Mole facts

  • Moles are small, subterranean mammals from the Talpidae family.
  • They are very well adapted to life underground.
    • An extra thumb next to a regular thumb helps them shift large volumes of earth.
    • Their fur sits vertical to their skin so that they can move as quickly backwards as they can forwards.
    • Moles eat a diet of earthworms and other small invertebrates found in the soil.
    • They can tolerate low oxygen levels.
  • Moles are mostly solitary animals, coming together only to mate, but territories often overlap.
  • The earth that moles move to make their burrows is expelled into mole hills above the surface. This can:
    • kill parts of your lawn
    • undermine plant roots
    • damage lawn mowers and farm machinery
    • on agricultural land mole hills can damage crops and contaminate silage
    • make a lawn unusable for sporting activities such as golf.
  • Moles have tiny eyes and can’t see very well, instead relying on their other senses to navigate and find food.

What you can do​ ​

  • We would normally recommend removing the resources a pest is using to deter them from an area. However, we do not endorse killing off entire ecosystems underground (such as earthworms and invertebrates that they feed on) to keep moles away!
  • Electronic/sonic deterrents are not effective (see https://doesitreallywork.org).
    • You may notice a short-term benefit, but most users report that moles ‘get used’ to the sonic bleeps and return, or move on to another area in the property.
  • Instead, call us to discuss a trapping programme.

If you have a mole infestation, we will…

  • Investigate the burrow system.
  • Set specialist traps throughout the burrow system.
  • Come back and reset traps (usually 2-3 visits are needed) until we are happy that all the moles in the area have been removed.
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