When moles are a pain, call crane.
Extermination & Control
Crane Pest Solutions’ Approach
Crane uses a combination of trapping and soil treatments to control mole populations. Their team installs specialized traps in active tunnels and provides ongoing monitoring to ensure the infestation is under control. Regular inspections of lawns and gardens are recommended, particularly in spring and fall. Keeping the soil well-maintained and dry can help deter moles from returning.
Bug Identification
Common Name: Moles
Scientific Name: Talpidae (family)
Seasonal Behavior
Most Active: Spring through fall, though they can be active year-round underground.
Behavior: Moles are most active during the warmer months, particularly in spring and fall when the soil is moist. They burrow through lawns and gardens, creating raised tunnels as they search for insects and earthworms. Their tunneling activity decreases in winter as the ground freezes.
Minnesota-Specific Climate Impact
Impact of Weather: Moles are more likely to be a nuisance in spring, summer, and fall when the ground is soft and easy to dig through. Minnesota’s frozen winters reduce mole activity, but they may continue to burrow deep underground where the soil remains unfrozen.
Habitat & Entry Points
Habitat: Moles live underground, creating extensive tunnel systems in lawns, gardens, and fields. Their nests are typically located deep below the surface, often near tree roots or under shrubs.
Entry Points: Moles are outdoor pests, so they typically don’t enter homes. Their presence is usually detected by surface tunnels and mounds of dirt in yards.
Damage & Risks
Damage: Moles don’t eat plants, but their burrowing can cause significant damage to lawns and gardens by uprooting plants and leaving unsightly mounds and tunnels. Their digging can also disrupt the roots of grass and other vegetation.
Signs of Infestation: Raised ridges or tunnels in lawns, mounds of dirt near the surface, and uneven or damaged patches of grass.
Prevention Tips
Preventive Measures: Reduce insect populations in the soil (since moles feed on earthworms, grubs, and other insects), use underground fencing to protect gardens, and keep the soil dry when possible. Trapping and removing moles is often the most effective solution.
FACT
Despite their poor eyesight, moles have an incredible sense of touch, using their sensitive snouts to detect vibrations from insects and earthworms underground.
myth
Moles eat plants—actually, they prefer insects, and the damage to plants is due to their burrowing activity, not consumption.
Contact Us
Crane Pest Solutions is a small locally owned pest control company serving Commercial and Residential properties in SE MN. Where we want to help give you peace of mind through education and services. We have over a decade of experience serving the SE MN area and the issues specific to our area.