Raised ridges across the lawn, dead strips of grass, holes near the flower bed: Kansas City homeowners usually blame moles, but voles cause much of the same frustration. They are very different animals, with different diets and different damage, and the fix for one does little for the other. Here is how our Kansas City pest control team tells them apart, using signs you can check in your own yard in a few minutes.
1. Are there mounds of dirt, or open holes?
Moles push soil up into mounds with no opening, because they plug the hole beneath with dirt. Voles leave clean, open holes about 1 to 1.5 inches across, with little or no loose soil around them. If you can see down into the hole, it is almost certainly not a mole.
2. Do you see raised ridges, or worn paths in the grass?
Moles tunnel just below the surface, lifting the turf into raised, spongy ridges that feel soft underfoot. Voles travel on the surface. They clip the grass down and wear narrow runways about 1 to 2 inches wide that run between their holes. Vole runways are easiest to spot in late winter, when melting snow shows the paths they used under it.
3. Is the damage to the soil or to the plants themselves?
Moles mostly disturb the soil. Grass over their tunnels may brown because the roots have been lifted away from the soil, but the moles are not eating the plants. Voles eat the plants directly. Missing tulip and hosta bulbs, chewed roots, and bark gnawed away near the base of young trees and shrubs all point to voles. Gnawing that goes all the way around a trunk, called girdling, can kill the tree.
4. What does the animal look like?
If you catch a glimpse, the difference is easy to see. The eastern mole, the most common mole in Missouri, is about 6 to 8 inches long, with velvety gray fur, broad paddle-shaped front feet built for digging, a pointed snout, and eyes and ears so small they are hard to spot. Voles look more like chunky mice, about 4 to 6 inches long, with small round ears, visible eyes, and a short tail.
5. Why does diet matter so much?
Diet explains the damage. Moles are insectivores, not rodents. They eat mostly earthworms, along with grubs and other soil insects. Voles are rodents and eat plants: grass, roots, bulbs, and bark. That is why a lawn grub treatment often fails to solve a mole problem. University extension specialists, including those at the University of Missouri, point out that earthworms make up much of a mole’s diet, so moles can stay even after the grubs are gone.
6. When and where does the activity show up?
Mole ridges often appear after rain in spring and fall, when worms move closer to the surface. To find active tunnels, press down a few short sections of ridge. The sections raised again within a day or two are the ones in use, and that is where traps go. Vole activity tends to center on spots with cover, such as thick mulch, ground cover, and tall grass along fences. Pulling mulch a few inches back from tree trunks and adding hardware cloth guards helps protect young trees.
How can Zip Zap Pest help with moles as part of Kansas City pest control?
Mole control is one of the services Zip Zap Pest offers, and moles are included in some of its year-round bundle plans. ZipZap Termite & Pest Control is a family-owned company in Lawson led by Board-Certified Entomologist Jeff Preece, and it is QualityPro certified. Its team can confirm which animal is causing the damage, find the active tunnels, and set up a treatment plan for lawns across Kansas City and the Northland.
What’s the quickest way to tell moles and voles apart?
Look for mounds without openings and raised, spongy ridges, which point to moles. Clean open holes, surface runways, and chewed plants or bark point to voles. Getting the identification right first saves time and money, because the traps, timing, and prevention steps that work are different for each animal. If the damage keeps spreading, a Kansas City pest control professional can help you confirm the culprit and get ahead of the problem before spring.