# Should I get rid of a mole? (animal, not spy) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645 "2007-09-18T19:20:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/1 "2007-09-18T19:20:42Z")
Today, I found a hole about 10 inches in diameter and a tunnel in the septic field in my backyard (with a mound of dirt nearby). I’m assuming we’ve got a mole. We are animal lovers and do not kill anything, so we’re inclined to leave it be. However, the area around the hole is soft and gives under my feet, so I’m wondering if the tunneling could result in a small cave-in at some point. Since it’s in our septic field, I figure the tunnel couldn’t go down very far; I peered in and the tunnel seemed to level off. So, is there some reason why we should try to get rid of him? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/2 "2007-09-18T19:24:30Z")
My first thought was dermatological lesion. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/3 "2007-09-18T20:15:21Z")
TEN inches? That ain’t no mole. Mole holes (heh) are maybe 2-3 inches (moles are small.) Ten inches sounds more like you have a rabbit (or a family of rabbits,) or maybe even something larger, like a badger. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/4 "2007-09-18T20:17:03Z")
If someone missed a left turn at Albuquerque, could they wind up in your yard? ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/5 "2007-09-18T20:41:19Z")
No. Does that whittle down the possibilities? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/6 "2007-09-18T20:41:39Z")
Groundhog. You should get rid of whatever is digging into you drain bed or whatever part. I doubt you want the mess and expense of thousands of dollars in repairs in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/7 "2007-09-18T20:44:05Z")
P. S. vetbridge: I have several of those, but I’m not about to ask you for advice for removing them. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/8 "2007-09-19T00:45:34Z")
HarmDisc: Are you saying that if it’s a groundhog (or other animal), it could damage the septic system? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/9 "2007-09-19T14:31:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sycorax] HarmDisc: Are you saying that if it’s a groundhog (or other animal), it could damage the septic system? [/QUOTE] Yes It’s always fun when a large rodent enters the pipe and your sewage backs up. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/10 "2007-09-19T15:26:59Z")
[QUOTE=Sycorax] P. S. vetbridge: I have several of those, but I’m not about to ask you for advice for removing them. 😉 [/QUOTE] Sunscreen then. And avoid chasing cars. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CateAyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/11 "2007-09-19T23:47:28Z")
Put some moth balls (actually anti-moth balls, i guess) down in the tunnel. That should cause mole, gopher, badger, groundhog, et. al., to abandon the burrow and find more hospitable digs (get it?). They won’t eat the moth balls so there is no real harm to the animal, but they hate the fumes. CA ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/12 "2007-09-20T00:42:32Z")
[QUOTE=CateAyo] Put some moth balls (actually anti-moth balls, i guess) down in the tunnel. That should cause mole, gopher, badger, groundhog, et. al., to abandon the burrow and find more hospitable digs (get it?). They won’t eat the moth balls so there is no real harm to the animal, but they hate the fumes. CA [/QUOTE] How badly do fumes bother an animal living in a septic bed? ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/13 "2007-09-20T00:54:32Z")
We ran into a park ranger this evening and I asked her about it. She thinks it’s an armadillo. I hadn’t even considered that, even though we know there around. She said it wouldn’t hurt the septic system; they don’t burrow deep, and they just hunker down when they’re not foraging, and eventually move on. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/14 "2007-09-20T19:43:21Z")
If it is truely moles, but I don’t think that it is based on the other poster’s opinions, I’ve found that removing the grubs (the mole food) makes them move along. To remove the grubs, go to the local Agway (big box hardware stores also probably have it as well) and buy “Milky Spore.” One treatment is good for 25 or so years, as it’s a spore. The spore eats the grubs, and makes more spores, which then wait around for another grub. Rinse & repeat. I had horrible mole problems when I moved into my house, and discovered this stuff. I haven’t had a single mole trail when the snow clears in the 6 years since I treated my lawn. (1Tbs every 4 feet, in a grid. It cost me about $40 to do the entire lawn, 10,000 sq-ft) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/15 "2007-09-20T20:23:09Z")
People tell you to kill the grubs and the moles go away. It’s not true. They stay around and eat the earthworms, that are rather abundant in our soil. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-get-rid-of-a-mole-animal-not-spy/419645/16 "2007-09-20T20:45:42Z")
YMMV and all that. Worked for me, though I don’t know if I have earthworms, or if the milky spore takes care of them too.