Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Burrowing Eastern Mole

By: Tom Berg

Anyone who has spent much time gardening or cutting the lawn has probably encountered the tell-tale signs of an annoying yard pest: the Eastern Mole. Moles burrow through yards and leave a trail of destruction in the form of raised tunnels in the grass and large mounds of earth (molehills). Homeowners routinely stomp on the raised tunnels, only to find that they have re-appeared again the next day.

The eastern mole (or common mole) lives most of its life underground, where it digs tunnels in an endless search for worms, grubs and nightcrawlers. It grows to five or six inches in length, and has very short, soft fur.  Its oversized front feet have huge claws for digging. Moles can dig surprisingly fast (up to 18 feet per hour), and one individual can tear up an entire lawn. Most people who think they have a major mole infestation actually have only one mole in their yard.

In fact, eastern moles usually lead a very solitary existence. They live alone and typically only encounter other moles during mating season. Moles mate during late-winter and early spring, which allows the young to be born in late-spring or early summer when food is more abundant.

Moles prefer a diet of earthworms, although they also eat snails, garden slugs, centipedes and other subterranean insects like ants, beetles and grubs. They eat a lot, too, since they often eat 30-40 percent of their body weight in food each day. They have poor vision due to extremely small eyes, but their fleshy nose is equipped with a keen sense of touch which helps them find food as they probe through their dark tunnels.

Although considered a pest, moles can be effective at controlling Japanese beetles by eating their larvae.  One report noted that eastern moles have a ravenous appetite and can eat as many as 140 beetle grubs and worms per day. They do provide good lawn aeration, too. Still, most homeowners would rather get rid of the lawn-wrecking moles than allow them to stay.

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