Moles are strange creatures that can cause devastating damage to your pristine lawn, especially when they are allowed to burrow out of control. The animals tend to feed on worms and other subsurface creatures. You’ll be left with dimples, holes, dirt mounds, and torn-up grass if they’re not stopped. With effective pest control methods, however, you can eradicate the critters and keep your yard looking great. Perhaps even more importantly, you can continue to impress your irritable in-laws when they next pay a holiday visit.

Appearance

True moles are generally distinguished by their prominent snouts. While many species are dark brown, others can range from black to white to pink. They typically have webbed feet and sharp claws, which they use to dig tunnels through the surrounding dirt. Their claws enable them to make their way through even hard soil. Thus, they can pose significant problems for homeowners. While they are certainly … Read Full Post »

Are you growing a rodent’s dream buffet in your backyard?

Although it’s common knowledge that to beat your enemy in battle, you must first learn to think like them; this principle is often forgotten in the gardening world. The most common problem for gardeners is that in the excitement of planting everything they want, they forget to think of which plants their outdoor companions are silently waiting to devour once they turn their back. You may be unknowingly planting a feast outside that consists of all of your neighborhood rodents’ favorite foods, and they’ll be all too happy to invite the rest of their four-legged family over to finish off your flowers and vegetables before you ever get a chance to enjoy them.

Let’s look at the preferred snacks of rodents, such as rats, mice, voles, squirrels, and groundhogs. This is the first step in long-lasting rodent control.

Rodent Appetites

Rats have perhaps the … Read Full Post »

Rodents have lived alongside humans since the earliest days of civilization, and they continue to be a significant pest. Rats and mice eat human food and contaminate the house with their droppings. They are also very destructive and can chew through nearly anything, including a house’s walls and foundation. Although rodents are found anywhere humans live, a few places have had historically awful infestations. Here are some of the worst rodent infestations in history:

Medieval Europe

During the Crusades, Asian black rats began migrating into Europe in ever-increasing numbers. They brought along the fleas that carried the bubonic plague, which devastated Europe. Their numbers became so overwhelming that the profession of rat-catching had to be invented to deal with them.

Australia

When explorers began traveling to Australia, they inadvertently brought mice on their ships. The mice, facing few natural predators and plenty of easy food, began to reproduce rapidly, and to this day, they … Read Full Post »