There
are more than 30 mole species worldwide,
and 7 of them are found in North
America. If they didn't tunnel, we would
find them beneficial instead of
annoying. Moles perform vital functions
such as aerating soil and feeding on
grubs, which are (to some) a dreaded
lawn pest. Moles do not eat plant bulbs
or plant roots as commonly perceived,
but can be destructive in lawns,
gardens, nurseries, parks, golf courses,
and cemeteries. As moles burrow, mounds
and ridges are produced and this can
disfigure lawns, dislodge plants, and
injure plant roots.
Around here, the eastern mole is the
only mole species of concern. The
following is a discussion based on the
biology and habits of this species.
Moles are physiologically built for
digging underground. They have
shovel-like front feet that are more
broad than long. The backs of the feet
face each other, have outward facing
palms, and are equipped with heavy
claws. To get through the soil, the mole
uses a swimming motion. When soil is
most adequate for tunneling, after a
rain, they can travel up to 18 feet per
hour.
Although equipped with good hearing,
moles lack external ears to prevent
interference when burrowing. Their eyes
are covered with fused eyelids and can't
do more than distinguish between light
and dark.
Moles mate during February and March and
give birth to litters of 3 to 5 young
after a 6-week gestation period. Young
moles grow rapidly and attain the
appearance and behavior of an adult by
one month of age. Young moles may use
their family's burrow system for
anywhere up to six months. After that,
they begin branching off and
establishing their own territory and
burrows nearby.
Moles are solitary animals. Except for
the mating period, they attack each
other upon meeting and will fight until
one of the two retreats or is killed.
Moles burrow and forage for food during
both day and night.
Moles create two types of burrows-- deep
permanent burrows and shallow surface
runways. Moist soil is almost always
optimum for burrowing.
The commonly-seen raised tunnels that
cause unsightly landscaping scenes are
shallow surface runways. These tunnels
can be used once, at irregular
intervals, or on a regular basis.
Surface tunnels connect to deeper
tunnels located 3 to 12 inches below the
surface.
The second type of tunnel, the deep
tunnel, is the main mode of transport
used by moles on a daily basis to travel
to subsurface tunnels. The soil
excavated through the production of
these tunnels is deposited by the
creation of short, vertical tunnels that
result in volcano-like mounds. These
volcano-shaped mounds are indicative of
moles and should not be confused with
horseshoe-shaped mounds that pocket
gophers make.
The number of mounds occupying an area
of land is not an accurate means of
determining the number of moles in that
area. A general rule of thumb when
estimating mole population is that an
acre of land can support 2 to 3 moles.
However, areas that border large tracts
of forested land or weedy fields are
often subjected to increased mole
population.
As mentioned earlier, moles consume
grubs, which destroy lawns by eating
grass roots. This would make the mole a
friend of the the landowner if they
didn't produce tunnels in the process.
In addition to eating grubs, moles enjoy
earthworms, ants, centipedes,
millipedes, and the occasional seed or
vegetable matter. Moles possess an
insatiable, voracious appetite and are
able to satisfy their constant hunger
without risking injury--their powerful
forefeet provide excellent protection.
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