Identify your Pests > Moles

These mammals are classified as insectivores and their principal diet consists of live earthworms, grubs, beetles, ants and other insect larvae. Their appetite is voracious, and they generally eat in excess of their own weight in food every day. Moles become major pests when they destroy lawns, golf courses, and parks with unsightly burrows and earth mounds. As well as disturbing the root systems of many plants and creating underground travel lanes for other small mammals, (most notably the mouse) they create danger underfoot on sports / playing fields, and in paddocks and fields. Moles are known have been the cause of broken or sprained limbs on horses and farm animals.
Moles have a hairless, pointed snout and small eyes. For the most part they live in seclusion in underground burrows, rarely coming to the surface. These mammals are solitary and no more than 2 or 3 moles tend to occupy the same burrow system. Each year a mole can give birth to one litter of up to six young. Gestation lasts as little as five weeks, and litters are produced any time from mid -April through to June.
Because of the extensive network and length of the tunnels, which moles are able to dig at a rate of 12 to 15 feet per hour, it may appear that many moles occupy an area. Moles dig elaborate tunnel systems and have feeding runways just beneath the grass, with the ridge being elevated and easily visible. The tunnel system will have many yards of travelling tunnels within several inches of the ground surface. As the weather cools, moles will retreat into their deeper tunnels up to five feet beneath the surface.

101 old wives tales and farmers' stories exist for the treatment and prevention of moles which range from urine, moth balls, and creosote deterrents, to vibration and ultra sonic machines. Effective treatment can be achieved by trapping and when properly used, provide the simplest and most effective method of control. For trapping to succeed, it is vital to select a frequently used tunnel. Experience helps greatly, however, and it is both extremely time consuming and costly if undertaken by a contractor. Prokill utilise licensed fumigants which are extremely effective in the control of moles, combined with knowledge of breeding and living habits, which aid in determining when and where to treat. This work can only be undertaken by specifically trained personnel and is subject to site risk assessments and method statements.