Feeding the Moles

Under the snow moles are burrowing around your yard. You may not like their landscaping but if you would quit feeding them they would go elsewhere. Hunters hunt where the food is because that is where the game is and when you provide food in your yard critters will come, but what food is it?
Moles are usually burrowing around looking for, and eating, Japanese beetle grubs (larva for you more urban folks) that over-winter in the ground. Poisoning or trapping moles won’t keep them away unless you are very thorough. A friend of mine did manage to eliminate his moles, but his lawn was still dug up, only it was by skunks. In fact, one spring skunks looking for beetle grubs invaded a town nearby.
The best way to reduce your problem is to use milky spore. It can be found it in most garden catalogs or lawn and garden stores. It is a natural disease that attacks the grubs. Oh, and forget beetle traps. They call beetles to your yard where many fall to the ground and lay eggs by the millions!
You should spread or spray your yard with the spores during the wet, damp times of the year. Usually fall or early spring is the best time to apply milky spore. Start the application in higher areas since the spore will work down hill as water drains. Note: These are my suggestions - always follow the directions on the package. The product is fairly expensive compared to poisoning but should remain viable in the soil for 20 years or more - unless your lawn become too dry or no grubs are present the spore will remain in the soil. The dead larva becomes little milky spore factories, producing a fresh supply. Ideally a few Japanese Beetles should be allowed to survive in the summer so the spore can infect the next year’s larva population thereby maintaining the spore presence in the ground.
It’s just a matter of food and most people would rather feed the birds.