moles causing root damage?

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edevenny Newport News, VA Sep 04, 2006

I know I have way too many moles, but it hasn't really bothered me until lately. Things are dying, even larger things like maple tree seedlings. It's like something chewed up all the roots from burrows underneath, and then the plants just fall over, severed at the bole. It's heartbreaking, as I've nurtured most plants from volunteer seedlings I dug up. Just want to make sure I'm going after the right suspects before I buy mole traps - research indicates that's the only real way to stop them. Can anyone confirm that moles can do this, or is it something else? More pics coming

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edevenny Newport News, VA Sep 04, 2006

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tonyjr Union City, CA(Zone 9b) Sep 04, 2006

If there is no tunnel under plant , it could be grubs .
tunnel can be gophers , moles , Voles [ a vole is a field mouse . ]

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edevenny Newport News, VA Sep 04, 2006

There is always a tunnel; extensive tunnel. I don't think we have gophers around here, and I thought of voles but so far all I've actually seen are moles - cats get one occasionally and leave it on the doorstep. Things like the hostas, once healthy and flourishing, slowly begin to yellow and wither. When I look closer, I find they're just sitting there with no roots, a big hole under them and a tunnel in both directions. It's maddening....

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happy_macomb Chevy Chase, MD(Zone 7a) Sep 04, 2006

Or chipmunks, which we have a real problem with. If I recall, moles don't eat roots, but they provide the tunnels which other animals use (like voles) who in turn eat the roots.

I don't know from looking at it what the problem is -- it looks depressing!

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Sep 04, 2006

I agree that it's not moles eating the roots--they may accidentally disturb roots sometimes as they're tunneling looking for insects, etc but it's things like gophers and voles that do the chomping! I had a gopher in the back garden at my old house and the damage he did was exactly what you're desribing here. I think voles can do similar damage.

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edevenny Newport News, VA Sep 05, 2006

Thanks guys, you're absolutely right. Even though I don't have vole runways at all, I guess they're using the mole tunnels, as you suggested. I didn't know they did that. I read that they especially love hostas - all of mine have disappeared! Trapping is most effective, using old-fashioned spring-loaded mouse traps. Though I hate to kill anything, they are killing too many things I love and messing up my habitat yard for everything else. So....
Thanks again.

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