Moles and Mole Control - Part 3 of 11 - Mole Geography

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• Eastern mole — found from southeastern Wyoming, South Dakota, and central Texas east to Michigan, Massachusetts, and New England, south to the tip of Florida, and north to Ontario.
  
• Hairy-tailed mole — found in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.
  
• Star-nosed mole — also found in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.
  
• Broad-footed mole — resides in southern Oregon and the entire coastal region of California except the Baja peninsula.
  
• Townsend’s mole — found in the furthest northwest corner on the United States and southwest Canada.
  
• Coast mole — also found in the furthest northwest corner on the United States and southwest Canada.
  
• Shrew mole — another species found on the west coast from Santa Cruz county (California) to southern British Columbia.
  

Acknowledgment:

• Henderson, F. Robert., 1994. Moles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Extension Specialist — Animal Damage Control. Kansas State University
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

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Moles and Mole Control - Part 2 of 11 - ID your Mole

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The average mole is about the size of a chipmunk, the exception being the shrew mole that is approximately the size of a small mouse. They are found to weigh anywhere from ¼ ounce to 6 ounces. The mole has very small eyes and ears, both of which are hidden in its fur and have limited sensitivity. It is believed the mole can detect the presence or lack of light but that it cannot see. It is also believed that most moles, except the Star-nosed mole that has excellent hearing, may only be able to detect vibrations with its undeveloped ears. As a result of these two sensory "blindness’s", the average mole has highly developed senses of smell and touch. The forefeet of the mole are proportionally very large to the rest of the body; its palms are typically wider than they are long with webbed digits tipped with claws. The hind feet of the mole are small, narrow, and clawed.

North America is home to seven species of mole:

• Eastern mole, Scalopus aquaticus, is the most common American mole. It has thick fur that can vary from silver to black to copper in its coloring and has a short, hairless, rounded tail. The eastern mole will grow to between 4.5-inches and 6.5-inches long and have an average weight of approximately 2.6 ounces.
  
• Hairy-tailed mole, Parascalops breweri, has thick, gray-black to black fur, a long red-tipped snout, and a thick fleshy tail. The hairy-tailed mole does not have webbed toes. It will grow to between 5-inches and 7-inches long and have an average weight of approximately 2.2 ounces.
  
• Star-nosed mole, Condylura cristata, has been so named due to the short, fleshy, highly sensitive tentacles that extend from its hairless nose. This mole has short, coarse, dark brown to black fur and a short tail that will enlarge 3 to 4 times its normal size in the winter. The star-nosed mole will grow to between 6.75-inches and 8-inches long and weight between 1.25 ounces and 2.75 ounces.
  
• Broad-footed mole, Scapanus latimanus. The broad-footed mole is covered from tip of nose to tip of tail with dark brown to silver-gray fur. It will grow to between 5.5-inches and 7.75-inches long and have an average weight of approximately 1.5 ounces.
  
• Townsend’s mole, Scapanus townsendii, the largest mole in North America, is found with short, purple-gray to black fur that will typically have a metallic sheen. The Townsend’s mole will grow to between 7-inches and 9.25-inches long and have an average weight of approximately 4.5 ounces.
  
• Coast mole, Scapanus orarius, is found with soft dark gray fur and a nearly bald tail. The coast mole will grow to between 5.5-inches and 7.5-inches long and weight between 2 ounces and 3.25 ounces.
  
• Shrew mole, Neurotrichus gibbsii, is found with black or blue-black fur and has a wide tail that is typically half the length of the body. The shrew mole is the smallest of the North American genera; it will grow to between 3-inches and 5-inches long and weight between .25 ounces and .5 ounces.
  

The locations where these particular moles live can be found on our Mole Geography page.

Acknowledgment:

• Henderson, F. Robert., 1994. Moles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Extension Specialist — Animal Damage Control. Kansas State University
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

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Moles and Mole Control - Part 1 of 11 - The Mole

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The mole is often confused with the gopher and the vole due to habitat overlap and similar eating habits - Control methods differ for these three species; many people misidentify their target and often use improper techniques in their abatement efforts.

