Grubs (in the lawn) are the icky and damaging larvae of beetles. A large population can result in serious problems with your lawn. Moles just happen to LOVE grubs! Put on your stomping shoes and keep the tunnels packed down. That way, you can keep an eye out on any new activity. Plus, you don't want your grass's roots to be left high and dry in those tunnels. I have a high tolerance for moles but many people don't. But I don't worship my lawn, either, lol. Attached is an image of a couple typical beetle grubs. If you live in a part of the country plagued by Japanese Beetles, you have 'em. Other pesty grubs would be from any of the other chafer beetles like the May or June beetle. Typically, at this time of year, grubs are overwintering several inches into the soil, but will come up to feed on grass roots in the spring. Here is a link that might be useful:

Heather, We keep having a 10% or 20% chance and getting nothing, but currently have a 40% chance for Thursday. I know a lot can change between now and then, but I pinning a lot of "hope" on that 40% chance. We even tried washing the car and the pick-up truck hoping that would make it rain, and it didn't even work. It does amaze me how those little rodents can churn through soil and "rototill" it so easily compared to how hard it is for us to break up the same clay soil with a big rototiller! I have been trying to console myself with the thought that at least in the area where they are, I now have well-aerated soil. Yesterday two of our cats were playing with a mole, vole, or gopher....I deliberately did not get close enough to see which little beast it was. I hope they find and kill them all. I stay away from poisons because of our pets, but I wouldn't argue that other folks shouldn't use them. I think it is a matter of personal preference, and for people for whom repellents do not work, trapping or poisoning are the other options. Jeanie, They seem worse this year. To figure out which ones you have, read the attached link and study the mounds and tunnels (if you see any tunnels). The kind of pest you have will determine which plants are or aren't threatened. I don't think anything bothers daffodil bulbs though. Newhippie, Enjoy them while they're little (the girls, not the moles/gophers/voles) because they grow up so fast! One of my favorite photos of our now-adult son was when he (dressed in a white sunsuit) and our white dog, Sam, picked up a running water hose and turned a dumptruck load of topsoil into an ocean of mud. They both were covered from head to toe in mud and we laughed until we cried. Mari, We're fine. Same old adventure of living near the river with a ton of wildlife and so on. Never a dull moment here. I hope you mom is doing well. If you want to hire professional help, I say go for it! No one says you have to spend every spare minute slaving over the yard....and being short on time makes it hard to keep the yard looking the way you want. I think if the yard is causing more stress instead of being a happy place to destress, hire that professional and let them do the work while you do the relaxing and enjoying. We all get better at growing things every year. I'm glad to hear you're getting better harvests. As the years go on, it will get better and better. We gardeners never stop learning and experimenting and finding better ways to do things, and that keeps gardening interesting. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Moles, Voles or Gophers?

I know a lot of people that for the last 40 years have been trapping moles every year, and they often trap 30 or 40 per year every year. To date there has not been a decrease in the population of the buggers from that trapping. As soon as you eliminate your mole from your yard another mole will move in to take advantage of that vacancy, unless something is done to make that vacancy unattractive. Research at Michigan State University found that if a sufficient amount of Castor Oil was applied to make the food source distastefull the moles would go elsewhere, for a time. They, the research people at MSU, found that 1 pint of Castor Oil applied over 2,500 square feet was what was needed to accomplish that and the affect would last for 6 to 8 weeks before needing to be applied again. So if you mix 1 pint of Castor Oil in a 1 quart hose end sprayer with enough water to fill and spray that over the 2,500 square feet that area will be mole free for a time.

Not enough information. Do you have weeds you need to take care of? What type of grass do you have? Is your yard bumpy because of the earthworms or the moles? Moles primary food source is earthworms. I had them bad a few years back. I tried every product, including grubex, to no avail. Then I found the Trapline mole traps and cleared my yard of them completely. Do you have raised tunnel like areas in your yard? If you do tamp them down and check them again the next day. If they're back up you probably have a mole or moles. I consider earthworms a sign of a healthy yard. Although I can't actually see mine :) I would take care of the rodent problem before I started too much of a yard plan. However, since you asked.... 1. Pre emergent around when the forsythia bloom. You can use the gddtracker to help time this. Dimension and Prodiamine are popular and relatively affordable. I sprayed Prodiamine this year at the max rate for full coverage into late fall. Granular form is easier but was mostly efficient for me. 2. Spot spray weeds when they are actively growing in the spring or fall. 3. Fertilize for the first time around Memorial Day. Then again around Labor Day. I would strongly urge the use of Milorganite if it's in your area. 4. Finally, after your grass has stopped growing, you know when you mow and there are no clippings, apply a winterizer; urea is good (46-0-0) . 5. Deep, infrequent watering is crucial as well as is mowing high. These are very basic instructions and not exact for anyone but could be used as a start. I do things a bit differently than this myself but you would have a nice lawn with minimal effort this way. Good luck! Please ask more questions as I'm just bouncing general ideas around here!