Moles are mammals of the order Insectivora (not to be confused with rodents). Their primary foods are earthworms, insect larva, and other arthropods found in the soil. The adults measure from five to eight inches in length and have dark gray or brown fur. Their feet, nose and tail are pink. The nose is fleshy and serves as a touch organ. Their eyes are small sometimes concealed by fur, and are light sensitive. The front feet are broad and equipped with well-developed claws for digging. 
Moles build an extensive network of tunnels varying in depth. Tunnels close to the surface may be visible, while deep tunnels remain concealed. Shallow tunnels where the ground is raised are usually feeding tunnels. Deep tunnels are used as living quarters where they retreat from cold, drought, heat and other adverse conditions.
A mole hill is built of dirt pushed up from these deep tunnels. Deep tunnels may be from six to twenty-four inches below the surface. Moles are very active and tunnel at an average rate of 12 to 15 feet per hour. In soft soil shallow tunnels can be generated at a rate of a foot per minute. Moles can be active at any time of day or night, and damage occurs year-round. The mole seldom appears above ground; if it does, it is usually at night.
Tunnel Invaders:
Moles usually do not share their tunnels with other moles, although tunnels may be invaded by other animals (most notably shrews, voles, mice, rats or pocket gophers). When this happens moles sometimes get blamed for injury to plant roots, tubers or seeds (rodent damage is indicated by teeth marks).
Biology:
Moles produce one litter per year in the spring, averaging three to four young. The young will stay with the female in her tunnels for about a month and then will begin tunneling on their own. The young develop very quickly and reach adult size in four to eight weeks. Populations fluctuate slowly, increasing when the habitat becomes favorable, and decreasing when food is scarce.
Habits/ Feeding:
Moles feed almost entirely on insects, grubs and earthworms as they tunnel through the soil, however, some plant material (roots and bulbs) may be consumed. It is generally felt that mole damage to plants is due to tunneling activity rather than preferences for certain roots or types of plants. Their appetite seems almost insatiable as they eat more than their body weight each day. This food requirement is necessary due to their extremely active lifestyles.
Mole control can be a difficult situation for even the experienced technician - but our knowledge of the behavior, biology, and the number of mole control techniques available will make mole removal much easier.
VOLES: ... commonly known as meadow or field mice, belong to the rodent family. There are 23 vole species found in different regions of the U.S. The range for each species is limited by specific habitat conditions. Voles occupy areas with heavy ground cover, grasses, grass-like plants or litter. Man-made dwellings such as orchards, cultivated fields and windbreaks are favored. The vole is a compact rodent with a stocky body, short legs, and a short tail. They are brown or gray in color, but many color variations exist. Voles are mouse-like in appearance (6" to 8" in length) with dense fur, and their tail is less than 3" long.
Voles are rarely ever seen because they live primarily in tunnels and runways under the lawn surface. They construct numerous surface or subsurface burrows and tunnels (1" to 2" wide) in a relatively small area, which contain numerous adults and young. Voles are primarily herbivores and forage on grasses, flowers, vegetables, fruits, bulbs and roots. During the winter months voles do not hibernate, but instead make tunnels beneath the snow, in which they gnaw on shrubs and tree bark for nutrition. The life span of an average vole is from 2 to 16 months. They breed continuously throughout the year and can have 1 to 5 litters per year, with each
litter producing 3 to 6 young.
Vole Damage and Concerns:
Accumulated vole damage is apparent when vole populations are high. Vole damage includes girdling and gnawing of trees, vegetable gardens destroyed by eating of highly nutritious roots, damage to lawns by extensive tunnel and runway systems, along with tearing up mulch in flowerbeds.
Vole Control and Management:
To successfully control vole populations one must use an integrated pest management (IPM) plan: Habitat modification is an integral aspect of effectively vole control and vole removal. Altering vole habitat includes soil cultivation, clearing vegetation, and reducing layers of mulch to 1-3 inches in flowerbeds. You can also plant flowers that naturally repel voles (such as daffodil and crown imperial).
Vole exclusion is another effective technique in controlling voles by creating subterranean barriers or gravel barriers in lawns, vegetable gardens, or flowerbeds will reduce vole runway systems and aid in the dispersal of populations. Repellents (such as Ropel and Mole-Med) can be used to prevent feeding on plants and woody structures, as well as reducing tunnels. Toxicants, fumigants, and trapping can also be used for effective vole management.
We offer a variety of integrated pest management strategies for mole/vole control or removal. Contact us for further details on mole/vole management.
VOLES: ... commonly known as meadow or field mice, belong to the rodent family. There are 23 vole species found in different regions of the U.S. The range for each species is limited by specific habitat conditions. Voles occupy areas with heavy ground cover, grasses, grass-like plants or litter. Man-made dwellings such as orchards, cultivated fields and windbreaks are favored. The vole is a compact rodent with a stocky body, short legs, and a short tail. They are brown or gray in color, but many color variations exist. Voles are mouse-like in appearance (6" to 8" in length) with dense fur, and their tail is less than 3" long.
Voles are rarely ever seen because they live primarily in tunnels and runways under the lawn surface. They construct numerous surface or subsurface burrows and tunnels (1" to 2" wide) in a relatively small area, which contain numerous adults and young. Voles are primarily herbivores and forage on grasses, flowers, vegetables, fruits, bulbs and roots. During the winter months voles do not hibernate, but instead make tunnels beneath the snow, in which they gnaw on shrubs and tree bark for nutrition. The life span of an average vole is from 2 to 16 months. They breed continuously throughout the year and can have 1 to 5 litters per year, with each
litter producing 3 to 6 young.
Vole Damage and Concerns:
Accumulated vole damage is apparent when vole populations are high. Vole damage includes girdling and gnawing of trees, vegetable gardens destroyed by eating of highly nutritious roots, damage to lawns by extensive tunnel and runway systems, along with tearing up mulch in flowerbeds.
Vole Control and Management:
To successfully control vole populations one must use an integrated pest management (IPM) plan: Habitat modification is an integral aspect of effectively vole control and vole removal. Altering vole habitat includes soil cultivation, clearing vegetation, and reducing layers of mulch to 1-3 inches in flowerbeds. You can also plant flowers that naturally repel voles (such as daffodil and crown imperial).
Vole exclusion is another effective technique in controlling voles by creating subterranean barriers or gravel barriers in lawns, vegetable gardens, or flowerbeds will reduce vole runway systems and aid in the dispersal of populations. Repellents (such as Ropel and Mole-Med) can be used to prevent feeding on plants and woody structures, as well as reducing tunnels. Toxicants, fumigants, and trapping can also be used for effective vole management.
We offer a variety of integrated pest management strategies for mole/vole control or removal. Contact us for further details on mole/vole management.
