TALPIRID Controls Mole Damage to Lawns

New Scientifically Developed TALPIRID Controls Mole Damage to Lawns

Madison, WI (March 8, 2005) - Homeowners, groundskeepers or just about anyone who loves the look of a healthy, green lawn knows how disheartening mole damage can be. Though rarely seen by humans, these powerful little creatures burrow tirelessly through the soil in search of food, leaving their mark aboveground as grassless brown streaks running through a yard or, more familiarly, small mounds of earth -- the infamous "mole hill."

Over the years, homeowners and professionals alike have struggled with ways to control moles. Baits, sonic chasers, repellents and an ingenious array of home remedies -- from flooding and gassing mole tunnels to dropping mothballs or broken glass down tunnels -- proved futile and did little more than relieve people's frustration.

"The problem with control techniques stemmed from a lack of sound biological information on moles," noted Steve Levy, CEO of Bell Laboratories, Inc., a manufacturer of rodent control products. "To correct that, we embarked on a scientific study of moles with the aim of creating a truly effective mole bait."

An eastern mole takes the TALPIRID bait.

Now, after three years of groundbreaking research, Bell Laboratories introduces TALPIRID, the first and only mole bait designed, developed and scientifically proven to kill moles.

Tested and proven in both the laboratory and field, TALPIRID received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2004 for use on lawns, around homes, in parks, golf courses, ornamental gardens, nurseries and non-crop grassy areas.

According to Levy, TALPIRID attains excellent product acceptance because the bait mimics the mole's natural food choice, the earthworm. "With TALPIRID, as with any bait, acceptance is key to successful control," Levy stressed.

TALPIRID is sized and shaped like an earthworm, and is manufactured with special enhancers to ensure attraction and ingestion of the product. The bait also has a feel and stretch similar to earthworms, another component in acceptance.

In fact, TALPIRID so closely resembles the mole's natural food that moles devour it in the same way as an earthworm -- clutching the bait with their powerful forepaws and ingesting it.

The TALPIRID R&D Process

In developing TALPIRID, Bell's research team adopted a specialized and novel research and development approach which involved capturing live moles and keeping them as healthy specimens, previously unheard of in mole studies. This enabled scientists to closely study mole biology, physiology and behavior traits.

At the same time, researchers tested mole control products already on the market for acceptance and control. Through this process they were able to develop a product with unmatched efficacy.

As the final proof, researchers last year took TALPRIID on the road, testing it in multiple, geographically diverse field trials representing various mole species, soil types and baiting conditions found throughout the country.

TALPIRID is currently available through local professional pest control companies, as well as lawn and garden services. Bell also developed a comprehensive application training program for professionals, along with detailed support materials and technical expertise.

"An estimated 50 million single-family homes and five million businesses are located in mole-prone areas in the United States." said Levy. "TALPIRID will finally give those individuals relief from mole damage."

For more information on controlling moles with TALPIRID, log onto Bell's new TALPIRID site at www.talpirid.com or call your local pest control or lawn service professional.

Biology & Behavior of Moles

Feeding Habits

• Moles are insectivores, not rodents. They eat grubs and insect larvae, though most of their dietary needs come from earthworms. On occasion, moles may eat a small rodent trapped in their runway. They locate food through their keen sense of smell and touch, and vibrations picked up by their whiskers.

• Contrary to common belief, moles do not eat roots or flower bulbs. However, they may damage roots while tunneling.

• Moles are extremely active, searching for food day and night year-round. They expend a great deal of energy constructing tunnels. These voracious eaters consume food equivalent to 80 -100 percent of their body weight daily.

Reproduction

• Moles are solitary creatures, except during mating when males construct overlapping tunnels, joining tunnels occupied by a female. Breeding begins in late winter or early spring (February- March) with the gestation period approximately 30 to 45 days, depending on the species.

• Females give birth to one litter a year of two to six offspring. The young are weaned after three to five weeks before being forced from the nest to find or develop their own tunnel system.

Behavioral Characteristics

• Moles are active year-round with three periods of intense activity daily.

• Fiercely territorial, moles won't leave a productive feeding area voluntarily. They'll re-colonize an abandoned productive feeding area, making on-going mole control essential in places where mole populations are high.

Mole Damage

• Moles can tunnel up to 100 feet per day. With their powerful, enlarged long-clawed forefeet, they can tunnel through 15-18 feet of soil per hour, and as much as one foot per minute in porous soil. In already excavated tunnels they can travel 80 feet per minute.

• Mole tunneling results in damage to lawns and recreational facilities, such as golf courses.

• There are two types of mole tunnels:

1. Surface Tunnels appear as ridges at or near the surface. These include the relatively long and straight "primary use" tunnels which are regularly patrolled by a single mole as often as three times a day and the spider web-shaped "exploratory tunnel" which is used to find new feeding areas and is often abandoned after digging.

2. Deep Tunnels. Often found as deep as three feet underground, these tunnels are the mole's primary living quarters, food storage site and latrine area. Visible "mole hills" result when moles push soil and debris to the surface.

Contact:

Sara Knilans

Senior Technical Representative

Bell Laboratories, Inc.

1-800-323-6628, ext. 3087

sknilans@belllabs.com