Common Signs of Moles – What to Look For

Are You Seeing Mounded Dirt on Your Property? Here’s how to determine if it could be a mole!

Mole Mounds

The most common sign of mole activity will be trails of mounded dirt that often run along the edge of hard surfaces (bricks, concrete, etc). They will also leave raised mounds of dirt that look more volcanic in shape and are chunkier in consistency than gopher mounds. Moles create both deep and shallow tunnels underground in order to hunt for grubs, bugs, and worms and leave behind these mounds and trails as they shovel the dirt behind them. Moles do not tend to come to the surface so you will not see any plugged holes like you do with gopher mounds.

Examples of Mole Mounds:

Do Moles Damage Plants?

Moles are carnivorous so they do not eat plants. However, they can potentially cause damage to the roots while they dig so you can sometimes see some plant or lawn death as well.

Grubs in The Soil:

Mole Appearance

It is extremely uncommon for moles to come to the surface but sometimes they can make a very brief appearance. They have tiny eyes and long flexible snouts that help them sniff out their food. They are most recognizable by their very large, shovel-like front paws. They use their paws to bulldoze through the dirt.

Mole Activity

Like gophers, moles are also native to North America. They also do not hibernate so they are active all year round – especially near areas with creeks or where the soil will be moist. This is because their food source tends to be more plentiful in the hydrated and nutrient rich soil. Luckily this means that they are a bit less commonly found in our landscapes. Moles are more likely than to leave a property on their own because they travel much further in search of food. Moles can move through up to 15 ft of soil per hour so they can pass through your property very quickly.

Moles are also territorial but do cohabitate briefly during breeding season (late winter to early spring). Mole litters tend to be small with only about 2-5 pups per litter. The pups will leave their mother’s territory about a month after birth to create their own burrows.

What Can You Do?

You can find a number of DIY solutions for mole removal online but we have found our mole control service to be a more effective option. We utilize lethal traps and our expert technicians will continuously monitor your property until there is no more new activity.

You can read more about our service here!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to give us a call or submit an online form!