Missouri Pest Identification

Voles

Unlike moles, voles are primarily a winter problem. Working under a cover of snow, these heavyset, grayish-brown rodents can kill or severely injure trees and shrubs by girdling roots and stems. They prefer young, thin-barked plants, but may also feed on the exposed roots of older trees.

In some years, vole populations may “explode.” Exceeding the ability of natural predators to keep numbers at tolerable levels. Managers should be on the lookout in early fall for signs of population buildup. These signs include nests and runways in tall grass, in accumulations of grass clippings and other plant materials, chewed fruit, fresh grass clippings, feces and frequent sightings. Colonies appear as silver-dollar-sized holes in the soil surface. These holes are entrances into underground networks and small tunnels.

Vole management techniques include habitat destruction, guards, traps, repellents, and toxic baits, Make the area unsuitable as a vole habitat by keeping areas around trees and shrubs mowed and protecting plants with guards made of hardware cloth.

Trapping is also a practical means of vole control on small acreages. Repellants can complement other control measures, but when food is scarce, voles may eat repellent-treated bark. Repellents should be applied in early fall and again in winter when weather permits. Some zinc phosphide products are registered for vole control in nurseries, golf courses and other ornamental sites. Consult product labels for specific information on proper and legal use.

If you’d like to view the traps we use as professionals, then check out our online shop.

Skunks

Skunks are probably the least popular of our wild animals because of the disagreeable scent the discharge when provoked. Yet, skunks are very beneficial: Stomach analyses have shown that nearly half of their diet is insects, one-fifth is mice and one-fifth fruit. They particularly like potato beetles, grasshoppers, and white grubs.

Skunks are considered a nuisance because of their habit of burrowing in flower beds, lawns, and golf courses in search of insect larvae and insects. This grubbing activity is most common in the spring and fall when larvae are found near the soil surface. Their digging normally results in 3-to-4-inch cone-shaped holes or patches of overturned sod. Skunk damage is sometimes mistaken for that of other pests, such as moles, in which case control efforts are fruitless.

Control of skunks is best achieved by removal and relocation, exclusion, or destruction – in that order. Removal and relocation is a desirable measure, as it preserves the inherent value of the animal in a location other than your lawn where it can contribute its part to the ecosystem.

Skunk removal is best accomplished with live traps. Traps that kill or maim can result in serious odor problems. Box or live traps should be baited with a chicken head, a dead mouse, a portion of meat or fish based canned pet food, canned or fresh raw fish, bacon, chicken parts or whole eggs.

The main concern when trapping skunks is their odorous spray. Skunks don’t like to “shoot” if they can’t see their target, so cover traps, except the entrance, with a canvas or burlap sack before setting. After a skunk is captured, gently slip an old tarp or blanket over the trap. Skunks are relatively easy to trap and, when the trap is handled with a minimum jarring or shaking, are unlikely to spray their musk when being transported to a remote area and released. The release site should be more than 10 miles from the captured site. When releasing, stand more than 20 feet from the trap and use a string or fishing line to release the trap door.

Raccoons

Raccoons are found throughout the United States. Adults can reach 10 to 30 pounds and have gray fur and a distinctive black mask across their face. Their natural habitat is wooded areas along rivers and streams, but these extremely adaptable mammals have thrived in Missouri urban areas and are becoming increasingly abundant. Raccoons are nocturnal and particularly reclusive omnivores, eating both plants and animals.

Most racoon problems occur when the animals invade structures such as chimneys, attics or crawl spaces for shelter or nesting. Racoons can carry several infectious diseases, in particular an especially virulent strain of rabies that can be a threat to house pets or humans. Raccoons can cause considerable feeding damage to garden crops and fruit trees and they raid chicken coops in rural areas. Raccoon activity can be identified by their distinctive tracks, with five toes and claws on a 3-inch-long footprint and a 3 ¼ to 4 ½ inch long handprint.

As with skunks and armadillos, raccoons can damage turf and ornamentals when burrowing in search of grubs and insects. No chemical repellents are registered for controlling raccoons, although mothballs or ammonia-soaked rags may be effective in enclosed spaces. Raccoons are not particularly prone to scare devices and quickly learn that no threat is present. In valuable ornamental beds, exclusion with sturdy or electrified fencing may be the most successful strategy for limiting raccoon damage.

