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About Us:
Holey Moley is an independent
company specializing in the removal of moles from lawns and gardens in
Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. We are government certified and
licensed by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. We are insured to
cover any risks relating to the services we perform.
About Moles:
Why are they pests?
The mole, although quite small and innocent
looking, can create havoc on your lawn or garden. Volcano like mounds of
dirt that can be up to two feet wide may be a sign this furry creature is
making a home in your lawn. These mounds are piles of excavated dirt from
tunnels that the mole digs out with their front claws. The piles can cause
bare spots in the grass and can be quite unattractive.
Moles make surface tunnels that cause cracks
in soft soil. This can create what feels like spongy soil when stepped on.
Moles' tunneling can cause cracks in concrete sidewalks and can even affect
your foundation. Long-term damage can also be extensive. Moles are
exceptional diggers and can tunnel up to 12-15 ft per hour. This can cause
deep tunnels that can sink your entire soil level or cause large sunken
areas in your lawn.
Occasionally moles eat plant seeds, roots,
and bulbs, but most damage is done while burrowing
for insects when they uproot the plants and grass roots. They are most
active in spring or fall and on cloudy days. During cold winters and dry
mid-summers they go deep into the ground. They have a very extensive
underground tunnel system, including travel tunnels and foraging tunnels.
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Donald and Lillian Stokes describe how moles excavate
deep tunnels in the "Guide to Animal Tracking and Behaviour:"
To make deeper tunnels, the mole scrapes in front,
first with one foot and then the other, occasionally scraping back the
loose earth with its hind feet. After a portion of soil has
accumulated behind it, the mole turns around and, twisting its head to
one side, puts its foot in front of it and bulldozes the soil out of
the tunnel. The soil is pushed out through a hole onto the surface of
the earth and becomes mounded above the hole, creating the proverbial
molehill. As the mole lengthens the tunnel, it makes new vertical exit
holes through which to push out the newer earth more easily.
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Each mole can dig hundreds of metres of tunnels that
cover an area of about 2500 square metres.
What do they
look like?
Small, thick-bodied
creatures with narrow, pointed noses. Moles
have broad front feet, the toes of which terminate in stout claws faced
outward for digging. Their thick, plush like fur varies from grey to black
and often has a pronounced sheen. Unlike the fur of most mammals, mole hair
can move in any direction without standing on end, an adaptation that allows
them to move in either direction in their tunnels with relative ease. Their
ears are not visible and the eyes are very small.
The most common mole in the Fraser
Valley is the Coast mole
(Scapanus orarius)
Identification
Mass: 46-78g
Body length:145-181 mm
Tail length: 34 mm
Color: blackish brown
Young: 3-4 per litter
Habitat: Moist well- drained soils in riparian areas,
meadows and deciduous forests.
Food: Primarily earthworms. Also eats snails, slugs,
millipedes, centipedes and soil insects.
Mole habitats on the lower mainland:
High Populated
Areas: -99% of Golf
Courses, Parks, Cemeteries, Residential Homes that surround green
belts/forests/golf courses/cemeteries/parks etc.
-Well kept/healthy
lawns (insect and worms)
-Equal activity from
Vancouver to Abbotsford and North/West Vancouver
Mole Control
Home Remedies, Exclusion and flooding are seldom
effective
Moles will leave the security of their
tunnels during floods and swim to higher ground to avoid
drowning. Temporarily displaced moles that survive a flood will return home
when the ground begins to dry and re-inhabit their vacated encampments.
Flooding mole tunnels in a dry soil using hundreds of gallons of water may
drown the mole or may force it to the surface where it can be killed.
Attempting to drown moles in a sand to loam soil is usually futile. There
are few obstacles they cannot negotiate. They can swim across rivers and
canals, and burrow beneath highways and buildings.
Home remedies such as placing hair, broken
glass, mothballs, motor oil, etc. in tunnels and liming the soil are rarely
effective although such actions may repel the moles for a short time.
Chewing gum, Alka-Seltzer, etc. are not effective.
Some cats provide good mole control. Occasionally a cat learns to catch them as they push excavated earth out
onto the surface of the ground. In most cases, the small gray animals that cats catch are shrews and since shrews
are predatory on moles, such cats are actually contributing to the mole problem.
Dogs can be taught to dig up moles without digging up the entire lawn, but it is difficult.
Professional Mole Management
Trapping
Most professionals use traps almost exclusively to
control moles. This is the most effective & humane way to eliminate the
problem. The secret is how and where to place the traps. Because it takes
considerable experience to become successful few professionals will share
this information. If you want to try using traps yourself, give
Holey Moley a call. We offer a 20 to 30
minute on site instruction session and will provide the necessary equipment.
Our
Services
We
provide professional programs designed to eliminate current mole activity
and prevent further problems.
Every program is different. All aspects and surroundings must be taken
into consideration when designing the
most affective program and solution for your home or business.
Our Services are available
7 days a week.
On site Do It
Yourself training session. Includes traps and a 20-30 minute lesson.
Our Experience:
Over 10 years controlling moles
Mole Prevention Tips:
If moles are active
on your property or any surrounding areas, keep in mind that watering your
lawn to much will increase the earthworms rising to the surface, a moles
favorite snack, leaving surface tunnels caused by moles around your
property.
-Non-Toxic Insect and
grub control throughout the lawn will help keep the food source down, but
may cause more “Mole Hills” as the search for food throughout the lawn will
be greater.
A good web site for more information:
http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/wildlife/g09440.htm
Contact Holey Moley
Holey Moley Mole Control
Co.
Serving Greater Vancouver and the
Fraser Valley
Phone: 604-217-4669
info@holeymoley.ca
For information on other pest problems visit this
web page:
All-ProPestControl.ca
holey_moley_mole_control_co.htm
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