Title: Controlling Nuisance Moles | MU Extension
Headings: Controlling Nuisance Moles
Controlling Nuisance Moles
Robert A. Pierce
Extension Fish and Wildlife Specialist
School of Natural Resources
(opens in new window)
Mole activity
(opens in new window)
Damage prevention and control techniques
Cultural methods and habitat modification
Repellents
Toxicants
Fumigants
Traps
Catching moles alive
Other methods
(opens in new window)
Economics of damage and control
(opens in new window)
Additional information

Content: Moles have high energy requirements and thus have large appetites. They can eat 70 to 80 percent of their weight daily. They actively feed day and night at all times of the year. Moles feed on mature insects, snail larvae, spiders, small vertebrates, earthworms and, occasionally, small amounts of vegetation. Earthworms and white grubs are preferred foods. Mole activity in lawns or fields usually appears as ridges of upheaved soil. The ridges are created where the runways are constructed as the animals move about foraging for food. Burrowing activity occurs year-round but peaks during warm, wet months. Some of these tunnels are used as travel lanes and may be abandoned immediately after being dug. Mounds of soil called molehills may be brought to the surface of the ground as moles dig deep, permanent tunnels and nest cavities.