A mole is a small, subterranean mammal known for digging extensive tunnel systems underground. This constant tunneling often leads homeowners to wonder what these creatures eat and what might attract them to a yard. A common question is whether household foods, such as peanut butter, appeal to their natural appetite. Understanding the mole’s specialized biology and feeding habits provides a direct answer to this dietary query.
Are Moles Interested in Peanut Butter?
The straightforward answer is that moles are generally not interested in consuming peanut butter. They are insectivores, and peanut butter is a high-fat, plant-based food that does not align with their nutritional requirements. Moles do not naturally forage for seeds, nuts, or sugary items, and their feeding instincts are not geared toward such stored foods. The peanut flavor and texture provide very little of the high-protein intake a mole needs to maintain its active lifestyle.
Their sensory biology is designed to locate live, moving prey in the soil, not to seek out static, plant-derived substances. While a mole might encounter peanut butter placed in a trap, it is highly unlikely to consume it as a food source. Any attention given to the substance is typically a reaction to a foreign object or a strong scent in its tunnel system.
The Mole’s Natural Diet: True Insectivores
Moles are classified as true insectivores, meaning their diet consists almost exclusively of insects and other small invertebrates found beneath the surface. This specialized diet is driven by an exceptionally high metabolism that demands a continuous and protein-rich food supply. A single mole must consume a vast amount of food daily, often eating between 80 to 100 percent of its own body weight.
Earthworms are the staple of the mole’s diet, sometimes comprising up to 80% of its total food intake. They also routinely consume grubs, insect larvae, centipedes, and slugs that fall into their tunnels. Moles hunt using their acute sense of touch and vibration detection to pinpoint the movement of prey in the soil. Their extensive tunnel networks serve as highly efficient, underground foraging corridors where they ambush invertebrates that pass through.
Why Peanut Butter is Sometimes Used in Mole Control
The use of peanut butter in mole control is more about trapping mechanics than nutritional attraction. Since moles are not attracted to the substance as food, it is rarely used as a primary attractant for them. Instead, peanut butter is sometimes used as a sticky carrier or binder to hold toxic baits that are meant for other tunnel-dwelling pests like voles or mice.
In certain trapping scenarios, the strong, pervasive scent of peanut butter is used as a general lure to make the mole investigate the foreign object. Some trappers suggest that a mole will attempt to push a foreign substance out of its tunnel, triggering a set trap in the process. The key distinction remains that the mole is drawn to the trap’s location by the scent or obstruction, not by an urge to eat the peanut butter itself.