minions, thus, the thinking goes, there must be lots
more wrong with moles beyond just tunneling.

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 15:23:28 EDT

In a message dated 9/21/99 8:51:39 PM, [email-masked] 
writes:

<<Aloha,

thanks,
John Schinnerer>>

Hi John:
    Well first there are moles and there are moles.  In some parts of the 
USA, moles are indeed insectiverous.  In other places, what people call moles 
are herbiverous, feeding on roots, tubers, and your freshly planted seeds.  
Assuming that your moles are of the insectiverous variety, they will do 
damage to roots cut as they make their tunnels.  In an ample and productive 
garden, this should be a minor concern.  My understanding is that the moles 
eat mainly grubs, meaning subterranean insect larvae of various sorts.   
Grubs include "cut worms" that can be a real problem in some gardens and any 
control is welcome. 
    When I lived in Massachusetts, which was for many years, we had moles but 
never enough to be more than sort of interesting.  Maybe a few plants got 
overstressed from root trimming, but anything that eats cutworms is fine with 
me.  If you have to ask if they are a problem, they are NOT  a problem.  Let 
them be.  They are not a complete control on cutworms, but they are part of a 
complete control package.  As your control becomes more thorough, the moles 
will move on to grubbier pastures.

For Mother Earth
Dan Hemenway

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