1999 NW Mole and Gopher. All Rights Reserved
Mole activity can also cause considerable damage to lawns, gardens, property and underground utilities. They create massive tunnel systems that destroy landscaping, tree roots, sprinkler systems and much more. Mole baits and all the other devices sold have very little or no effect on moles. There are several myths regarding how to get rid of moles. These include funneling carbon monoxide or water into mole tunnels, or leaving chewing gum in their dens. These are all ineffective myths for getting rid of moles and will only waste your time and money. Moles can quickly colonize and spread through adjacent residential properties if not handled properly. Because they need a well-established tunnel network to survive, control will be more difficult the longer they are allowed to tunnel and become habituated.
The mounds you see are a fraction of the damage these creatures are causing!
A 5 ounce mole will consume 45-50 lbs of worms and insects each year.
They consume up to 100% of their body weight in food a day!
A mole can tunnel at the rate of 18 feet per hour and can construct 150 feet
of tunnels in a single day.
In just 20 minutes, a mole can excavate 10 pounds of soil or an amount equivalent to nearly 50 times its own body weight!
There are three types of moles in the NW. (Townsend, Pacific, California) and they eat mostly worms and grubs.
Moles have to eat every
three to four hours.
Worms/Grubs/Seeds/Bulbs/Roots
Moles do not hibernate!
Moles contain twice as much blood and twice as much red hemoglobin as other mammals of similar size, allowing the mole to breath easily in its underground environment of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide.
Moles mate from late February to early March, producing young only once a year. The young, averaging three to a litter, are born from late March to early May and live for 3 years and longer.
Moles can move backwards almost as rapidly as forwards, and can swim faster than they can dig!
NW Mole & Gopher
If they build it... We will come.
It can speed through
an established tunnel at 80 feet
per minute.
