Milky spores for moles1/11/2024 In general, moles avoid heavy clay or stony, coarse gravel soils, but instead prefer moist, sandy loam soils where digging is easier. The type of soil, its moisture content, and the availability of reliable food all influence mole activity. It is rare to encounter a mole above ground - if this were to occur, it likely would be in the spring or fall in the hours before dawn or after dusk, or at night when moles attempt an overland dispersal to a new foraging area. Moles live in underground burrow systems beneath the lawns of residential properties, golf courses, cemeteries, and recreational fields, but they also can be found under fallow fields, forest edges, croplands, and pastures. This publication provides an overview of the biology and behaviors of these three species and examines the options available to those affected by moles on how to reduce damage. Nevertheless, many people confronted with repeated damage to lawns have little tolerance for these small mammals and resort to costly (and sometimes illegal) actions in their effort to rid their property of moles. Further, their digging activity improves soil aeration, increases water percolation, and speeds incorporation of organic matter into the soil - all are beneficial to good soil health. Although they may consume small amounts of plant material, they do so only incidentally while foraging for nonplant food items. These animals therefore provide a beneficial ecological service by helping to manage populations of some of the worst lawn and garden insect pests. Contrary to public folklore, moles are not herbivores they actually are insectivores that feed on the larvae and adult forms of insects that live underground. Despite the annoyance of having to make potentially costly and repeated repairs to damaged lawns and gardens, homeowners should realize that moles provide important services in several ways. Still, it’s relatively easy to recognize the telltale signs left behind from a mole’s presence. The hairy-tailed mole is found along and west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and often at higher elevations (more than 2,500 feet above sea level).īecause these animals spend much of their lives underground and do not directly interact with humans, most people are not familiar with them. Although the star-nosed mole is reported to exist statewide, it is more commonly found in the northern Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Tidewater regions pockets of abundance also are reported in several southwestern counties (e.g., Russell, Smyth, Wythe, Grayson, Floyd, Patrick, and Henry). Of these three species, the Eastern mole is the most widely distributed within Virginia and occurs statewide however, it becomes less common where elevation exceeds 2,000 feet above sea level. Three species of moles are native to Virginia - the Eastern mole ( Scalopus aquaticus), the hairy-tailed mole ( Parascalops breweri), and the star-nosed mole ( Condylura cristata) (figures 1-3).
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