Moles are one of the most misunderstood pest around the home because not many people have a problem with them and they are not often referred to as pests. This creature is an insectivore rather than a vertebrate such as those of the Rodent Family.

Moles Diet

A moles diet consists mainly of insects and other soil-inhabiting creatures so can help to prevent such pests destroying your garden. However a moles diet is the part that tends to cause most problems and gives them the title of pests.

During the burrowing in search of a Moles Diet the moles can raise earthy lumps across lawns, which can be a nuisance to those who care for their gardens.

Identifying Mole Species

There are three major species of mole that cause problems for people, those being the Eastern Mole, the Townsend's mole (USA inhabitant) and the Broad-Footed mole.

• The Eastern Mole can range in size from 5 to 8 inches in length and have closely cropped hair, which is grey/silver in appearance.
• The Townsend's Mole is slightly larger than the Eastern and can range in colour from blue/black to grey.
• The Broad-Footed Mole is about the same size as the Eastern mole but is brownish-grey in colour.

All three mole species have other distinct characteristics including an elongated snout, large padded feet with claws for digging and a short, nearly hairless tail.

Their design is well suited to pursuing their food.

Mole Habitats

Moles create a series of horizontal and vertical runways. The ones seen by people are shallow, horizontal runways which raise the soil under lawns or under plants and the short, vertical runways indicated by the volcano like mounds of soil.

The main tunnels are much deeper below the soil and allow the moles to travel quickly within their realm, which can be quite extensive depending on the size of the Mole Colony. Soil that is removed from these tunnels is pushed to the surface by using the vertical runways mentioned above and it is this which creates the mounds of soil.

Controlling Moles

One method of controlling a mole problem is to shorten a Moles Diet by killing as many insects and worms as possible. This can be done by buying certain types of Pesticides from hardware stores. However, it should be noted that because of the scope of a Moles Diet range not all of their dietary requirements can be killed in this method.

If the problem is still there after a Moles Diet has been cut it may be worth trying Mole Traps. The problem with mole trap and bait is that they require a lot of time to set up because the active tunnels have to be identified before the mole trap can be placed to ensure it's effectiveness.