A line of pushed up grass. A volcano sized mound. Yep, it's probably a mole! While you may never actually see the mole itself, the signs of their presence are pretty clear.
Moles are small burrowing mammals (not rodents) that live almost entirely underground in extensive tunnel networks. Since they prefer worms, they don't typically eat plants, but their burrowing can damage plant roots and leave unsightly ridges in lawns. You'll usually only find one mole per tunnel so if you start your control actions as soon as you spot their burrowing, you can more easily manage them.
Fortunately, UC IPM has a newly updated resource to help in your mole management efforts! This revised fact sheet, Pest Notes: Moles, is authored by Roger Baldwin, a Human-Wildlife Conflict Cooperative Extension Specialist from the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at UC Davis. The publication covers identification, biology, legal status, and management techniques such as exclusion, trapping, and chemical control.
