D-51

MOLES

PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF WILDLIFE DAMAGE — 1994

Coop erat ive Extension Division

Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Animal Damage Control

Great Plains Agricultural Council

Wildlife Committee

Frightening

Ineffective.

Repellents

None are registered.

Toxicants

Strychnine alkaloid.

Chlorophacinone is registered in some

states.

Fumigants

Aluminum phosphide.

Gas cartridges.

Trapping (most effective control

method)

Out O’ Sight® Trap.

Bayonet trap or harpoon trap (Victor®

Mole Trap).

Nash® (choker-type) mole trap.

Easy-set mole eliminator.

Cinch mole trap.

Death-Klutch gopher trap.

Shooting

Not practical.

Other Methods

None tested have proven effective.

Damage Prevention and

Control Methods

Exclusion

Generally not practical, except in very

small, high-value areas where an

aboveground and underground

barrier (sheet metal, brick, wood)

might restrict moles.

Cultural Methods

Packing the soil destroys burrows, and

sometimes moles if done in early

morning or late evening.

Reduction in soil moisture and food

source removal by the use of insecti-

cides discourages moles and gener-

ally results in lower populations.

F. Robert Henderson

Extension Specialist

Animal Damage Control

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas 66506-1600

Fig. 1. Eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus

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Identification

Yates and Pedersen (1982) list seven

North American species of moles.

They are the eastern mole (Scalopus

aquaticus), hairy-tailed mole

(Parascalops breweri), star-nosed mole

(Condylura cristata), broad-footed mole

(Scapanus latimanus), Townsend’s mole

(Scapanus townsendii), coast mole

(Scapanus orarius), and shrew mole

(Neurotrichus gibbsii).

The mole discussed here is usually

referred to as the eastern mole

(Scalopus aquaticus). It is an insectivore,

not a rodent, and is related to shrews

and bats.

True moles may be distinguished from

meadow mice (voles), shrews, or

pocket gophers—with which they are

often confused—by noting certain

characteristics. They have a hairless,

pointed snout extending nearly 1/2

inch (1.3 cm) in front of the mouth

opening. The small eyes and the open-

ing of the ear canal are concealed in

the fur; there are no external ears. The

forefeet are very large and broad, with

palms wider than they are long. The

toes are webbed to the base of the

claws, which are broad and depressed.

The hind feet are small and narrow,

with slender, sharp claws.

Average Dimensions and Weight

Males :

Average total length, 7 inches (17.6 cm)

Average length of tail, 1 1/4 inches

(3.3 cm)

Average weight, 4 ounces (115 g)

Females:

Average total length, 6 5/8 inches

(16.8 cm)

Average length of tail, 1 1/4 inches

(3.3 cm)

Average weight, 3 ounces (85 g)

Range

Out of the seven species that occur in

North America, three inhabit lands

east of the Rocky Mountains (Yates

and Pedersen 1982). The eastern mole

is the most common and its range is

shown in figure 2. The star-nosed mole

is most common in northeastern

United States and southeastern

Canada, sharing much of the same

range as the hairy-tailed mole. The

remaining four species are found west

of the Rocky Mountains. The

Townsend mole and the coast mole are

distributed in the extreme northwest

corner of the United S tates and south-

west Canada. The broad-footed mole

is found in southern Oregon and

throughout the coastal region of Cali-

fornia excluding the Baja peninsula.

Finally, the shrew mole is also found

along the West Coast from Santa Cruz

County, California, to southern British

Columbia (Yates and Pedersen 1982).

Habitat

The mole lives in the seclusion of un-

derground burrows, coming to the

surface only rarely, and then often by

accident. Researchers believe that the

mole is a loner. On several occasions

two or even three moles have been

trapped at the same spot, but that does

not necessarily mean they had been

living together in a particular burrow.

Networks of runways made indepen-

dently occasionally join otherwise

separate burrows.

Because of their food requirements,

moles must cover a larger amount of

area than do most animals that live

underground. The home range of a

male mole is thought to be almost 20

times that of a male plains pocket

Fig. 2. Range of the eastern mole in North

America.

gopher. Three to five moles per acre

(7 to 12 per ha) is considered a high

population for most areas in the Great

Plains.

Deep runways lead from the mole’s

den to its hunting grou nds. The den-

ning area proper consists of irregular

chambers here and there connected

with the deep runways. The runways

follow a course from 5 to 8 inches (12.7

to 20.3 cm) beneath the surface of the

ground. The chambers from which

these runs radiate are about the size of

a quart jar.

