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Moles
Have you ever seen raised ridges on the landscape you’ve put so much work into? A mole could be the culprit. Moles can create tunnels under your lawn, causing serious damage to landscaping. At times, you may need to consider mole control treatment in order to protect your property.
Don’t worry - Western Exterminator is here to help! We can provide mole control that will help get rid of a mole on your property so you can keep it looking great. So, if you think you have a problem with moles, contact your local Western Exterminator office today!
What does a mole look like?
Moles are certainly interesting-looking animals. The mole is colored gray to silvery gray and generally has a pointed snout and large, rounded feet with claws. Most moles are about five to eight inches in length with a short tail.
Do moles have eyes? Yes, they do - but they’re hard to see.
Unlike what many people believe, a mole is not a rodent - it’s part of the same order as shrews.
The Pacific Coast states have four species of moles:
- Broad-footed mole (Scapanus latimanus) - located from south-central Oregon to northern Baja California (Mexico)
- Coast mole (Scapanus orarius) - located in areas of Washington and Oregon and coastal northwestern California
- Townsend’s mole (Scapanus townsendii) - located in Oregon, Washington and northwestern California
- Shrew-mole (Neurotrichus gibbsii) - located in western Washington, western Oregon and part of western California
Broad-footed moles, coast moles, and Townsend’s moles look similar but the shrew-mole is blackish and similar in size to a house mouse. The shrew-mole is not plentiful and likely not harmful.
What do moles eat?
Moles mainly get nourishment from grubs, earthworms, beetles and other creatures in soil. They also may sometimes eat seeds or vegetable matter. Moles are capable of eating a large percent of their body weight.
When are baby moles born?
Moles mate during the late winter and have three to four baby moles on average during March or April. Baby mole grow pretty fast, and are almost the size of adults in about a month. Moles live for about three years on average, which means a female mole can have several baby moles in its lifetime.
Where are mole tunnels found?
Most moles live underground for most of of the time. Moles create two kinds of tunnels:
- Near the surface - located just below the surface of the soil,. These tunnels look like raised ridges through the ground. These tunnels are used for catching prey and are frequently connected to other tunnels.
- Deep tunnels - found several inches to a foot under the surface of the ground.
What do mole mounds look like?
How can you figure out if moles are around? One surefire sign is loose mounds of soil. These mole mounds come from soil dug from the deeper tunnels put onto the surface and they resemble volcanoes.
How can you determine if it’s a mole mound or gopher mound? A key difference is gopher mounds are usually kidney-shaped.
A single mature mole is capable of creating roughly a dozen mounds over a single week. Ridges and mole mounds can be unappealing. Tunnels may make it hard to mow the lawn. Also, mole burrows may give opportunity for other mammals - voles, for instance - to move through them.
How Western Exterminator gets rid of moles
During the winter or summer, moles prefer deeper burrows, but you may see a mole in the spring and fall as well as on damp days because moles are typically more active after rain. If you’ve got a mole problem, try to keep your grass trimmed so you can more easily see new tunnels. Do not place sod or soil on mole tunnels - this will make them harder to see.
Of course, the best way to find out if you have moles, gophers or some other pest is to call in a professional. Just missing a couple of moles, mole tunnels or something else, can cause a new or larger infestation. It takes a professional mole control technician to spot all of the places where moles are hiding and provide the right treatment to get rid of moles in your yard.
Sometimes the problem reaches a point where mole extermination should take place. If you think a mole is on your landscape, contact Western Exterminator for control. We will help you get rid of a mole issue so you can feel at peace on your property.
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