How Do I Know If I Have Moles in My Lawn?

You’ve invested hours in making your yard beautiful and all of the sudden you see it -- mounds and tunnels all throughout your yard, disrupting the landscape you’ve worked so hard to build! If you’ve had this experience, you’re most likely dealing with moles. Known to tunnel through lawns eating up worms and plants beneath the surface, moles can leave your yard looking like a lumpy mess. Unfortunately, oftentimes people don’t even know they have mole problems until there’s already a good amount of damage to their grass. Luckily, Tailor Made has experience providing mole control in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and other cities in the piedmont. Today we’ll discuss everything you need to know from mole identification to elimination!

Signs of Moles in Your Yard

Moles are not easily visible to the naked eye, but there are a few signs that can indicate their presence in your lawn. If you notice any of the following signs, there's a good chance that moles are causing the damage to your lawn:

• Molehills: These are the most obvious sign of moles in your lawn. They look like small mounds of soil, and they may be scattered around your yard.

• Raised ridges: Moles create tunnels as they burrow underground, and these can cause raised ridges in your lawn.

• Dead or dying grass: As moles tunnel underground, they can damage grass roots, causing patches of dead or dying grass to appear.

• Holes in the ground: If you see small holes in your lawn, they may be entry or exit points for moles.

• Soft or spongy ground: Moles loosen the soil as they dig, causing the ground to feel soft or spongy underfoot.

What Other Damage Can a Mole Cause?

Along with the surface damage and raised areas, secondary pests can also come along and use the tunnels moles leave behind. Known to use the tunnels as transportation, voles and mice will often walk along the tunnels eating seeds and plant roots in your yard. While moles may operate below the surface, their presence can have extremely damaging effects on your lawn above the surface. While moles don’t actually eat plants, meaning they aren’t eating your grass, their damage is usually caused by the tunnels they dig in your lawn while looking for more worms to eat!

How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard

Before you decide to treat your lawn for moles, we recommend you have a lawn professional inspect your yard to confirm a mole infestation before any unnecessary treatments. Oftentimes, moles can be mistaken for pocket gophers and voles. Once you confirm moles are indeed the cause of your lawn problems, there are a few options to get rid of them.

Mesh Wire and Fences

If you’re only treating a small space like a garden, mesh wire fences can be buried along the perimeter to stop moles from digging underneath. While these won’t get rid of the moles, it can at least help protect a small area.

Improved Soil Drainage

Because moles like moist soil, overly damp lawns make it easy for them to move around. Discourage mole activity by improving soil drainage for a dryer yard.

Let an Expert Handle It

If you have moles in your yard, letting an expert handle the elimination is the best way to go. Here at Tailor Made Lawns, we have expertise in mole habits and can eliminate the infestation from your yard and help prevent future ones. We service the greater Charlotte area, as well as cities around the Triad like Winston-Salem and Hickory!