Mole activity occurs both during the day and night. Their damage can be seen during damp days or the day after a rain during the spring and summer months as they push up their tunnels or mounds. If the lawn freezes in the winter or there is a very dry summer, the moles use deep burrows. The deep burrows require moles to push large amounts of soil to the surface of the yard creating unsightly piles on the yard.

Moles are fast diggers and can tunnel at a rate of 50 feet per hour. In favorable areas, shallow tunnels can be built at a rate of 12 inches per minute. Digging is most noticeable in winter when they push large amounts of soil to the top of the turf. During warmer months long tunnels are created close to the surface of the ground.

Moles feed almost exclusively on earthworms. Many homeowners mistakenly believe their yard has a grub problem if moles are present. A mole will eat up to 1/2 their body weight in earthworms every 24 hours.

Moles will also eat cicada larva as they emerge from the soil. In our region 2 different species of cidadas should emerge in the summer of 2024.

In most cases 3 to 4 visits from start to finish. The first visit will consist of setting up the traps. After that we will come back to check traps every 2-3 days. Most jobs take 1 to 2 weeks from start to finish.

Breeding season is February – April, typically they give birth one time per year but some years they will breed more if food supply is abundant.  The gestation period is 45 days.

3-5 mole pups are born to each breeding female.

Moles will also eat cicada larva as they emerge from the soil. In our region 2 different species of cidadas should emerge in the summer of 2024.

Most years the primary diet is earthworms but they will eat cicada larva in years when they are emerging.

Moles eat about 70-100% of their body weight in earthworms each day. 

Up to 150 feet!