Most of a mole’s runway system is

made u p of shallow tunnels ranging

over its hunting ground. These tunnels

may not be used again or they may be

re-traversed at irregular intervals.

Eventually, they become filled by the

settling soil, especially after heavy

showers. In some cases, moles push

soil they have excavated from their

deep runways into the shallow tun-

nels. These subterranean hu nting paths

are about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches (3.2 to

3.8 cm) in diameter. Moles usually

ridge up the surface of the soil, so their

tunnels can be readily followed. In wet

weather, runways are very shallow;

during a dry period they range some-

what deeper, following the course of

earthworms.

Moles make their home burrows in

high, dry spots, but they prefer to hunt

in soil that is shaded, cool, moist, and

populated by worms and grubs. This

preference ac counts for the mole’s

attraction to lawns and parks. In

neglected orchards and natural wood-

lands, moles work undisturbed. The

ground can be infiltrated with run-

ways. Moles commonly make their

denning areas under portions of large

trees, buildings, or sidewalks.

The maze of passages that thread the

soil provides protective cover and

traffic for several species of small

mammals. Voles (meadow mice),

white-footed mice, and house mice live

in and move through mole runways,

helping themselves to grains, seeds,

and tubers. The mole, however, often

gets blamed for damaging these

plants. Moles “swim” through soil,

often near the ground surface, in their

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search for worms, insects, and other

foods. In doing so, they may damage

plants by disrupting their roots (Fig. 3).

Food Habits

The teeth of a mole (see Fig. 1) indicate

the characteristics of its food and gen-

eral behavior. In several respects moles

are much more closely related to car-

nivorous or flesh-eating mammals

than to rodents. The mole’s diet con-

sists mainly of the insects, grubs, and

worms it finds in the soil (Table 1).

Moles are thought to damage roots

and tubers by feeding on them, but ro-

dents usually are to blame.

Moles eat from 70% to 100% of their

weight each day. A mole’s appetite

seems to be insatiable. Experiments

with captive moles show that they will

usually eat voraciously as long as they

are supplied with food to their liking.

The tremendous amount of energy

expended in plowing through soil

requires a correspondingly large

amount of food to sup ply that energy.

Moles must have this food at frequent

intervals.

Table 1. Stomach contents of 100

eastern moles:

Food item

Number

of stomachs

White grubs

64

Earthworms

49

Beetles

67

Beetle larvae

44

Other larvae

25

Centipedes

25

Ants

19

Wasps

7

Flies

2

Plant fibers and rootlets 2

Seed pods or husks

43

Crickets

10

Insect fragments

31

Puparia

21

Cocoons

10

Spiders

23

Grasshoppers

2

Bugs

3

Skin of grain or roots

3

Hairworm

1

General Biology,

Reproduction, and

Behavior

Moles prefer loose, moist soil abound-

ing in grubs and earthworms. They are

most commonly found in fields and

woods shaded by vegetation, and are

not able to maintain existence in hard,

compact, semiarid soil.

The mole is not a social animal. Moles

do not hibernate but are more or less

active at all seasons of the year. They

are busiest finding and storing foods

during rainy periods in summer.

The gestation period of moles is

approximately 42 days. Three to five

young are born, mainly in March and

early April.

The moles have only a few natural

enemies because of their secluded life

underground. Coyotes, dogs, badgers,

and skunks dig out a few of them, and

occasionally a cat, hawk, or owl sur-

prises one above ground. Spring

floods are probably the greatest dan-

ger facing adult m oles and their

young.

Fig. 3. Moles “swim” through soil, often near the

ground surface, in their search for worms,

insects, and other foods. In doing so, they may

damage plants by disrupting their roots.

Damage and Damage

Identification

Moles remove many damaging

insects and grubs from lawns and

gardens. However, their burrowing

habits disfigure lawns and parks,

destroy flower beds, tear up the

roots of grasses, and create havoc in

small garden plots.

It is important to properly identify

the kind of animal causing damage

before setting out to control the dam-

age. Moles and pocket gophers are

often found in the same location and

their damage is often confused.

Control methods differ for the two

species.

Moles leave volcano-shaped hills

(Fig. 4a) that are often made up of

clods of soil. The mole hills are

pushed up from the deep tunnels

and may be 2 to 24 inches (5 to 60

cm) tall. The number of mole hills is

not a measure of the number of

moles in a given area. Surface tun-

nels (Fig. 4b) or ridges are indicative

of mole activity.