The home range of a single mole is very large in comparison to other burrowing animals such as the gopher or the vole because it must cover a great amount of territory to meet its food requirements of up to 1.5 times its body weight per day. This large food requirement results in far fewer moles per acre than gophers or voles (the male mole may cover up to 20 times the area the male gopher may cover) and result in the creation of a vast labyrinth of feeding tunnels covering a large area, many of which will be very shallow, and create a ridge pattern on the surface. The mounds created by the mole from the creation of these tunnels are typically shaped like a volcano and can reach heights of up to two feet tall.

Moles are insectivores and most damage done by them to plant life is typically incidental rather than intentional (the exception being the Townsend’s mole, which is known to eat plants as well).

Like gophers and voles, moles do not hibernate, and are active throughout the day.

Acknowledgment:

• Henderson, F. Robert., 1994. Moles: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Extension Specialist — Animal Damage Control. Kansas State University
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  

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Gophers and Gopher Control - Part 11 of 11 - Gopher Control Methods

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

Please see our Resource Directory for links to retailers who sell many of the Gopher Control products mentioned below.

Repellants

• Predator Odors (Coyote urine, Fox urine, etc.)
  
• Sonic "mole chaser"
  
• The plants caper spurge, gopher purge, mole plant, and the castor oil plant
  
• Windmills (whirly-birds) – sound emitting
  

Toxicants

• Strychnine alkaloid on grain baits – manually placed inside burrow
  

Fumigants

• Aluminum phosphide
  
• Carbon monoxide from engine exhaust
  

Trapping

• Many different types of both live and kill traps are currently available
  

Miscellaneous

• Shooting
  
• Professional abatement
  
• Owl box installation
  

Acknowledgment:


• Case, R. M., 1994. Pocket gophers: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Department of Forestry, Fisheries
  and Wildlife. University of Nebraska
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  
  

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Gophers and Gopher Control - Part 10 of 11 - Create Your Own Box Liners

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This preventative measure requires the use of ½-inch hardware fabric, which can be found at most hardware stores (hardware fabric is welded wire mesh similar to "chicken wire" but has smaller hole spacing. It is available in a range of sizes from ¼-inch up and a plethora of lengths and widths.). Tools required are: tin snips (to cut wire to length), roll of utility wire (fine gage, for constructing baskets), pliers, gloves (wire is sharp), and a staple gun (for raised boxes).

I create raised beds using redwood 2x12, retaining wall stock if available. Retaining wall stock or "rough redwood" material tends to be thicker and better suited for ground contact – Do Not Use pressure treated lumber in your garden, the chemicals used to make this material are highly toxic and will poison your plants. I build my raised beds 4-feet wide to facilitate the use of 4-foot wide hardware cloth (largest width available). Boxes may be constructed larger than this dimension, however, the seam between the two sections of hardware cloth will need to be "stitched" together as would be any end seams if it breaks in the center of the box. Once the box is assembled (use galvanized nails), select a top, flip the box upside down and staple the hardware cloth to the box with the longest galvanized staples you can find. Don’t be shy with the staples; use a lot of them. Right side the box and fill with soil. Check the integrity of the wire every couple years and replace when necessary.

Acknowledgment:


• Case, R. M., 1994. Pocket gophers: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Department of Forestry, Fisheries
  and Wildlife. University of Nebraska
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  
  

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Gophers and Gopher Control - Part 9 of 11 - Create Your Own Plant Baskets

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

This preventative measure requires the use of ½-inch hardware fabric, which can be found at most hardware stores (hardware fabric is welded wire mesh similar to "chicken wire" but has smaller hole spacing. It is available in a range of sizes from ¼-inch up and a plethora of lengths and widths.). Tools required are: tin snips (to cut wire to length), roll of utility wire (fine gage, for constructing baskets), pliers, gloves (wire is sharp), and a staple gun (for raised boxes).

I create wire baskets using the ½-inch by 3-foot wide by 25-foot long rolls of hardware fabric described above, which will make six 18-inch baskets. I use the ½-inch mesh because the ¼-inch is too fine, and the 1-inch too large ("chicken wire" is much too large). First, let me mention that some hardware stores carry relatively inexpensive pre-made wire baskets for this exact purpose. If you can find these baskets in the size you require, I would recommend purchasing them as building them yourself is time consuming and a bit of a small battle (the hardware cloth seems to always want to stab me). I try to make my baskets at least twice the current diameter of the pot of the plant to be planted up to a maximum of 18–inches across (each 18-inch diameter basket will require approximately 5 linear feet of hardware cloth).

