When Is The Best Time To Treat Your Lawn For Moles In Western New York?

Most of the snow is gone in Western New York. That's the good news.  The bad news is that now you can see all the tunnels and holes that the moles and voles have created in your lawn. The worst part is that if you don't do anything about it, they will only get worse. So how do you get rid of them?

What is the difference between a mole and vole?

To be honest, it's pretty difficult to know the difference between moles and voles because they don't look that much different from each other. There are a few subtle differences, though.  For instance, while both moles and voles have very tiny eyes, you can see ears on a vole.  The ears on a mole are not visible. Also, voles have rounder faces, while moles have pointier faces. Their front feet are also a giveaway. Moles have front feet that look more like paddles for digging through the dirt. Voles have feet that look more like the feet of a mouse.

Why does the difference matter?

The biggest reason why you'll want to figure out which animal is clawing through your yard is so that you'll know how to get rid of them. For example, moles are carnivores. They eat grubs and worms. If you want to get rid of moles, you have to remove their food source, so you treat for grubs. That won't help to get rid of voles because they're herbivores. Getting rid of grubs in your yard will only get rid of the grubs, not the voles.

How can you tell which it is without catching one?

There are a couple of ways you can tell which you're dealing with. First off, look at the holes they're digging. If there's a mountain of dirt that looks a bit like a tiny volcano, it might be a mole (Or...a skunk. See more on that here). Voles like to use holes that are already there or stay close to the surface to avoid any heavy lifting. Moles are more likely to move a lot of dirt.

There's also what they call a pinch test for your plants. With the pinch test, if you move your plant and they fall right over, it's probably a vole. Moles don't eat plants. But a vole will gnaw at the roots of your plants until they almost look like they've been sharpened.

When is the best time to treat your lawn for moles in Western New York?

If you're seeing holes and pathways that were probably made by a mole or a vole, you're going to want to treat them right away. The longer you wait, the faster they multiply. They're going to begin breeding in the spring, so anytime near the end of March through the beginning of May is when you'll want to take care of them.