Garden moles have no Environmental Health significance but may
be a problem in gardens due to the damage they can cause
to lawns etc.
Description
The adult mole may weigh up to 110 grams and can be between 12
16 cm in length from its nose to the tip of its tail. Moles are
covered with black velvety fur, they have very poor sight and feed
mainly on worms or insect larvae that they find by sense of
touch.
Moles live underground and surface only occasionally, it is
well adapted for burrowing due to its cylindrical shaped body and
large spade like forefeet which are turned outwards for
digging.
Distribution
The Mole is abundant throughout mainland Britain wherever
there are suitable soils for tunnelling. They are absent from
Ireland and most islands off the coast of the U.K. with the
exception of the isle of Wight, Anglesey, and a few of the Inner
Hebrides. The Mole will not tunnel in shallow or stony soil,
waterlogged or highly acidic soil. Although they like to inhabit
deciduous woodland, grassland and farmland they can also be found
in cemeteries, golf courses and private gardens.
Significance
The mole is mostly associated with causing damage to land
through the presence of mole hills, the resulting uneven soil
destroys the appearance of the lawns and provides a seed bed for
weeds to grow. As moles burrow just beneath the surface of the soil
they kill plants by tunnelling under their root system thus
removing the soil that once surrounded the plants roots. The roots
are therefore left exposed and dangling inside the tunnel causing
the plant to dry out and die. It is possible that the moles
movements may spread disease form plant to plant or that rats and
mice may use the tunnels to safely travel from place to place, the
rodents may also feed on exposed roots.
Although most gardeners would prefer to be without the mole
they are considered a beneficial animal as they feed mainly on
earthworms and garden pests such as, slugs, grubs, insect and
insect larvae. They have also been known to feed on small snakes,
lizards and field mice.
Control
As the earthworm is the main source of food, killing the worms
will make the turf unattractive to moles. However, earthworms have
a beneficial effect as their movements act to aerate the soil,
therefore if the soil is to be kept in a healthy condition this
aeration must take place manually.
Other methods of control include trapping and poisoning.
Poisoning is severely restricted as the drug used is often abused
and used to kill other mammals and birds illegally. The poison can
only be purchased by holders of a permit issued by DEFRA. The
poison is not available for use in parks or private gardens due to
the risk to the public. It can only be used on commercial
agricultural and horticultural land, however a number of golf
courses have been approved for its use by DEFRA.