Walking across your lawn should be a pleasant experience, but hidden underground tunnels can turn a simple stroll into a painful accident. Moles create extensive networks of tunnels beneath the surface that can cause dangerous holes and soft spots in your yard.
Many homeowners believe these small mammals disappear during winter months, but moles stay active year-round in their underground systems. Professional mole control services help protect your property in Omaha and Lincoln from the damage these persistent creatures cause to lawns and gardens throughout all seasons.
Moles & Voles Pest Control in Lincoln and Omaha, NE
Moles and voles are pests, but if they are in your yard, they aren’t the only problem. These underground mammals feast on soil insects like grubs. If they have decided to make their home in your yard, chances are there’s an ample food source. It’s just one more reason why pest control is important throughout every season! Keeping grubs and other insects out of your yard will also protect against additional pests that feed on bugs.
Moles vs. Voles — What’s the Difference?
MOLES
Moles are part of the anteater family (called insectivore) and look quite different from voles. Because of their physical characteristics, moles are quite funny looking. They have a pointed snout to use for their sense of touch and enlarged front feet with claws to support their tunneling behaviors. Moles primarily live underground, to help with light sensitivity, they have eyes and ears so tiny they aren’t visible to most.
VOLES
Voles are part of the rodent family and commonly get confused with house mice. They are also called meadow mice, or ground moles, which can confuse the difference even further. They have rounded ears covered in fur, and their body is a reddish-brown color with grey undersides. The adult vole can reach 5 to 7 inches in length and have extremely short tails.
What are their habits?
MOLES
Moles live in underground tunnels and unlike voles, are predatory in nature. They dig elaborate tunnels through soil searching for food sources such as earthworms, insects, and small arthropods. Moles are hungry creatures and have to eat 25 – 100% their own body weight (per day) in order to survive.
VOLES
Voles prefer to live in low-lying vegetation making trails through the grass or snow. These animals are primarily herbivore, separating them further from moles. They enjoy feeding on the roots, bulbs, bark, and seeds of ornamental plants and grasses. Prefer places with dense vegetation to hide the entrances to their homes. They prefer open spaces and are relatively poor climbers so it isn’t common to find them in the home.
Why Is Their Burrowing So Bad?
Burrowing animals are all-around burdensome because they eat your greens and damage your garden. A vole is a critter that will destroy a yard’s plants, while moles are responsible for making a mess of your lawn area. When it comes to tunneling, a mole is capable of digging 100 feet of new tunnel on an especially busy day. A mole that digs 100 feet of tunnel is likely well fed, but it’ll have created a lot of underground damage to your lawn.
While a mole infestation is made up of one or two pests, the vole species reproduces in large numbers, allowing them to colonize your garden quickly. Like other rodents, a vole will have a short lifespan of around 16 months or less. This means that the species can have as many as 30 offspring in just one year. Since these pests are really good at hiding, they can cause plenty of damage before you’re even aware that you have a vole infestation.
Moles & Voles Pest Control
In addition to maintaining regular pest control treatments in Omaha or Lincoln over the winter there are other ways you can discourage moles and voles from digging on your property.
Poison
Treating the yard with insecticide will remove the food source, but to get rid of a mole or vole for good, you’ll need a specific toxic bait. The bait should be placed around active tunnels, however, getting the mole or vole to take the bait is far from guaranteed. This is a task best left to a professional exterminator in Omaha, who can apply treatments safely and effectively. This method is not recommended if you have pets because there is potential for any animal to become sick or die if exposed to the poison.
Traps
There are a number of traps that are designed to catch and kill moles. You can choose from a:
- scissor-jawed
- choker
- harpoon style trap
In order to figure out where to place the traps you’ll need to know which tunnels are active. Before nightfall flatten all of the tunnels. Moles are most active at dusk and dawn, and they will re-excavate the tunnels that they are actively using. The next morning look to see where the tunnels have popped back up. Set the trap over the freshly excavated tunnels and wait for it to be tripped.
Lawn Rollers
A lawn roller is a heavy steel wheel that can be connected to the back of a mower. Pull the lawn roller over the tunnels to crush them and pack in the soil. You’ll have to do this regularly to discourage voles and moles from tunneling through your yard.
Integrated Management Approaches
Professional pest management services combine multiple control methods for better results. Treatment programs typically include:
- Initial inspection to identify species and activity levels
- Targeted baiting along confirmed active tunnels
- Follow-up monitoring to measure treatment effectiveness
- Ongoing prevention services to prevent re-establishment
Specialized treatment protocols address the unique challenges these underground pests create for Nebraska homeowners. Professional services understand local soil conditions and seasonal activity patterns that affect treatment timing and methods.
ABC Termite & Pest Control – Local Pest Control Exterminators in Omaha & Lincoln
Mole and vole problems can quickly get out of control without professional help. ABC Termite & Pest Control delivers safe, effective, and environmentally responsible pest control solutions for property owners. Serving Omaha, Lincoln, and the nearby areas in Nebraska, our team is backed by an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and certified experts trained in modern pest management techniques. Skip the risks of DIY pest control, contact us today for reliable, long-lasting results.
