No, moles are not mice. Moles are not rodents. They belong to the mammalian Order Soricomorpha, as do shrews and hedgehogs. If you have ever seen a mole they definitely are weird looking.
The Eastern mole is the species we have in Ohio. These moles have pointed snouts, large rounded front feet that have strong claws and are turned outward, a short almost naked tail.
Moles are larger than mice, 5 to 8 inches in length, and have soft velvety fur that is usually gray to silvery gray in color. Their eyes and ears are hard to find as they are hidden beneath their fur.
Moles are annoying and destructive pests. The mole activity may produce ridges and mounds that can disfigure your lawn and may dislodge plants or injure plant roots.
They are most active in the spring and fall on damp days or during rainy periods. When the summer temperatures heat up and the ground dries up or is frozen in the winter the yard diggers go deeper following their food source into their deeper burrows.
Their food source is primarily earth worms. They will eat grubs, ants, and other arthropods that are discovered as they travel through the soil. The tunnels created by these creatures actually help in the aeration of the soil and water movement to some areas of yards.
According to studies on moles, their mating season is in February and March with one litter of three to five young born in the spring after a six-week gestation period. The babies grow quickly and after a month are acting like and look like an adult just smaller in size.
The young moles will stay in their families burrow system about 6 months before leaving and starting their own tunnels and families nearby.
Moles create two types of tunnels or runways. Subsurface runways are used for feeding and are the tunnels close to the surface that we step on and sink into our yards. We see these tunnels as raised ridges running through our lawns.
These busy animals can extend these subsurface runways up to 100 feet a day. Unfortunately moles are not consistent in their use of these tunnels. They might use them daily, or never again.
The other type of runway is a deep burrow that is 4 to 12 inches below the surface and is normally used daily. These burrows are connectors between the main subsurface runways and the nest. The soils from these deep tunnels are deposited on the surface of the lawn and look like volcanoes.
The number of these mounds seen on yards often makes people think they have an enormous infestation but one mature mole can produce a dozen or so mounds in a period of one week.
Controlling mole populations can be complicated by adjacent fields or yards containing mole families not being controlled. However, 2016 promises to see new victories and success in the removal of moles with some innovative traps, techniques, and baits recently developed.
Not all Professional Pest Management Companies do mole work. Check their websites or place a call to see if a particular firm handles this pest problem.
