Moles
Moles are
silver grey to black in colour, around 12-15cm in length and weigh around 70 -
100gms.
Their fur
lies in either direction so that they can move forwards and backwards through
their tunnels with ease. They have sensory hairs on their heads, forefeet and
tail, which allows them to pick up information from vibrations in the ground.
They have
spade like front feet which are used for digging and fully formed eyes that can
distinguish light and dark. Their ears are small but their hearing is very good
and helps them to find food, sense predators and other moles, they are also
good swimmers.
Earthworms
are the moles main diet but they also eat insect larvae, molluscs and other
invertebrates. Moles are solitary by nature and live for the most of the time
in their tunnel system.
Distribution
Moles are
found in most of Europe except for Ireland and live in grassland, deciduous
woodland areas, playing fields, parks, golf courses, and private gardens.
Life cycle
The mole
will live for approximately three years and the breeding season is between
February and June. The mole only has one litter of young a year and the
gestation period is four weeks. The litter of young is between two and seven
and the young are born blind and without fur. The mother feeds them for four to
five weeks after that they leave the nest to fend for themselves and soon after
that they will make a home of their own. Moles do not hibernate and are active
all year round.
Significance
Due to
the moles tunnelling behaviour they cause damage to land by the unsightly mole
hills they cause. On lawns and golf courses the area disfigured by the mole
hill prevents the grass from growing and allows weeds to grow. Where they have
been digging under crops it can cause some of the crop to die or have its
growth stunted.
Control Methods
Moles can
be trapped but specialist traps have to be used. The use of traps is time
consuming but can be very effective if used by a professional. Domestically
this is pretty much the only solution to mole control now. Gassing can be
undertaken for mole treatment but has to be done in under very strict
guidelines and under certain circumstances should not be used at all. Vertech
offer tailor made mole control programs please call to discuss this with us.