Moles spend nearly their entire lives underground, often frustrating homeowners with their tunneling and soil mounds. Understanding when moles are most active can help predict when signs of their presence will be most visible. Moles are active throughout the entire year, a necessity driven by their unique biology. Their activity shifts depending on the time of day and the changing seasons.
Understanding the Mole’s Constant Metabolism
Moles are compelled to be continuously active due to a high metabolic rate that demands a constant supply of food. Moles are insectivores and do not hibernate or enter torpor to conserve energy during colder months. This fast metabolism means they must consume a large volume of food, primarily earthworms and insect larvae, relative to their body size.
The mole’s body does not store significant amounts of fat, preventing them from surviving long periods without feeding. This biological constraint dictates a continuous hunting schedule, regardless of the season or time of day. Because they must eat every few hours, a mole can starve if deprived of food for as little as 12 to 24 hours.
Daily Cycles of Resting and Hunting
The mole’s daily schedule does not follow a simple pattern of being active only during the day or night; instead, they operate on a polyphasic cycle. This cycle involves alternating short, intense bursts of activity, primarily focused on hunting and tunneling, with equally short periods of rest. A typical cycle lasts approximately four hours and is repeated throughout a 24-hour period, meaning the mole is active multiple times daily.
During an active phase, a mole may vigorously excavate new tunnels or patrol existing runs in search of prey. After three to four hours of tunneling, the mole retreats to a nesting chamber for rest before the cycle begins again. While they can be active at any hour, visible tunneling that pushes up fresh soil is often noticed most frequently during the early morning or late evening. This is because the soil is cooler and more moist, which makes the digging process physically easier.
Seasonal Peaks in Surface Activity
While moles are year-round residents of the soil, the visibility of their activity fluctuates dramatically with the seasons. The most pronounced peaks in surface tunneling occur during the spring and fall. In spring, the soil thaws and is sufficiently moist, creating ideal conditions for easy digging and bringing earthworms, their primary food source, closer to the surface.
This spring peak is intensified by the mole’s reproductive cycle, as males increase their tunneling to seek out females, often creating long, straight, and highly visible surface runs. A second surge in activity occurs in the fall as temperatures cool and soil moisture increases again, prompting moles to feed voraciously to build up fat reserves for the coming winter.
During the summer, dry and hot weather can harden the soil, which pushes earthworms deeper underground. Moles follow them, and surface activity may temporarily decrease. Even in winter, moles remain active, though their tunneling is concentrated deeper below the frost line to access food and stable temperatures, making signs of their presence far less apparent above ground.