Moles are wide spread throughout Britain and happily live in a network of tunnels, eating earthworms and any insects that happen to fall in; solitary creatures, they rarely seek the company of humans. In fact, the majority of people will go through their whole life without ever catching sight of a mole but we are all familiar with molehills.

What is a molehill?

Moles are tunnelling creatures. Their make their homes in tunnels that they dig, with the molehills being the waste matter from their tunnelling escapades.

The problem with moles

They tunnel in the most inconvenient of places, leaving molehills dotted around prized lawns and bowling greens, the waste from their tunnelling exploits. It makes mowing the lawn or keeping the bowling green flat and lush a nightmare. Their tunnels networks can be so intricate, with so many pathways criss-crossing that the strength of the ground can be compromised – hence lawns can collapse!

Tunnels are not just their homes either; they are also a separate set of tunnels made by male moles looking for love! All of this adds to the number of molehills peppering the lawn, hence moles are many people’s idea of their worst nightmare.

Mole infestation symptoms

Not only will you see a scattering of molehills, but you may also see subsidence or dips in the lawn where the ground on top is giving way, unsupported underneath after so much earth has been excavated. It has been calculated that the amount excavated by a mole is the equivalent of moving 4 tonnes of earth in 10 minutes!

Preferring sandy, free-draining soil, moles tend to be more active in late winter or early spring, but molehills, in other words new tunnels, can appear any time of the year. There are ways to control moles but for many people, the abundance of tunnels and molehills can present a real problem.

How moles are removed

Moles can sometimes simply lose their way. As we build more with concrete, brick and other impenetrable materials, moles can take a wrong turn in their tunnelling adventures. Hence, once they find free-draining, sandy soil at the local bowling green, the park or the football ground etc., they think they are in their natural habitat.

Moles, if they are many and present a substantial problem, a professional pest controller has other methods they can use to tackle the problem. Gassing, for example, is a highly specialised method of pest control only used in certain circumstances and only by fully qualified pest controllers. Here at SOS Pest Control, we are trained to use all the latest techniques, including gassing.

If you notice or think you have a growing problem with moles, it pays to tackle the problem sooner rather than later.

Once the moles are trapped and removed, the tunnels must be dealt with or another mole will simply move into a readymade home.

This can cause a lot of disruption to the garden or area being treated, especially if the tunnels are extensive hence our strong advice to call us at an earlier stage…

Molehills are the one sure sign you have moles; many molehills could mean many moles and if your prized golf course, garden and sporting facility is under threat you need a quick, effective and professional response – call SOS Pest Control!