Question: Are moles active year-round, or do they hibernate in the ground?
Answer: Moles are remarkable animals known for their specialized abilities for life underground. They are seldom seen by humans and are often mistaken for pocket gophers, mice or shrews. In fact, the mole is not closely related to any small mammal except the shrew, both belonging to the mammalian order Insectivora. Moles are not rodents and do not have characteristic rodent features such as large, sharp front teeth. Rather, they have sharp, pointed teeth (like a cat) used for catching and eating grubs and earthworms. Moles often come into conflict with homeowners when they burrow in yards.
The word, mole, is derived from a compound noun whose meaning is "earth thrower." With their short legs, broad front feet and sharp, stout toenails adapted for digging, these animals do indeed move a lot of soil, especially when they dig their deep nesting cavities and "home" areas, often 18-24 inches underground with interconnecting tunnels. The shallow surface tunnels of the moles are used in the spring, summer and fall, but the deep permanent ones are used year round as the main avenues of travel.
Although you might think that moles would have quite a night life in their extensive caverns, they are actually quite antisocial, living alone in their deep, dark underground homes, coming together only once a year when they mate around Valentine's Day in mid-February. Their living headquarters are six inches in diameter and lined with dried grass, leaves and other vegetation. Moles are known to be active any time of the day or night, summer or winter, although they are most active in the shallow tunnels in the spring or fall after a rain, and in the early morning or early evening. Main runways may extend as far as 900 feet in one direction, with feeding tunnels branching off to the sides. In the winter, each mole uses a single nest site, but in the summer various nest sites are used. Moles normally live for three to four years.
Control methods that work include trapping, repellents such as Mole Med and Mole Exit, and poison baits containing Talpirid (i.e., "Tomcat Mole Killer"), which is incorporated into a poison "worm" and inserted into the mole's tunnel. A free publication on mole control and various trapping options is available from your local Kentucky County Cooperative Extension Service Office.
For more information on moles and other gardening topics, and to win free flower and vegetable seeds, go to www.facebook.com/BooneHortNews or contact your local County Cooperative Extension Service.
Commercial Pesticide Applicator Training, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, Boone Co. Extension Office. Free, but call 859-586-6101 to register, or enroll online at boone.ca.uky.edu. Learn about pesticide safety and get Pesticide CEUs and ISA-certified Arborist CEUs.
Arborscape Day, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at the Boone County Arboretum. Meet at Shelter 2. Free, but register online at http://bit.ly/arborscape2014. For questions, call 859-384-4999. Observe proper pruning techniques as professional arborists prune the trees at the arboretum. Guided walks at 10 a.m. (Tree I.D.) and at 1 p.m. (Plant Problem Diagnostics: Insects, Diseases and Cultural Problems of Trees & Shrubs). Light lunch provided.