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Pocket gopher mounds are generally

kidney-shaped and made of finely

sifted and cloddy soil (Fig. 4c). Gener-

ally, gophers leave larger mounds than

moles do. Gopher mounds are often

built in a line, indicative of a deeper

tunnel system.

Legal Status

Moles are unprotected in most states.

See state and local laws for types of

traps, toxicants, and other methods of

damage control that can be used.

Damage Prevention and

Control Methods

Exclusion

For small areas, such as seed beds,

install a 24-inch (61-cm) roll sheet

metal or hardware cloth fence. Place

the fence at the ground surface and

bury it to a depth of at least 12 inches

(30 cm), bent out at a 90

o

angle (Fig. 5).

Cultural Methods

In practice, packing the soil with a

roller or reducing soil moisture may

reduce a habitat’s attractiveness to

moles. Packing may even kill moles if

done in the early morning or late

evening.

Milky-spore disease is a satisfac tory

natural control for certain white grubs,

one of the mole’s major food sources.

It may take several years, however, for

the milky-spore disease to become

established. Treatments are most effec-

tive when they are made on a commu-

nity-wide basis. The spore dust can be

applied at a rate of 2 pounds per acre

(2.3 kg/ha) and in sp ots 5 to 10 feet

(1.5 to 3m) apart (1 level teaspoon [4 g]

per spot). If you wish to try discourag-

ing moles by beginning a control pro-

gram for white grubs, contact your

local extension agent for recom-

mended procedu res.

Because moles feed largely on insects

and worms, the use of certain insecti-

cides may reduce their food supply,

causing them to leave the area. How-

ever, before doing so, they may

Fig. 4. Mole sign

Fig. 4a. Moles push dirt through vertical tunnels onto surface of ground.

Mole hill

Fig. 4b. Ridge caused by tunneling of mole under sod.

Fig. 5. Mole fence

Plug

Plug

Gopher mound

Mole tunnel and hill

Fig. 4c. Comparison of gopher mound and mole hill.

D-55

increase their digging in search of

food, possibly increasing damage to

turf or garden areas. Check local

sources of insecticides for controlling

grubs. Follow the label instructions for

use.

Frightening

Some electronic, magnetic, and vibra-

tional devices have been promoted as

being effec tive in frightening or repel-

ling moles. None, however, have been

proven effective.

Repellents

No chemical products are registered or

effective for repelling moles. Borders

of marigolds may repel moles from

gardens, although this method has not

been scientifically tested.

Toxicants

Since moles normally do not consume

grain, toxic grain baits are seldom

effective. Two poisons are federally

registered for use against moles.

Ready-to-use grain baits containing

strychnine are sold at nurseries or

garden supply stores.

Recent work by Elshoff and Dudderar

at Michigan State University reported

on the use of Orco Mole Bait, a chloro-

phacinone pellet which is used in

Washington and some other states

under 24(c) permits for mole damage

control. Even though the researchers

stated the use of this toxicant is a

highly effective and easily applied

mole control technique, there are dis-

advantages. Two or more successive

treatments are often required. An

average of 21 1/2 days was required to

achieve zero damage on treated dry

soil and 39 days on treated irrigated

soils.

Fumigants

Two fumigants, aluminum phosphide

and gas c artridges, are federally regis-

tered for use against moles (see Sup-

plies and Materials). Aluminum

phosphide is a Restricted Use Pesti-

cide. These fumigants have the great-

est effectiveness when the materials

are placed in the mole’s deep burrows,

not in the surface runways. Golf

course owners, however, report that

moles can be repelled from surface

tunnels by placing aluminum phos-

phide pellets in them. Since state pesti-

cide registrations vary, check with

your local extension or USDA-APHIS-

ADC office for information on toxi-

cants and rep ellents that are legal in

your area. Care should be taken when

using chemicals. Read and follow label

instructions when using toxicants and

fumigants.

Trapping

Trapping is the most successful and

practical method of getting rid of

moles. There are several mole traps on

the market. Each, if p roperly handled,

will give good results. The traps are set

over a depressed portion of the surface

tunnel. As a mole moves through the

tunnel, it pushes upward on the

depressed tunnel roof and trips the

broad trigger pan of the trap. The

brand names of the more common

traps are: Victor® mole trap, Out O’

Sight®, and Nash® (choker loop) mole

trap (Fig. 6). The Victor® trap has

sharp spikes that impale the mole

when the spikes are driven into the

ground by the spring. The Out O’

Sight® trap has scissorlike jaws that

close firmly across the runway, one

pair on either side of the trigger pan.

