Moles and Mole Management

Broad-footed Moles (Scapanus latimanus) have forefeet as wide as they are long; that’s how they got their name!

Is it a gopher or a mole?  All you know is that something is tearing up your lawn! Here’s how you can tell the difference…look closely at the mounds. Moles create perfect circular mounds of dirt, right on top of their burrows, whereas gophers leave u-shaped, semi-circles to the entrance of their tunnels.

About Moles

There’s a misconception that moles are rodents but they are not. Moles are indeed mammals and look like a sort of rodent but belong to a group of mammals called insectivores.

Moles do have eyes but very poor vision.

Feeding on insects in the amount of their body weight, per day, is why your grass is all torn up. Another misconception is that moles are blind. Moles do have eyes and can see light and movement. Their preferred food is grubs but they will consume a plethora of other insects. They’re about 7 inches long (body) with a tail of a little over an inch. Moles can live up to four years and although they are solitary creatures, they do share some of the same tunnels with other moles, a sort of “communal highway.”

Mole Behavior

A surface feeding burrow and mole.

Moles live underground where they create permanent tunnels about 2 inches in diameter and 8 to 12 inches below the surface. When a mole does surface, it pushes the dirt straight up, making a circular mound of dirt. Ridges of runways occur from surface feeding burrows as moles tunnel through the dirt in search of insects. These runways are close to the surface where there’s an abundance of worms, caterpillars, and other insects for moles to eat. Although moles are active throughout the year, surface activity, however, is often absent during periods of extreme cold, heat, or drought. If you have moles, you’ll notice most activity after a rain or even frequent watering which makes tunneling easier.

A series of circular mounds is a sure sign you’ve got moles!

Mole Damage and Prevention

Surface burrows are often temporary but wreak havoc to your landscape, especially lawns! Occasionally moles may consume plant roots and bulbs but most plant damage is due to Gophers and Squirrels, as well as Voles. If moles are a problem in your garden landscape, there are some preventative methods to save your plants. These also help deter gophers and squirrels from getting to the roots of your plants. Vertical underground barriers can provide temporary relief but eventually a mole will tunnel around or underneath it.

Mole damage to grass makes your landscape unsightly and is a tripping hazard!

A more effective approach would be to place wire-mesh baskets around bulbs and to use raised beds with wire-mesh bottoms for vegetable and flower gardens. Damage from tunnels and mounds made by moles is significant in several ways; lawns become unsightly, roots exposed kills the grass, and, your yard becomes a danger zone for kids and pets! Ongoing mole infestations may require professional pest control. Hearts Pest Management provides free landscape inspections for moles and a monthly service to control not just moles, but voles, gophers and squirrels, as well as rats and mice. Call today for a free inspection and more information on the services we provide!
Call Now 1-800-986-1006 or complete the form below

*
Where Captcha Goes if Used code in footer
Locations
City Services for Pest Control in Los Angeles
Agoura Hills Northridge
Alhambra Pacific Palisades
Arcadia Palos Verdes Estates
Beverly Hills Pasadena
Burbank Pomona
Calabasas Rancho Palos Verdes
Cerritos Redondo Beach
City of Industry Reseda
City of Los Angeles Rolling Hills Estates
Claremont San Marino
Culver City Santa Fe Springs
Cypress Santa Monica
Diamond Bar Sherman Oaks
El Monte Sylmar
El Segundo Tarzana
Encino Temple City
Glendale Toluca Lake
Granada Hills Torrance
Hacienda Heights Venice
Hidden Hills Walnut
Hollywood West Covina
La Verne West Hollywood
Long Beach West Los Angeles
Malibu Westlake Village
Manhattan Beach Whittier
Marina Del Rey Woodland Hills
North Hollywood
City Services for Pest Control in Orange County
Aliso Viejo Laguna Hills
Anaheim Laguna Niguel
Brea Lake Forest
Buena Park Los Alamitos
Capistrano Beach Mission Viejo
City of Orange Newport Beach
Corona Del Mar Orange
Costa Mesa Rancho Santa Margarita
Dana Point Rossmoor
Fountain Valley San Clemente
Fullerton San Juan Capistrano
Garden Grove Santa Ana
Huntington Beach Tustin
Irvine Villa Park
La Habra Westminster
Laguna Beach Yorba Linda
City Services for Pest Control in San Diego
4S Ranch Rancho Penasquitos
Poway Scripps Ranch
Rancho Bernardo
Descanso Ramona
Julian Santa Ysabel
Pine Valley
Bonsall Hidden Meadows
Escondido Pauma Valley
Fallbrook Valley Center
Carlsbad Pacific Beach
Coronado Point Loma
La Costa San Ysidro
Mira Mesa The City of San Diego
Otay Mesa
Cardiff by the Sea Oceanside
Carmel Valley Rancho Santa Fe
Del Mar San Marcos
Encinitas Solana Beach
La Jolla Vista
Alpine Imperial Beach
Bonita Jamul
Chula Vista La Mesa
East Lake Chula Vista Lakeside
El Cajon Santee

HP Banner

Awards

Review

Review our amazing pest
service options

You can add other problem pests to your “general pest
control” service.

Why Choose Hearts Pest Management:
Health Conscious First do no harm! Custom Built Plans Flexible Scheduling Technicians Communicative & Trustworthy Budget Sensitivity
We customize the service to your needs & pest situation.

Testimonials

What Our Customers Say
“Able, honest and extremely knowledgeable and polite. They come bi-monthly and use an organic solution to spray outside. It’s a pleasure and relief to do business with them.”
~ Carri B.
View more
“The technician Austin was on time. Very personable and explained products in detail and is very knowledgeable. Very thorough and the organic and eco friendly products were our first choice. We signed for the every other month especially for spiders and ants.”
~ Mark
View more

Pest Behavior & Solutions

Pest Behavior & Solutions

We Know About Pests, You Can Too. Visit our Pest Library for information
on the habits and habitats of some of the most common pests.

See Full List of Pest
  • General pest control and certified green pest control options:

Carpenters ants, bedbugs - separate esimate

Choose the service schedule you need:

Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly, Quarterly, Reduced winter service.

See More General Pest Services

Free Inspections

Free Inspections
for Prevention & Extermination

We provide free inspections for
various complex pest control
situations. Our pest control services
are tailored to each community and
their unique micro-climates that
impact your pest control plan.

We are the first pest control company in Southern California to achieve the California EPA Integrated Pest Management Award.

  • In-door trapping
  • Out-door baiting or trapping
  • Full exclusion to keep them out!
  • Decontamination (see mites and parasites)
  • Clean-up
  • Maintenance monthly
View Our Plan for Rats and Mice
  • Indoor / outdoor eradication
  • Bee removal – hive and honeycomb
View Our Plan for Bees and Wasps
  • Monitoring
  • Commercial reporting
  • Clean-outs and maintenance
View Our Plan for Roaches
  • Comprehensive inspection
  • Written bedbug plan for owner – pest company
View Our Plan for Bed Bugs
  • Remediation / maintenance
  • Ground fumigation
  • Baiting
View Our Plan for Gophers and Squirrels
  • Single story eaves only (we do not service roofs or second story homes).
  • Full exclusion for nesting and perching
  • Decontamination (see mites and parasites)
  • Bird birth control
  • Pigeons
  • Starlings
  • Sparrows
  • Swallows
View Our Plan for Birds
  • Attic vacuuming
  • Power washing
  • Insulation removal – replacement
  • Full space area chemical fogging
  • Off-site disposal
View Our Plan for Mites and Parasites
Pest Control Product Labels & MSDS We welcome you to view pest control labels and MSDS information.