Many of you have a common question, What Do Moles Eat when they tunnel through the ground searching for food? Well, moles are actually insectivores with a vigorous appetite. They eat nearly 70 to 100% body weight in food each day. Earthworms are considered to be their favorite food. They also eat millipedes, centipedes, grubs, snails, crickets, spiders and other various insects.
However, if you are curious about their diet and want to know in details, this post is for you. You will get all of the information about mole’s food habit as well as their baby’s diet.
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A Short Description of Moles
Moles are small creatures that are found in every continent except Antarctica and South America. They have a pointed snout, rounded body, soften grey-black fur, spade-like front claws, and tiny eyes and ears. Generally, they grow to be 6 to 8 inches long including their tail. Moles use their front claws for digging their tunnels.
They create their tunnels continuously and may not use the same tunnel for twice. They prefer to spend most of their time alone underground into their tunnel. They create tunnels mainly in order to search for their foods. However, moles can live up to 6 years. Their main predators are buzzers, owls, dogs, and cats. Sometimes, people also kill them as pests of agriculture.
Mole’s Diet List
As a mammal, moles are not actually carnivores or herbivores. They are usually one kind of insectivore. There is a diet list of moles that they like to eat. Let’s check it out to know more about their food habit.
Check: Mole Vs Mouse
Moles are Truly Insectivores
Moles are usually insectivores that mean they only prefer to eat insects. They have different types of choices including earthworms, millipedes, and insect larvae. All of these are found into the soils where the mole spends the vast majority of its total lifespan. However, this characteristic makes them different from rodents.
Generally, moles eat up lots of invertebrates. For example, star-nosed moles enjoy feasting on invertebrates in the water. Since they are highly expert at swimming they can easily find out their prey in the water.
Moles like Earthworms Most
Earthworms are actually what moles usually like to eat most. Earthworms are widely considered as the ideal meal for the moles. As moles love to eat earthworms so much, they can eat body weight in earthworms each day. In addition, moles regard earthworms to be so valuable they regularly stash them away for later feeding.
When moles catch earthworms, they will paralyze it with toxin and store it in the underground storeroom that they’ve created. Since moles spend so much energy each day they will need a food source adequacy. So the moles make their burrows where they can find enough earthworms as their meal.
Insects and Grubs
Besides of earthworms, moles also like to eat insects and grubs. Insects are undoubtedly a nutritious source of mole’s dinner. Basically, moles eat everything, whatever they get in their way. They include millipedes, centipedes, and slugs in their diet list. Moreover, some moles even eat bigger critters notably vertebrates like rodents and reptiles.
Roots and Plants
Even though moles are considered to be an insectivore creature, some species of moles also like to eat plants or roots. They take a tiny portion of plants as their meal. They’re more likely to eat-up plants that have taken on a soft texture because of moisture.
Diet of Baby Mole
Although moles are solitary animal however they can socialize only during their breeding season. When it is their childbearing season, male moles leave their cave in searching for female moles. An adult female mole gives birth to three-four hairless babies at a time. When they are very young they need only their momma’s milk. And when they get bigger they will eat earthworms and bugs like adult moles.
Foods that you can use as a Mole Bait for Mole Trap
Setting a trap with bait enhance the chances of your success to catch the moles. You can use mole’s favorite foods as bait so you can get them without much effort.
Using Peanut Butter as a Mole Bait
Peanut butter may very much favorite to you and your kids but moles also like its fragrance. You can apply peanut butter as a bait when you set a trap to catch moles in your place. Just follow the steps given below and get rid of these tiny creatures from your area.
- First of all, find out an active tunnel in your yard.
- Clear the area and remove all the obstruction that could prevent you from keeping the mole trap to stay stable on the ground.
- Now, take a mole trap and spread some peanut butter below the trigger.
- After that, pull-up the snap wire to the back and keep it in the same position with your thumb.
- When you’re holding the snap wire backward place the lock bar over the top of the snap wire. And place the end of the lock bar in the hook under the trigger. To make the task easier hold the trigger in a 45 degrees position.
- Remove your thumb slowly from the snap wire and set the trap over the tunnel.
Earthworms and Grubs
As I mention it before in this post moles like to eat earthworms and grubs most. So wherever there are worms or grubs there have to be moles also. As they like worms and grubs very much you can apply these foods against them. This bait will attract moles and you will be capable to catch a mole easily. Keep one thing in your mind, use hand gloves when you’re handling worms or grubs.
Final Thought
Because of mole’s nonstop digging and unbelievable appetite, it is common to believe that these tiny creatures eat a variety of food items. Moreover, most of the landowners consider them as a garden pest. Moles are really do not prefer to eat plants they only love to eat insects or earthworms. Finally, you know that What Do Moles Eat, now you can take an easy step to control them in your garden. Just eliminate their food storage from your area, this step will help you to keep moles away from your side.