The Nash® trap has a choker loop that

tightens around the mole’s body.

Others include the Easy-Set mole

eliminator, Cinch mole trap , and the

Death-Klutch gopher trap.

These traps are well suited to moles

because the mole springs them when

following its natural instinct to reopen

obstructed passageways.

Success or failure in the use of these

devices depends largely on the

operator’s knowledge of the mole’s

habits and of the trap mechanism.

Fig. 6. Mole traps: (a) Out O’ Sight® (scissor-jawed), (b) Victor® (harpoon), and (c) Nash® (choker loop).

a

c

b

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To set a trap properly, select a place in

the surface runway where there is evi-

dence of fresh mole activity and where

the burrow runs in a straight line (Fig.

7). Dig out a portion of the burrow,

locate the tunnel, and replace the soil,

packing it firmly where the trigger pan

will rest (Fig. 8).

To set the harpoon or impaling-type

trap, raise the spring, set the safety

catch, and push the supporting spikes

into the ground, one on either side of

the runway (Fig. 9). The trigger pan

should just touch the earth where the

soil is pac ked down. Release the safety

catch and allow the imp aling spike to

be forced down into the ground by the

spring. This will allow the spike to

penetrate the burrow when the trap is

sprung later. Set the trap and leave it.

Do not tread on or disturb any other

portion of the mole’s runway.

To set a scissor-jawed trap , dig out a

portion of a straight surface runway,

and repack it with fine soil. Set the trap

and secure it by a safety hook with its

jaws forced into the ground. It shou ld

straddle the runway (Fig. 10a) until the

trigger pan touches the packed soil

between the jaws. The points of the

jaws are set about 1 inch (2.5 cm)

below the mole’s runway and the trig-

ger pan should rest on the portion as

previously described. Care should be

taken to see that the trap is in line with

the runway so the mole will have to

pass directly between the jaws. In

heavy clay soils be sure to cut a path

for the jaws (Fig. 10b) so they can close

quickly. The jaws of this trap are

rather short, so be sure the soil on the

top of the mole run is low enough to

bring the trap down nearer to the

actual burrow. Set the triggers on both

traps so that they will spring easily

(Fig. 11). Remember to release the

safety hook before releasing the trap.

Be careful when handling these traps.

To set a choker trap, use a garden

trowel to make an excavation across

the tunnel. Make it a little deeper than

the tunnel and j ust the width of the

trap. Note the exact direction of the

tunnel from the open ends, and place

the set trap so that its loop encircles

this course (Fig. 12). Block the

Fig. 7. A network of mo le

runways in a yard. The

arro wheads (v) indicate good

lo cations to set traps. Avoid

the twisting surface ridges and

do not place traps on top of

mounds.

Fig. 8a. Excavation of a mole tunnel is the

first step in setting a mo le trap.

Fig. 8b. Replace the soil loosely in the excavation.

Fig. 9. Set the harpoon-type trap directly over the runway so that its

supporting stakes straddle the runway and its spikes go into the runway.

Fence row

Mounds

Deep run

Surface ridges

Driveway

D-57

Fig. 10a. Set the scissor-jawed trap so that the jaws straddle the runway.

Fig. 10b. In heavy soils, make a path for the jaws to travel so they

can close quickly.

Fig. 13. A mole can be live-c aptured in a pit trap. Be sure to use a board or other object to shut out all

light. Cave in the runway just in front of the jar on both sides.

Fig. 11. Set mole trap triggers so they will spring

easily. A hair-trigger setting o n the scissor-

jawed trap is shown here.

Fig. 12. The choker loop trap is

set so that the loop encircles the

mole’s runway.

Board

Mole runway

Cave in runway here

Line of floor of runway

Jar

excavated section with loose, damp

soil from which all gravel and debris

have been removed. Pack the soil

firmly underneath the trigger pan with

your fingers and settle the trap so that

the trigger rests snugly on the built-up

soil. Finally, fill the trap hole with

enough loose soil to cover the trap

level with the trigger pan and to

exclude all light from the mole

burrow.

If a trap fails to catch a mole after 2

days, it can mean the mole has

changed its habits, the runway was

disturbed too much, the trap was

improperly set, or the trap was

detected by the mole. In any event,

move the trap to a new location.

If one cares to take the time, moles

can be caught alive. Examine tunnels

early in the morning or evening where

fresh burrowing operations have been

noted. Quietly approach the area

where the earth is being heaved up.

