The sight of raised ridges and dirt mounds across a lawn is instantly blamed on the mole’s appetite for vegetation. The subterranean mammal is an insectivore, not a herbivore, meaning it does not consume grass, plant roots, or bulbs. The damage seen above ground is a byproduct of the mole’s relentless search for food, not a consequence of it eating your lawn.
What Moles Actually Eat
Moles are highly specialized carnivores whose diet consists almost exclusively of invertebrates found within the soil structure. Their primary staple is the common earthworm, which they hunt and consume in large quantities throughout the day. They also feast on insect larvae, such as white grubs, ants, slugs, and other small arthropods.
Their high-energy lifestyle, which involves constant digging, demands a significant daily food intake to maintain their metabolism. A mole must consume an amount of food roughly equivalent to 50 to 100 percent of its own body weight every 24 hours. This constant need to eat drives the tunneling behavior that ultimately affects turf. Some species even paralyze and store surplus earthworms in specialized underground larders for later consumption.
The True Cause of Lawn Damage
The visual damage to a lawn is not a result of moles eating roots, but of their construction of an extensive underground network of tunnels. When moles forage for food, they create shallow runways just beneath the surface of the soil, often seen as raised ridges. As the mole digs these feeding tunnels, it severs the fine grass roots above, causing the turf to wilt, turn brown, and die due to a lack of water and nutrients.
The characteristic volcano-shaped heaps of soil, known as molehills, are created when the mole excavates deeper, more permanent tunnels. The excess dirt is pushed up to the surface, creating a mound that smothers the grass underneath it. This tunneling leaves the ground feeling soft and spongy, creating an uneven surface that makes mowing difficult and walking hazardous.
How Moles Hunt Underground
The mole’s hunting success in the perpetual darkness of the soil relies on a highly developed sense of touch and vibration rather than sight. Their broad, paddle-like forelimbs are designed not only for digging, but also for sensing the environment. Moles use their tunnels as traps, moving along them to check for prey that has fallen in.
The most specialized sensory apparatus is found on the mole’s snout, which is covered with thousands of minute, dome-shaped receptors called Eimer’s organs. These organs function as incredibly sensitive touch receptors, allowing the mole to detect the faintest vibrations and movements of earthworms and grubs in the surrounding soil. This sensitivity permits the mole to quickly locate and capture its prey as it moves through the subterranean hunting maze.