Moles belong to the insect-eating group of manmmals and are highly specialized for their life in the soil. They are sometimes confused with meadow mice or shrews, but can be easily identified by their greatly enlarged forefeet, which are modified for digging. Adults range from 5 to 8 inches (12.7-20.3 cm) long and have very small concealed eyes and ears and short, thick, soft, dark velvety gray fur, which is smooth if brushed either way. The two species commonly encountered in the Northeast are the Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) and the star-nosed mole (Condylura cristat). The star-nosed mole has 22 pink, fingerlike projections around its nose, which readily distinguish it from the Eastern mole, whose nose is more pointed and lacks the numerous projections.

Moles spend most of their lives within their extensive systems of underground tunnels, where a circular nest chamber is excavated and lined with leaves and grass. A single litter averaging four young is produced in late April or early May. Young moles leave the nest in 4 to 5 weeks.

Insects, insect larvae (especially white grubs) and earthworms make up the bulk of the mole diet, but moles may also feed on plant material such as bulbs. They occasionally damage lawns, gardens and golf greens as they tunnel though soil, searching for insects and worms. When Easten moles tunnel near the soil surface, soil is forced up in sinuous ridges. Star-nosed moles usually tunnel deeper in the soil and build up scattered mounds of soil on the surface; they do not make the snakelike ridges.

Moles are difficult to control because of their subterranean habits. They can be controlled most successfully through the use of special mole traps designed to overcome the difficulties of trapping them within their tunnels. Mole traps of several types can be purchased from garden supply stores.

Before setting moles traps, locate tunnels that are in current use. The Eastern mole digs a network of deep tunnels as well as a network of surface burrows. Although the deep tunnels are in more or less permanent use, some of the surface tunnels are only temporary structures dug by the mole in search of food and perhaps used only once. Ative surface tunnels can be located by pushing down the surface ridges on a number of tunnels and noticing which ones are repaired within a day or two. Those are the places to set mole traps.

Where the star-nosed mole's tunnels come to the surface, they leave a mound of soil. It is necessary to dig around these mounds to locate a tunnel before the trap can be set in place. The trap should be set in a straight section of tunnel; the harpoon or wire loops (depending on the type of trap being used) should be worked up and down several times to be certain that nothing is in the soil to impede their action.

Snap-back mouse traps can also be used to catch moles. The traps are placed with the trigger at right angles to the tunnel, after excavation down to the tunnel floor. It is not necessray to bait these traps, since the mole should be caught when attempting to clear the trap from the tunnel. After the trap is set, the hole should be covered with a board or box to exclude light.

Adapted from James W. Caslick and Daniel J. Decker, Cornell University, 2001. Image from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.