This will be the first of 2 blogs about Moles and Voles. The posts will explain what they are, why they are considered pests and how to manage them.
Moles are insectivores, which means they generally don’t eat plants, but instead they eat earthworms, insects, grubs, slugs and in some cases even small snakes or mice.
Adult moles generally measure between 12-20 cm in length. They can range in colour from dark grey to brown and they have small eyes but big front paws with strong claws that they use for digging and tunneling in soil.
Moles don’t hibernate and they can be active day or night year-round. However, the majority of their surface activity will happen now during the Spring or in the Fall. They are also solitary animals and will only have one litter a year of 3-4 young.
Their young will stay with their mother in her tunnels for about 4 weeks. At about 4 weeks the young will start making their own tunnels and they will reach adult size in 4-8 weeks.
It’s been noted that they don’t eat plants, however they can still cause tons of damage to plants and roots because of their digging and tunneling. They can destroy lawns or gardens with their tunnels by removing dirt from around the roots, which can cause the plants to dry out and die.
Moles can be considered beneficial because of what they eat, however because of their tunneling and digging they are also considered pests.
If you suspect that you have moles, voles or any other sort of pest problem, Cottage Country Pest Control is happy to help – give us a call at (705)534-7863 or email us at ccpestcontrol@gmail.com .