Quickly strike a spade into the ridge

behind the mole and throw the animal

out onto the surface. A mole occa-

sionally can be driven to the surface

by flooding a runway system with

water from a hose or ditch. Another

method is to bury a 3-p ound (1.4-kg)

coffee can or a wide-mouth quart

(0.95 l) glass jar in the path of the mole

and cover the top of the burrow with a

board (Fig. 13).

D-58

Other Methods

Nearly everyone has heard of a sure-

fire home remedy for controlling

moles. In theory, various materials

placed in mole tunnels cause moles to

die or at least leave the area. Such

cures suggest placing broken bottles,

ground glass, razor blades, thorny rose

branches, bleaches, various petroleum

products, sheep dip , household lye,

chewing gum, and even human hair in

the tunnel. Other remedies include

mole wheels, pop bottles, windmills,

bleach bottles with wind vents placed

on sticks, and similar gadgets. Though

colorful and sometimes decorative,

these gadgets add nothing to our

arsenal of effective mole control

methods.

Another cure-all is the so-called mole

plant or caper spurge (Euphorbia

latharis). Advertisers claim that when

planted frequently throughout the

lawn and flower beds, such plants

supposedly act as living mole repel-

lents. No known research supp orts this

claim. Castor beans are also supposed

to repel moles. Caution must be used,

however, since castor beans are poi-

sonous to humans. S everal electromag-

netic devices or “repellers” have been

marketed for the control of rats, mice,

gophers, moles, ants, termites, and

various other pests. Laboratory tests

have not proven these devices to be

effective. Unfortunately, there are no

short cuts or magic wands when con-

trolling moles.

Economics of Damage

and Control

Perhaps more problems are encoun-

tered with moles than with any other

single kind of wild animal. Unfortu-

nately, people lack an appreciation of

the importance of moles and the diffi-

culty of gaining complete control

where habitats are attractive to moles.

Before initiating a control program for

moles, be sure that they are truly out

of place. Moles play an important role

in the management of soil and of grubs

that destroy lawns. Moles work over

the soil and subsoil. Only a part of this

work is visible at the surface. Tunnel-

ing through soil and shifting of soil

particles permits better aeration of the

soil and subsoil, carrying humus far-

ther down and bringing the subsoil

nearer the surface where the elements

of plant food may be made available.

Moles eat harmful lawn pests such as

white grubs. They also eat beneficial

earthworms. S tomach analyses show

that nearly two-thirds of the moles

studied had eaten white grubs.

If the individual mole is not out of

place, consider it an asset. If a particu-

lar mole or moles are where you do

not want them, remove the moles. If

excellent habitat is present and nearby

mole populations are high, control will

be difficult. Often other moles will

move into recently vacated areas.

Acknowledgments

Figures 1 and 4 fro m Schwartz and Schwartz

(1981).

Figures 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 adapted from

various sources by Jill Sack Jo hnson.

For Additional

Information

Dudderar, G. R. Moles. Univ. Michigan. Coop.

Ext. Serv. Bull. E-863, 1 p.

Elshoff, D. K. and G. R. Dudderar. 1989. The

effectiveness of Orco mole bait in controlling

mole damage. Proc. Eastern Wildl. Damage

Control Co nf. 4: 205-209.

Godfrey, G., and P. Crowcroft. 1960. The life of

the mole. London Museum Press, 152 pp.

Henderson, F. R. 1989. Controlling nuisance

moles. Coop. Ext. Serv. Kansas State Univ.

C-701, Manhattan.

Ho lbrook, H. T. and R. M. Timm. 1986. Moles

and their control. NebGuide G86-777. Univ.

Nebraska. Co op. Ext. Lincoln. 4 pp.

San Julian, G. J. 1984. Moles. C oo p. Ext. Serv.

North Carolina State Univ. NCADCM No.

134. 3 pp.

Schwartz, C. W. and E. R. Schwartz. 1981. The

wild mammals of Missouri. rev. ed. Univ.

Missouri Press, Columbia. 356 pp.

Silver, J. and A. W. Moore. 1933. Mole control.

US Dep. Agric., Farmers Bull. No. 1716,

Washington, D.C.

Yates, T. L. and R. J. Pedersen. 1982. Moles.

Pages 37-51 in J. A. Chapman and G. A.

Feldhamer, eds. Wild mammals of North

America: biolo gy, management, and

economics. The Johns Hopkins Univ. Press,

Baltimore, Maryland.

Editors

Scott E. Hygnstrom

Robert M. Timm

Gary E. Larson