Around West Virginia
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local mole information
Mole control in West Virginia
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Moles in West Virginia: what to know
What to note
Where you see moles, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.
A useful next step
Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.
Local research
Moles in West Virginia: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which moles actually live in West Virginia, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Three species occur in West Virginia
Mole species
Hairytail mole statewide, star-nosed mole in roughly the eastern two-thirds, eastern mole in roughly the eastern third.
West Virginia Department of AgricultureHead and body 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches; may consume three times its own weight in 24 hours
Hairytail mole
Prefers sandy loam with good vegetative cover, not heavy wet soils; nests about 18 inches down; home range about 1 1/4 acre.
West Virginia Department of Agriculture22 fleshy tentacles around the snout; pushes up mounds 12 inches or more across
Star-nosed mole
Prefers low, wet ground near lakes or streams; often gregarious, with populations of ten or more per acre; usually leaves no surface ridges.
West Virginia Department of AgricultureMole species recorded in West Virginia
- Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) — Range across most of the eastern U.S. to Wyoming and Colorado; the only mole in Missouri.
- Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) — Northeast and Great Lakes; wet soils; up to 7 young.
- Hairy-tailed mole (Parascalops breweri) — Northeastern uplands.
When moles are busiest in West Virginia
Lawns are invaded mainly in the wetter months of late fall, winter and early spring; moles retreat to moist woodland as lawns dry.
The WVDA brochure notes that poisoned baits are generally unsatisfactory because live soil invertebrates are hard to imitate, and that doing nothing is often reasonable since moles leave as lawns dry in late spring.
Rules that apply in West Virginia
For context, nationally
- 7 — Mole species in North America. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
- Up to 150 feet — New tunnel per day. Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech)
Sources: West Virginia Department of Agriculture; Moles; Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
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Beckley
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Bluefield
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