The appearance of unexplained soil mounds and raised pathways across a lawn often leads homeowners to wonder which subterranean animal is responsible for the damage. Correctly identifying the inhabitant of the tunnels is the first step toward addressing the problem, as different animals require different approaches. Moles are insectivores, meaning they primarily feed on earthworms and grubs, and their tunneling behavior is solely focused on foraging and creating permanent shelter. Understanding the specific signs left behind by this small mammal is the most reliable way to confirm their presence beneath your yard.
Visual Evidence: Mounds and Surface Tunnels
The two most distinct signs of a mole’s presence are the hills of dirt and the raised surface ridges created during their excavation. Moles construct two types of tunnel systems: deep, permanent travel routes and shallow, temporary foraging runs. The molehills are a byproduct of the deep tunneling, where the animal must push excavated soil up a vertical shaft to the surface.
These molehills typically exhibit a characteristic volcano or conical shape, forming a symmetrical pile of loose, finely sifted soil. A key identifier is the absence of an open hole at the peak of the mound, as the mole pushes the dirt from below and often plugs the exit. These mounds can be quite large, marking the location of a deep tunnel used for nesting or storage.
The other common sign is the presence of surface runs, which appear as raised, visible ridges running across the lawn. These shallow tunnels are located just beneath the turf, often only a few inches deep, and are created as the mole searches for insects and worms near the soil surface. Walking over these areas often feels spongy or soft, indicating the air pocket of the tunnel beneath the grass roots. These surface tunnels represent the mole’s active foraging grounds.
Differentiating Moles from Other Burrowing Pests
Distinguishing mole activity from that of gophers and voles is necessary because these animals create different types of yard damage. Moles are insectivores, whereas gophers and voles are herbivores, and the difference in their excavated mounds offers the clearest point of separation.
Unlike the mole’s conical or volcano-shaped mound, pocket gophers create a fan or crescent-shaped mound of soil. Gopher mounds are typically flatter and larger, featuring a distinct soil plug off to one side of the mound where the animal sealed the entrance. The gopher pushes soil out behind it as it digs, resulting in this asymmetrical pile. The gopher’s diet of roots and plants means their tunnels are typically deeper than the mole’s surface foraging runs.
Vole damage is also frequently confused with mole activity, but voles do not create the raised ridges that moles do. Voles, which are small rodents, typically create small, circular open holes on the surface, usually about one to one-and-a-half inches in diameter. Their surface runways are narrow trails of clipped grass or bare soil, not a raised ridge. While voles may sometimes utilize abandoned mole tunnels, their primary sign is the visible, mouselike surface trail and the damage they cause by eating plant roots and bulbs.
Confirming Active Tunnels
Once the damage is identified as belonging to a mole, the next step involves verifying which tunnels are currently in use. Moles maintain extensive tunnel systems, but not all runs are used consistently, so confirming activity saves time and effort. The most reliable technique is the tunnel collapse method, which targets the raised surface runs.
Gently press down on a small section of a raised tunnel—a segment of about six to twelve inches is sufficient—to collapse the roof of the run. Mark this spot with a small flag or stick and return to check it after a 24 to 48-hour period. If the tunnel is repaired, meaning the soil has been pushed up again to re-form the raised ridge, the tunnel is active and is a travel route for the mole.
A visual freshness check is also helpful for identifying the newest disturbances. Freshly excavated molehills will consist of darker, looser, and often slightly moister soil than older mounds. Older mounds will be weathered, compacted, and may have grass or weeds beginning to grow on them. Focusing on the newest, most active tunnels provides the greatest insight into the mole’s current movements and territory.