Controlling - oregon.gov

1 Cascades in oregon andWashington and is found in asmall area in southern BritishColumbia and in broad-footed mole,Scapanus latimanus, is some-what smaller than Townsend smole and is more silver-grayor copper-brown in color. It isfound from the Klamath Basinof south-central oregon south-ward throughout much ofCalifornia, except in the drierdesert Coast mole, Scapanusorarius, is about half as largeas Townsend s mole andoccupies much of the samearea. It is found farther east inWashington and oregon andnorthward into southernBritish fourth mole,Neurotrichus gibbsii, or shrew-mole, is blackish incolor and about the size of acommon house mouse.

2 Itclosely resembles a shrew inappearance and habits. Presentthroughout the coastal low-lands from California toBritish Columbia, it is notabundant nor is it a problemfor the home gardener,orchardist, or farmer. As aninsect feeder, it probably isbeneficial rather than harmfuland is not included in thisreview of methods andCMolesontrollingMoles belong to themammalian order Insectivora,the insect eaters. Often,however, they are lumpedincorrectly with the rodents,which include mice, rats,squirrels, and other gnawingmammals in the order Roden-tia. moles are found through-out the eastern half of theUnited States and along thePacific Coast.

3 Four species ofmoles are found in the PacificCoast states. Three of thesebelong to a single genus, s mole,Scapanus townsendii, black tobrownish black in color andapproximately 6 to 9 incheslong, is the largest and causesthe greatest damage to lawns,gardens, and croplands. Thismole is common in the moist,fertile soils west of Kuhn and EdgeEC 987 Reprinted March 2002$ W. Kuhn, professoremeritus of wildlife ecology,and W. Daniel Edge, Extensionwildlife specialist, OregonState for Controlling thethree larger differing slightlyin size, color, and distribu-tion, Townsend s, broad-footed, and Coast moles havemuch in common.

4 All haverounded or cylindrical bodieswith pointed, somewhat pig-like snouts and short, bare orsparsely haired tails. Frontfeet are broad, with out-wardly turned palms, and arearmed with strong nails. Eyesare tiny and well concealed inthe short, dark, velvetlike are no external use their sensitivesnout, tail, and perhapssensory hairs as an earlywarning system to detectenemies and to locate moundsand burrow systems Cover pasturegrasses andlegumes, reducingproduction Make harvestingdifficult by plug-ging or breakingharvesting equip-ment Contaminate hayand silage with dirt.

5 Which retardsproper curing Make ideal seed-beds for undesirablegrasses and weeds Damage anddisfigure lawns andflowerbeds Expose shallow-rooted shrubs andplants to drying andto insect pestsFigure 1. Mole mounds tend to be circular with a plug in themiddle. Compare with the pocket gopher mound in Figure single litter is born inMarch or April, averagingthree or four naked moles mature quicklyand are fully furred, nearlyadult size, and on their own inabout a month. Average lifespan is about 3 years. Molesdo not hibernate, but areactive throughout the activity slows duringperiods of extreme cold generally arebeneficial because of thenumber of insects, insectlarvae, and other invertebrateprey they eat.

6 They also playan ecological role by aeratingthe soil and mixing surfaceand subsurface soil damageMoles sometimes eat ordamage tulips, lilies, iris,carrots, potatoes, peas, beans,corn, oats, wheat, and manyother plants. Individual molesmight feed heavily on suchitems. Up to 20 percent of thediet of Townsend s mole isplant losses are caused bythe mole s eating habits, butthe primary damage resultsfrom burrowing and mound-building rarely are seenunless captured in traps orkilled while burrowing nearthe surface. But mounds ofloose soil pushed to thesurface indicate their pres-ence.

7 moles continuallyexcavate new tunnel systemsor extend old ones. Theydispose of the excess soil bydigging a short lateral tunnelto the surface and shoving thesoil out on top of the resulting mounds, thoughsuperficially resembling thoseof pocket gophers, usually aremore rounded and symmetri-cal. The mounds are built up,volcano fashion, by repeated eruptions of soil pushed upthrough the center of the pile(Figure 1). Pocket gophersusually push soil out to oneside, resulting in a flattenedsemicircle or fan-shapedmound, the plugged exit holeat one side of the pile(Figure 2).

8 Thus, althoughsimilar, the workings of thesetwo small earth movers arenoticeably different, animportant distinction in propercontrol of both burrow system isa vast network of intercon-necting tunnels and passages,varying in depth from 3 to30 inches or more. moles areactive throughout the year andmake regular use of the tunnelsfrom 6 to 10 inches periods of severe coldor extremely dry weather,earthworms become scarce inthe upper soil layers, andmoles move into the deepertunnels in search of food. Atsuch times, surface burrowingand mound-building activitiesare minimal, and controlmeasures might be number of mounds orridges in any given area doesnot indicate the number ofmoles present.

9 A singleTownsend s mole mightconstruct from 50 to 100mounds in a month. In coastaldairy pastures of TillamookCounty, oregon , densities varyfrom one mole in 6 acres tomore than five per acre, butaverage only about two peracre. Some of these pasturesappear to have been plowed by the moles , yet the moundsare caused not by hundreds ofmoles but by a few. Persistentand careful use of poisonedbaits and well-set trapsusually controls dwellers arefrustrated by this pesky littleanimal and dirt piles that popup overnight in lawns,gardens, or flowerbeds. Butusually only one or twomoles are present, and theyare eliminated can control moleseffectively by the proper useof poisoned baits or traps or acombination of both meth-ods.

10 Use traps for moles inhome gardens, lawns, orflowerbeds, as generally onlya few moles are larger areas such asfields, pastures, and golfcourses, properly placedtoxic baits usually are moreeffective and less timeconsuming. Baiting mightprove to be the simpler andquicker method, but trapsprobably will be necessary asa follow-up to eliminateanimals that avoid the 3. Thescissor-jaw(tunnel trap)mole trap onthe left isrecommendedin the PacificNorthwest. The harpoon or spear typetrap (Victormole trap) onthe right is notrecommendedfor 2. Typical pocket gopher mound, in cross-section andfrom above.