• Cut the hardware cloth to your desired length, and then cut it again lengthwise so you have two equally sized pieces (two baskets).
  
• Cut two or three pieces of wire 2-inches long, flex the hardware cloth around lengthwise so its ends overlap a bit and form a cylinder. In a couple areas, bend the 2-inch pieces of wire around the ends of the mesh where they overlap to hold the cylinder together.
  
• Cut a section of wire approximately 24-inches long and "stitch" the basket together by looping it through the overlapping holes, cut more wire if necessary. This should result in an 18-inch diameter by 18-inch tall cylinder.
  
• Cut a 24-inch by 24-inch piece of hardware cloth from the roll. Flatten this piece out and lay it on the ground. Select one end of your cylinder to be the top and set the other down centered upon the 24-inch by 24-inch piece.
  
• Cut three or four pieces of wire 2-inches long and use them to tie the bottom piece to the cylinder. Again, cut a 24-inch piece of wire and "stitch" the bottom to the cylinder by looping the wire through the holes. Once completed, bend the excess wire projecting from the cylinder up toward the basket.
  
• Dig a hole of a size that will allow 3-inches of the basket to project above the surface of the soil. Following this guideline will leave enough of the basket exposed for inspection of deterioration: This is critical when using the baskets for planting seasonal plants such as tomatoes, etc. When sufficient evidence of deterioration is noted it will be time to remove the basket and install a new one. The duration of basket longevity is difficult to determine due to differing weather conditions, water composition, soil types, fertilization, basket material composition, and etc. however, 3 to 5 years should be relatively safe.
  

Acknowledgment:


• Case, R. M., 1994. Pocket gophers: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Department of Forestry, Fisheries
  and Wildlife. University of Nebraska
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  
  

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Gophers and Gopher Control - Part 8 of 11 - Gopher Prevention

This article may be viewed in its entirety on our website Vole control, Mole control, Gopher control: Crittergetteronline Home. Select your desired link from the "Critter Confused" navigation box on the left.

The key to controlling gopher damage lies in proper prevention - once you have gophers, regardless of how vigilant you are in your prevention techniques, chances are very good that you'll have one again at some point and it's better to have prevention items in place first rather than find out too late that you have a new "visitor". Many of these techniques are the same preventative measures you would use for other burrowing critters such as moles, voles, chipmunks, squirrels, woodchucks, shrews, prairie dogs or any other type of burrowing animal - The idea is the same - keep them out! I do just that by creating wire baskets that I set into the ground before planting my new plant; these baskets surround the roots of my small trees and shrubs with a protective barrier that allow the plants to establish themselves and grow large enough that they cannot be threatened by these menacing creatures. Another tactic I employ for the vegetable garden is to staple wire mesh to the bottom of raised redwood boxes, creating an impenetrable barrier to protect my vegetables.

Plant Baskets — Create your own, or purchase from your local hardware store

Box Liners — Create your own.

Underground cable & irrigation line protection — Surround cables and irrigation pipes with 6 to 8 inches of coarse gravel 1-inch or greater or incase these items in conduit with an outside diameter larger than 2 ½-inches.

Crop variety selection — Selection and use of a plant type that has several large roots tends to increase the chance of survival in gopher habitats rather than plants with 1 single root. The presence of plants with large root structures in areas inhabited by the gopher appears to result in decreased gopher ranging possibly due to the abundance of food.

Crop Rotation — Alternating the growth of crops such as wheat or other types of grains with crops the pocket gopher loves such as alfalfa can create a situation where there is not enough food to sustain the needs of the gopher and cause it to move elsewhere.

Grain buffer strips — Planting strips of grain approximately 50 feet in width between and around crops the gopher may find desirable may isolate the attractive crop enough to discourage the hunt for it and cause gophers to forage somewhere else.

Flood Irrigation — Use of this irrigation technique will create undesirable and uninhabitable living conditions for the pocket gopher.

Acknowledgment:


• Case, R. M., 1994. Pocket gophers: Prevention and control of wildlife damage. Department of Forestry, Fisheries
  and Wildlife. University of Nebraska
  
  
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology - Animal Diversity Web
  
  

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