Moles prefer loose, moist soil rich with grubs and earthworms. They are most commonly found in fields and woods shaded by vegetation, and are not able to maintain existence in hard, compact, semi-arid soil.

The mole is not a social animal. Moles do not hibernate but are more or less active at all seasons of the year. They are busiest finding and storing foods during rainy periods in summer.

The gestation period of moles is approximately 42 days. Three to five young are born, mainly in March and early April.

Moles have only a few natural enemies because of their secluded life underground. Coyotes, dogs, badgers, and skunks dig out a few of them, and occasionally a cat, hawk, or owl surprises one above ground. Spring floods are probably the greatest danger facing adult moles and their young.

Moles remove many damaging insects and grubs from lawns and gardens. However, their burrowing habits disfigure lawns and parks, destroy flower beds, tear up the roots of grasses, and create havoc in small garden plots.

It is important to properly identify the kind of animal causing damage before setting out to control the damage. Moles and pocket gophers are often found in the same location and their damage is often confused. Control methods differ for the two species. Another animal often mistaken for moles is voles. Voles are sometimes called meadow mice, In the spring after the snow melts people will see surface runs through their lawns with grass clipping piles, this damage is caused by voles. When fall fertilizing is done it promotes new growth and it is this new growth that voles love, and under the cover of snow they can cause a considerable amount of damage.

Moles leave volcano-shaped hills that are often made up of clods of soil. The mole hills are pushed up from the deep tunnels and may be 2 to 24 inches (5 to 60 cm) tall. The number of mole hills is not a measure of the number of moles in a given area. Surface tunnels or ridges are indicative of mole activity. Pocket gopher mounds are generally kidney-shaped and made of finely sifted and cloddy soil. Generally, gophers leave larger mounds than moles do. Gopher mounds are often built in a line, indicative of a deeper tunnel system.

We have both traps and poisons that are highly effective to remove moles. To learn how to properly trap moles we have mole trapping videos and books.