It is estimated that the UK Mole population is around 40 Million!
Moles are fascinating creatures with unique feeding habits that make them both efficient and elusive underground foragers. These small mammals primarily feed on insects, worms, larvae, and other invertebrates found in the soil. Their diet consists mainly of earthworms, which they locate by sensing vibrations and movements in the ground with their highly sensitive snouts.
Using their powerful front limbs and specialized claws, moles tunnel through the soil in search of prey. They create intricate networks of tunnels and burrows, where they hunt and store food. Moles are particularly active during the night and early morning hours, although they may also venture out during overcast or rainy days.
In addition to insects and worms, moles may occasionally consume plant roots and bulbs, especially when their primary food sources are scarce. However, their impact on plant life is typically minimal compared to the benefits they provide by controlling insect populations.
Moles are adept tunnelers, and their ability to create elaborate underground networks is a testament to their remarkable engineering skills. These small mammals use their powerful front limbs and sharp claws to excavate soil and create tunnels beneath the surface.
The process begins with the mole digging vertically downward, using its broad, shovel-like forelimbs to push soil out of the way. As it continues to dig, the mole creates a primary tunnel, which serves as the main thoroughfare for its underground activities. From this primary tunnel, the mole branches out, creating a network of interconnected tunnels that extend in various directions.
As the mole tunnels through the soil in search of food, it pushes the excavated soil to the surface, forming characteristic molehills or molehumps. These mounds of soil are often visible above ground and serve as indicators of the mole’s subterranean activity.
The creation of molehills serves several purposes for the mole. Firstly, it helps to aerate the soil, allowing oxygen to penetrate deeper into the ground. The excavation of soil helps the mole locate food sources, such as earthworms and insect larvae, which are often found in the upper layers of soil.
Molehills vary in size and shape depending on factors such as soil type, moisture content, and the size of the mole. In areas with loose, sandy soil, molehills may be more pronounced and spread out, while in compacted or clay-rich soils, they may be smaller and more densely packed.
Mole Facts
Average Size: 4-11″ long (including tail); .25-7.5 oz.
Most moles don’t live beyond 3 years but can live up to 6 years. Their main predators are tawny owls and buzzards, stoats, cats and dogs, along with some vehicular casualties.
Moles are active throughout the daytime and nighttime. Although moles are active year-round, they tend to exhibit less foraging activity in extreme heat or cold. They are most active after periods of rain or watering, when the soil texture is ideal for digging.
Moles can dig tunnels at a rate of up to 15 feet per hour.
Male moles are called “boars” and female moles are called “sows”.
A mole’s saliva contains a toxin that paralyzes worms, allowing them to gather and store food for consumption later on.
Males and females are solitary for most of the year, occupying exclusive territories. This only changed during the mating season in spring.
The gestation period of the mole is about 28 days.
Moles have to eat the equivalent of about two thirds of their own body weight of food every day.
The mole has highly developed kinaesthetic sense (a spatial memory) that allows it to remember the exact layout and precise detail of its entire tunnel system.
Molecatchers – A brief History
Molecatching gained popularity in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries as agriculture became more prevalent, and the need to protect crops became paramount. In the Roman era, molecatchers used earthenware pots filled with water as mole traps. The mole would travel along their tunnels and fall into the water filled pots.
This practice was a mainstay until the trap design was changed to a wooden design, opening up a more accessible mole trapping option. Molecatchers could now make their own traps, which were often engraved with their initials to mark their property.
Molecatching was a lucrative trade in the middle ages, Mole experts often traveled from farm to farm to rid the agricultural land of mole problems. The mole man was often given food and a place to stay whilst they carried out the mole trapping work. They were paid well for their work, equalling the pay of a Policeman of the time.
The molecatcher would also be able to sell the mole skins from their work and this was big business at the time. America imported more than 4 million moleskins from England each year during that period.
The industrial revolution changed mole catching along with the rest of the world. Clay and wooden traps were replaced by steel which is still used to this day. With the advent of chemical pesticides in the 20th century, the need for molecatchers diminished somewhat as landowners turned to more convenient methods of pest control.
However, concerns about environmental impact and a growing interest in organic farming have led to a resurgence in molecatching in recent years. Strychnine was the most effective poison used as it would kill moles in half the time and with half the cost. It also would cause a long and painful death to the mole so it was eventually banned in 2006.
Strychnine could also affect and kill non-targeted species including domestic pets so the use of molecatchers with traps became the best way to control these pests.