Subject: Re: What If I Let The Moles Be?
From: wmcclain@salamander.com (Bill McClain)
Organization: None
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 08:32:08 -0600
Message-ID: <MOD$970819.21082@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$970818.12846@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
Scott Anderson wrote:
> Simple question I think. I've got lots of lawn and I cut it tall so I
> don't scalp the high spots left by the mole tunneling. The lawn is
> surrounded by woods and the moles have all of a sudden realized that
> I'm not fighting them. The lawn looks fine and green and it's been
> raining lots. Will the moles ultimately destroy my lawn, bring disease
> to my family and pets, and weaken the foundation of my home; or am I
> safe in pursuing my present strategy of live and let live?
I am in a similar situation. Moles are common in surrounding woods and
pastures, so there is no way they can be permanently excluded from the
lawn and garden. The amount of damage they do seems to vary year to
year; in a bad season the lawn looks like a mine field. Of all the
various control measures, it is hard to know what works because the
moles are not regular in their habits, and will come and go during a
season.
I am still seeking peaceful coexistence. When adventurous individuals
penetrate the lawn I set out traps and flood the burrows. I propose that
over several thousand years this strategy will select for moles who
consider my lawn to be unlucky.
-Bill