Mole Prevention, Identification, & Control Tips

If you’re noticing strange mounds or raised edges in your yard, you may be having a problem with moles. Moles are not rodents, they are insectivores related to the bat and shrew family. Feeding mainly on earthworms, but will also feed on snails, millipedes, centipedes, slugs, and rarely vegetation. Moles eat live prey and cause little damage or none at all to landscape plants. They like to live in moist shady areas and most often invade from the woodlands. They create air pockets around roots of plants and cause extensive cosmetic damage to lawns and other garden areas.

What Do Moles Look Like in My Yard?

Moles have a pointed snout, very large and rounded front feet with stout claws, and a short, bare tail. They can grow up to nearly 8 inches including their tail. Moles have short, velvety fur that is grayish in color. Their eyes and ears are small and somewhat concealed by fur due to their subterranean lifestyle. Pocket gophers are sometimes confused with moles. It is important to identify the pest you’re dealing with as trap sizes and methods are specific to moles and gophers. Signs of moles include mounds, raised ridges, or both, depending on soil conditions. They prefer moist areas where grubs and worms are in abundance.

Where do Moles Live?

When moles aren’t foraging for food underground, they are excavating. They will push dirt straight up resulting in irregular conical or volcano shaped mounds that are pretty uniform in shape, but may differ in size. The burrow system of a mole is a vast network of interconnecting tunnels and passageways. They can vary in depth from 3 to 30 inches. They are active year-round and make regular use of their tunnels. If the food becomes scarce at the surface level, they will move into deeper tunnels or make the tunnel longer to search for food. The number of mounds in any given area does not indicate the number of moles present. One mole can produce 50 to 100 mounds in just a month.

Mole Prevention & Control in Your Lawn & Garden

The most effective method of control is trapping over the tunnels traps. You will have a carcass or live animal to remove ensuring you’ve gotten rid of the animal. Quick-kill traps are very effective and are set up after it has rained as this causes the earthworms to come to the surface with all the abundant moisture. This makes it easier to trap the moles. Poisons that you can try are ineffective as they are plant based and don’t interest them. There is a new product on the market that is shaped like worms and seems to attract them. However, this may cause it to just move and you won’t know if you got rid of it. To prevent moles from burrowing under or climbing into specific sections of your yard or garden, experts recommend burying metal mesh hardware cloth two feet vertically below the ground with another six inches showing above ground. There is frustration when dealing with moles because we only most often only see the damage they cause and not the moles themselves. If you suspect your yard is being invaded by moles, then give Dynamic Pest Control a call. We can handle all of your pest and wildlife control needs!