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Moles or Pocket Gophers? Mound Shape Tells the Truth

Fresh soil mounds with no visible tunnels for a month suggest pocket gophers, not moles. Moles create raised ridges (surface tunnels) and volcano mounds. Gophers make fan-shaped mounds with plugged holes, no surface ridges.

Quick ID

Mole: Raised tunnels you can feel/see, circular mounds.
Gopher: No surface tunnels, crescent mounds with plugged center.

Control

Visit ICWDM Gardens for mound diagrams and species-specific trapping/baiting methods. Follow state laws.

Pests: Mole Control: Trapping Beats Poisons and Grub Treatments; Mole Control That Works: Debunking Myths and Mastering Trapping; Lawn Holes: Voles, Not Moles—Perfectly Round Holes Indicate Voles; Mole or Vole? Don’t Use Peanut Butter for Moles; Mole Control in Lawns: Trapping Beats Gadgets; Moles vs. Voles: Identification and Effective Trapping; Managing Moles in the Lawn Naturally; Mole Control: Traps Beat Repellents & Indirect Methods; Mole Control: Skip Poisons, Use Traps, Smoke, and Predators; Mole Management: Coexistence, Trapping, and Bait Limitations

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