Does Grub Control Get Rid of Moles in Your Lawn?

Do moles eat grubs? Will killing or preventing grubs get rid of moles?

I’ve often been asked to apply grub control to a lawn for the specific purpose of getting rid of moles. Unfortunately, this is an old wives tale. Of course, moles will eat a grub, or any insect, if it comes across one in the soil. However, a mole’s main source of food is earthworms. You cannot, nor should you want to, eliminate earthworms as they are essential to the natural life of the soil.

Think of it this way, if you run out of apples at your house, you wouldn’t move to a different house with apples because you still have meat and bread and cheese. In much the same way, if you get rid of grubs the moles won’t leave your lawn because there will always be something for them to eat.

The only effective ways that I’ve found to get rid of moles is trapping or baiting. Spring traps are very effective but they do take some skill and planning to use properly.

In conclusion, grub control does not get rid of moles.

Proper cultural practices

A photo showing the difference proper cultural practices makes.In my business I often preach to my customers concerning “proper cultural practices”. It’s rather simple to properly care for a lawn but it seems that very few follow the rules. Mainly, cut at the proper height for the type of turf, cut at the proper frequency for the conditions and keep your blades sharpened.

The picture attached shows two lawns. The one on the left is maintained by me while adhering to these three simple rules. The one on the right is self-maintained by the neighbor with poor mowing habits. He mows too low, not often enough and I have no idea the last time he sharpened his blades.

There is no fertilization on either lawn, the only difference is proper maintenance.

Snow mold

Due to the unprecedented amount of snow over the winter you may see slimy gray patches on your lawn. While it is caused by a fungus, it is commonly known as “snow mold”. A picture of snow mold.

It can be treated with fungicide but this is largely unnecessary and since most fungicides are short lasting if the temperatures don’t exceed approximately 68°F the symptoms will most likely reoccur. Common practice is to rake the area to remove most of the diseased tissue and fluff up the lawn to allow the affected plants to dry.Another picture of snow mold.

One treatment that I do not recommend is quick release, high nitrogen fertilizer that can be used to “grow out” the trouble spots but can also contribute to succulent growth which causes the lawn to be more susceptible to not only the snow mold we are seeing now but also other lawn diseases.