permaculture

[Permacltur@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/21/99 8:51:39 PM, John-Schinnerer@data-dimensions.com 
writes:

<<Aloha,

I'm seeking info on moles and grubs, namely:

Since moles are insectivores and don't eat my garden plants, is there any
reason I should try and eliminate them from my garden soil?  They take out a
plant or two if they tunnel through root areas, that's the only damage so
far.  Do they eat beneficial insects?  Naughty insects?  Both?

They eat grubs - what roles do grubs play in my soil?  Good, bad,
indifferent...?

If I wanted to keep moles out, what have people found to work (Pacific NW
USA)?  Noisemakers, castor oil, flooding, etc.

thanks,
John Schinnerer>>

Hi John:
    Well first there are moles and there are moles.  In some parts of the 
USA, moles are indeed insectiverous.  In other places, what people call moles 
are herbiverous, feeding on roots, tubers, and your freshly planted seeds.  
Assuming that your moles are of the insectiverous variety, they will do 
damage to roots cut as they make their tunnels.  In an ample and productive 
garden, this should be a minor concern.  My understanding is that the moles 
eat mainly grubs, meaning subterranean insect larvae of various sorts.   
Grubs include "cut worms" that can be a real problem in some gardens and any 
control is welcome. 
    When I lived in Massachusetts, which was for many years, we had moles but 
never enough to be more than sort of interesting.  Maybe a few plants got 
overstressed from root trimming, but anything that eats cutworms is fine with 
me.  If you have to ask if they are a problem, they are NOT  a problem.  Let 
them be.  They are not a complete control on cutworms, but they are part of a 
complete control package.  As your control becomes more thorough, the moles 
will move on to grubbier pastures.

For Mother Earth
Dan Hemenway