In urban areas, problem animals can be removed by trapping with live, cage-style traps. Traps should be well-anchored and have a bottom or be placed on plywood or another hard surface to avoid the raccoon from digging out. To avoid catching cats or other non-target animals, use baits such as marshmallows, grapes, prunes, peanut butter, or sweet rolls. Due to their potential to spread disease and lower chance for survival, trapped raccoons should not be released at another site. Local pest control companies, the humane society or animal damage control services may be willing to dispose of the trapped raccoon.

Rabbits

Rabbits can be a serious pest, particularly during the winter when they eat the bark and branches or ornamental trees and shrubs. When natural controls fail to keep rabbit populations within tolerable limits, nursery and landscape managers may need to implement control measures.

An initial control measure would be to make the property less habitable for rabbits by removing any brush piles, stone, and trash heaps, weed patches and other structures that rabbits might use for refuge.

No lethal chemicals are registered for rabbit control, but many repellents are available. Repellents should be applied to exposed plant parts after snow is on the ground. Rain, wind and sunlight degrade repellents, so several applications may be necessary. Note that rabbits may eat repellent-treated lant parts when more palatable food is not available.

Live trapping and removal is another rabbit control method that preserves this small-game resource wile preventing plant damage on a property. Generally, rabbits forage in an area of only a few acres. Transferring captured rabbits to an appropriate area outside this range makes their return unlikely.

Tree guards, such as those used for vole control, are another means of preventing rabbit damage. When placing them, be certain that the barrier will extend above the normal expected snow cover.

Moles

Moles live most of their life underground and are highly specialized animals for their subterranean way of life. The eastern mole is a small, sturdy animal, 5½ to 8 inches long, with somewhat cylindrical body and elongated head. Eastern moles are grayish brown on the back to pale or browner on the belly. Their velvety fur often has slivery sheen and occasionally has bright orange or cinnamon-yellow markings. Their fleshy snout is a highly sensitive organ of touch and smell used to find food sources. Their tiny eyes are concealed in fur and covered by fused eyelids, and their sight is limited to distinguishing light from dark. They have greatly enlarged front feet, which they normally hold with the soles vertical and pointing outward. Their well-developed claws have a specialized bone attached to the wrist that aids in digging.

Mole’s construct feeding tunnels in the surface of lawns and ornamental beds at a rate of 1 foot per minute. They are most active when soles are moist, and earthworms are near the soil surface. They eat 70 to 80 percent of their body weight daily, and earthworms constitute 85 percent of their diet. Mole’s feed and rest on two-hour cycles throughout the day and night. This combination of behaviors explains how moles can cause so much damage in such little time.

Mole repellents usually contain castor oil as the active ingredient and come in a spray or granular form. Repellents can be effective if application rates, frequency and techniques listed on the label are strictly followed.

Trapping and baiting are often the best methods for mole control due to the feeding habits of moles. Their frequent feeding activity allows effective trapping and baiting in just a few hours.

The following steps will increase your chances of successfully controlling moles:

Use a broom handle or similar stick to poke holes through the top of feeding tunnels at random throughout the tunnel network.
Two to three hours later, inspect the holes. A hole replugged with soil indicates a mole passed through that feeding tunnel, making it an active feeding tunnel for that day. Not all feeding tunnels are used daily.
Set traps on or insert baits into active feeding tunnels. To reduce human scent, wear rubber gloves when setting traps or inserting baits.
Continue to trap and bait until activity ceases. Controlling a few moles in an average size lawn (5,000 square feet) will greatly reduce mole activity.

Effective mole traps are available in three styles: harpoon, hoop, and scissor traps. Newer scissor traps are very easy to set. Available baits, all of which contain small quantities of rodenticides, include water-based gels that are applied through a syringe and several worm and grub shaped baits.

Caution: You don’t want to use baits anytime or anywhere in areas your family pet uses, potentially harming your own animal. A lot of dogs like to dig, so to prevent them from getting sick, use a trap!

Moles are a continuous problem. A given area can support a certain number of moles. When the mole population decreases, other moles will move into the area searching for earthworms and other insects. For this reason, trapping is the most economical method of mole control.

