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Moles and Voles: Critters That Dig Holes

Moles and Voles: Critters That Dig Holes

by Sandy K. Johnson, Extension Master Gardener Intern

The mole (a) is related to the shrew. It has a long nose and webbed front feet with sharp claws for digging.
The vole (b), in the rodent family, is smaller and has a short tail and legs. Photo: Alabama Cooperative Extension

Confused about the difference between moles and voles? There is a shorthand way to differentiate: Moles are meat eaters, and voles are vegetarian.

The mole’s “meaty” diet includes insects, grubs, beetle larvae, and earthworms. Voles, on the other hand, subsist on “vegetables” like the roots and stems of plants.

Both moles and voles are well suited to a life of digging, and their tunnels across your yard are the tip-off that you have a potential problem. From that starting point, how can you tell whether you have voles or moles? And what can you do?

Moles

Image of a mole. Photo: Michael David Hill, 2005

Moles are 4–7 inches long, with an elongated head and snout, small eyes, and no external ears. Their front feet are wider than they are long, and their webbed toes sport lengthy claws for digging. A mole eats from 60–100% of its weight each day in grubs, beetles, beetle larvae, and worms—or the equivalent of 50 pounds of bugs per year.

Moles can play a beneficial role in the management of soil and the control of undesirable bugs. By tunneling and shifting soil particles, moles help aerate the soil, allow humus to filter downward, and help water trickle down. Moles rarely damage or destroy plants or bulbs, but they might dislodge plants or uproot bulbs while tunneling in search of food.

Why do moles freak out homeowners? One mole can dig up to 150 feet of new tunnel each day, leaving behind shallow tunnels and molehills (hence, the common phrase, “making a mountain out of a molehill”). But there may be fewer moles in your neighborhood than you think—two or three per acre at most. And they are loners.

Voles

Image of a vole. Photo credit: Andrew G. Hope, US Geological Survey.

Voles resemble field mice with short tails, compact heavy bodies, small eyes, and partially hidden ears. Voles are 5–8 inches long and have prominent orange front teeth to gnaw plant roots and stems. Often, the damage is hidden for a day or two, until suddenly the plant will fall over with its roots chewed off. In addition to vegetables, flowers, bulbs and seeds, voles may attack young trees or bark on established trees.

Pine voles create golf ball-sized exit holes in their tunnels.
Pine voles create golf ball-sized exit holes in their tunnels.(Source: Barbara H. Smith, ©2017 HGIC, Clemson Extension)

Vole tunnels are typically 1 1/2 inches wide. But voles will happily use tunnels already dug by moles. There may be multiple voles living in one colony.

Vole nests are round structures, usually located on the surface of the ground or under boards, logs, or other cover. They can have up to five litters a year, with an average of three to six offspring per litter.

Control Options

Traps are a recommended method to rid your yard of both moles and voles. They should be placed over an active tunnel and baited with peanut butter. Traps are most effective in the fall and winter months.

You can also use fencing to deter both moles and voles. A wire fence with a very small mesh (1/4 inch or smaller) should be inserted into the ground near a tunnel, with 6–10 inches buried into the ground so the animal doesn’t burrow underneath and up 12 inches above ground.

There are several poisonous baits available to rid your yard of moles and voles, but baiting is strongly discouraged because it could also poison beneficial animals in the food chain. The only repellents registered for use on moles or voles contain capsaicin (a chili pepper extract) or coyote or fox urine.

For severe infestations, wildlife pest control professionals should be contacted.

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