Got a Mole? - Got a Hole Load of Problems!

The most obvious signs of a moles presence within your garden will be piles of excavated earth from their extreme tunnelling activities! These mole hills are the cause of many a headache for those of us that are green fingered!

Unfortunately these hills are a clear indication that there is a maze of tunnels underneath the surface. Burrowing up to 100 metres per night each tunnel can be a few hundred meters long. Which means one mole can do substantial damage in its short three year life span, as apart from during their breeding season moles tend to live a rather solitary existence.

With a female having between 3 and 5 young in a litter, if you see a large mole hill it is most likely to be a moles nesting site. These nesting sites are known as a fortress and at just 8 weeks these babies leave their parents and begin their own tunnelling lives!

Adult reach up to 20cm in length and have soft greyish black fur alongside their signature snout like nose and small eyes they are misleading as to the amount of damage they can actually do!

They have extremely strong limbs and their shovel like paws are most effective in digging earth. So why are they considered a pest? As they create their tunnels they disturb and chew through roots damage to agricultural lands and recreational grounds can occur. Not only is this unsightly but this can lead to subsidence and cause issues with maintenance not to mention trip hazards!

The bigger hills create good homes for other pests such as mice too. Moles have a four hour window of activity followed by four hours of rest this sequence continues throughout the day.
They are unable to store fat and so must continue tunnelling and eating throughout the year. In the depths of winter and the height of summer they may burrow deeper in search of food.

For help and advice with unwanted moles, give us a call and we can discuss what action can be taken to resolve your problem.