If you’d like to view the traps we use as professionals, then check out our online shop. Or if you have a mole problem and don’t want to deal with it yourself, then contact Aerations Only and we’ll help you trap the moles.

Geese

Geese readily feed on grass surrounding ponds where they live and, over time, can cause significant turf damage. In addition, grass passes through geese quickly and geese often leave their droppings in the most undesirable areas – gold greens, walkways, and picnic areas.

Geese can be difficult to disperse once they become established on a pond or feeding site, so control methods should be implemented before they become acclimated. Steep-sided ponds are less attractive than ponds with shallow shorelines or open beaches. Overhead grids of wire or monofilament line can prevent geese from landing on ponds. Either 3-foot woven wire fences or short two-strand electric fences can keep geese out of an area.

Turf areas of certain grass species are less attractive to geese. For example, geese prefer bluegrass to tall fescue, so planting tall fescue can reduce grazing in golf courses, parks or cemeteries. Other plants that make an area less attractive to geese are shrubs and tall trees. Tall trees interfere with their flight paths, and shrubs reduce their on-ground visibility. A repellent containing the active ingredient methyl anthranilate (grape-pop flavoring) is registered for use on turfgrass. It may help repel geese from golf greens and areas around privately owned ponds.

Geese can be frightened from ponds and surrounding turfgrass areas by a variety of visual or noise-making devices. Scarecrows, balloons, flagging, mylar tape, propane cannons, pyrotechnics, sirens, recorded distress calls, coyote and red fox silhouettes and herding dogs have all been used with varying degrees of success. Some general rules of application are to start early, be persistent, vary your presentation and use a variety of frightening devices. Be aware that local ordinances may limit the use of some of these techniques.

Local flocks that have overpopulated an area can be captured and transported to other areas if necessary. Adults lose their ability to fly in early summer and thus can be herded into walk-in funnel traps. The goslings that are still unable to fly can be captured and transported to other areas if necessary. Adults lose their ability to fly in early summer and thus can be herded into walk-in funnel traps. The goslings that are still unable to fly can be captured at the same time. Federal and state permits are required before geese can be captured. In addition, federal and state wild-life agencies must agree on a suitable release site.

Lethal control is an option with geese, but you must abide by federal and state laws when implementing such practices. No toxicants are registered for controlling Canada geese or other species of waterfowl. Where it is safe and legal, hunting is the preferred method of controlling geese populations. The Missouri Department of Conservation can provide current information on goose hunting in your area.

Deer

Deer is highly valued wildlife in Missouri; however, they rub and feed on nursery and landscape plants, sometimes causing serious losses.

Because deer are a public resource, managers must rely on protective controls – frightening devices, repellents, and fences. Where allowed, hunting during the legal season can also be a solution to deer problems.

A variety of deer repellents are available, ranging from human hair placed on small mesh bags to various commercial products. Some of the commercial products contain unpalatable substances such as garlic and soap. To be most effective, repellent programs should begin before feeding habits are established.

Planting deer-resistant ornamental plant species is another option.

Armadillos

Armadillo means “little armored one”. The armadillo found in Missouri is the “nine-banded” species. The nine bands refer to the nine plates of protective armor that provide protection and flexibility around its midsection. The armor is intricately decorated from head to tail, with a repeated small, detailed pattern on the shoulder and haunch sections, and two rows of interlocking triangles on each band. Younger adults are tan, gray with pink eyes and noses; the oldest are gray.

Many people thought that the Missouri River would be their northern boundary in Missouri, but armadillos are being spotted north of the river in some parts of the state.

In Missouri, armadillos are nocturnal in summer but sift their activity to daytime or evening in winter. They do not see well; their hearing is better than their sight.

Unless they are excavating your lawn in search of grubs, you might view armadillos with amusement and wonder. When searching for food, an armadillo looks like an army helmet shuffling along. With nose down, they make a constant whuff-whuff-whuff sound as they sniff, poke and dig. Armadillos are quickly becoming known as a destructive mammal on many Missouri gold courses, athletic fields, and home lawns.

Single adults tend to use a burrow, sometimes with other mammals. Like for skunks, liquid ammonia-soaked rags placed in a burrow can be a repellant. Other repellents are available that contain castor oil and other compounds.