In North Carolina we have two basic species of moles. The Eastern mole and the Star nosed mole. The most prevalent is the Eastern mole. The Star Nosed mole is a protected special concern species of mole. These two moles live in different types of habitat but share some areas while feeding. Moles will average 6 to 8 inches in length and are a dark to light grey in color with very soft fur. Moles have eyes but very poor eyesight. Their nose is their greater sense. 

The only way to remove moles from your landscape is to trap them. There are measures you can take to reduce their chance of coming or returning. Applying pesticides for grubs, and earthworms will help in removing their main food sources. Using poisons for mole eradication is against North Carolina State law and even buying it from out of state is against the law. All efficient mole traps are lethal traps.

Moles do not eat vegetation. Their diet consists of bugs, grubs, and worms. As moles search for food they make tunnels which in turn expose the roots to air which then kills the plant. Between the tunnels and the killing of the grass and flowers, a well-manicured lawn will be subject to hundreds of dollars of repair and months for your lawn to recover.

Moles are solitary animals and except during breeding season remain to themselves. A mole can tunnel up to 80 feet per day which leads people to think they have dozens of moles when they only really have two or three.

If you are having small plants pulled into the ground or larger plants dying, this could be voles. Voles are vegetarians. Voles need a different trap from that used for moles and the traps are set in different locations from that of moles.

Remember, if you set traps yourself, you must acquire a depredation permit prior to setting the trap. To protect your lawn, please call Denton Wildlife Services at the first sign of damage, for a consultation visit. Denton Wildlife Services is a certified Wildlife Damage Control Agent for the state of North Carolina and can issue animal damage permits.