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Brad Lechner
Brad Lechner owner and operator of Lechner’s Landscape & Lawn Service, LLC, has been in the lawn maintenance & landscaping industry since 1984. He is a certified Kansas Nursery Dealer & Certified Lawn Pest Control Applicator. Brad also maintains memberships in PLCAMA (Professional Lawn Care Association of Mid-America), Project Living Green, The Wichita Lawn, Flower and Garden Show, and The Better Business Bureau. Lechner's Landscape & Lawn Service does landscaping, lawn maintenance, lawn fertilization programs, tree & shrub insect and disease programs, tree & shrub pruning, seeding and sodding, and positive corrective drainage. You may contact Brad by e-mailing him at: lechnerslawn@aol.com, or by phone at (316) 729-2600.
Lawn, Garden & Landscaping
2002-04-01 16:17:00
Moles %X*)!<+|\?
Answer:  Believe it or not, moles are part of a healthy ecological system. They indicate that the soil is strong, and that beneficial insects and organisms are present. But if you’re like most home owners, you’d rather not have them burrowing under your yard or garden.There’s a lot of debate about the best methods to get rid of these clever, persistent pests. Ideas in vogue range from castor-oil/liquid detergent solutions and trapping to using the noise of a lawnmower to scare them away. One thing we know for sure is that the best way to get rid of moles is decidedly not to use pesticides, which can harm other wildlife, pets and children as well.There are several different varieties of moles in the Midwest. Moles, which eat worms, slugs and soil insects, play an important ecological role. They dig tunnels underground, which create channels for air and water to move through the soil. The problem is that the tunnels create weak spots and holes in a lawn. The moles also push mounds of soil to the surface.We think the best solution is to tolerate moles when possible, since they play such a beneficial role in the ecology. But if you must get rid of them, the most effective way we know is through trapping them. We don’t offer this service ourselves, but there some companies in the area that specialize in trapping moles. If you want to do trapping yourself, the best time is in the early spring when the first burrows are seen, or after the first fall rains. Trapping in the early spring can eliminate pregnant females, thus reducing the possibility of having to contend with a family of moles. Traps should be set in active burrows (you can tell by rolling or tramping down the ridges and then observing which ones are raised again). If a trap is not sprung in two days, move it to another location. Answer:  Moles create tunnels for two purposes, traveling and feeding. The mounds or "mole hills" are excess dirt that has been mined away by the mole to create these tunnels.Answer:  Contrary to common conception of moles eating tulip bulbs and freshly laid lawn seed, moles are almost entirely carnivorous. The diet of a mole is primarily comprised of worms. Moles have incredible appetites and can eat up to their body weight in worms every day (some reports questionably state that moles eat 2 - 3 times their body weight).Answer:  No, most mole problems consist of one or two moles doing a considerable amount of damage. A good indication of how many moles you may have is to clear all the hills away with a rake, and determine how many areas are active concurrently by observing where the new mole hills are being created. If you have mole activity in both the front and back yard in one night, there is a possibility you have more than one mole. If you have only one area active at a time, you may have only one mole. There is no concrete way of determining exactly how many moles there are until moles are trapped and there is no more activity. Answer:  We have heard this many times too, but don't believe moles are as territorial as most people believe. We have seen some mole problems where there are two or three moles active in very close proximity, and we have seen hugely spread-out problems that were the work of one very busy mole. We don't have a good answer for this other than "it depends…"Answer:  How much moles dig and where moles choose to reside is a function of a few variables: moisture, pH balance of the soil, warmth, and vegetation. The most likely place to find a mole is in a moderately moist, relatively temperate, heavily vegetated soil with fairly low acidity (such as gardens, golf courses, and well-kept lawns). These conditions are found during the late spring, summer, and early fall so mole activity is much more intense during these periods.
 
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