Mole or Vole? Here's How to Tell the Difference

Soil mounds in your garden — but are they from a mole or a vole? Answering the question mole or vole correctly is crucial, as it determines which measures you are allowed and should take. The mole is strictly protected by species conservation laws and must not be controlled. The vole, on the other hand, is a pest that causes significant plant damage and may be controlled. In this guide, we show you all distinguishing features so you can identify the correct culprit with certainty and take appropriate action.

Mole or Vole: The Most Important Differences at a Glance

Here is an overview of the most important distinguishing features between moles and voles:

The Soil Mounds

The most visible sign is the soil mounds on the surface. They differ significantly:

• Mole hills: High and cone-shaped, symmetrical, the soil is fine and crumbly, free of plant debris and roots. The soil is ejected from bottom to top — like a miniature volcano.
• Vole hills: Flatter and irregular, often elongated or oval, the soil often contains plant debris, root pieces and coarser materials. The mounds are often thrown up to the side of the tunnel, not directly above it.

The Tunnel Shape

If you expose a tunnel and examine its cross-section, a clear difference becomes apparent:

• Mole tunnel: Transversely oval — wider than it is high. The mole digs with its broad, shovel-shaped front paws and pushes the soil upward.
• Vole tunnel: Vertically oval — higher than it is wide. The vole digs with its incisors and pushes the soil backward.

This distinction is one of the most reliable features and should always be checked if uncertain.

The Disturbance Test: The Simplest Method

The disturbance test is the simplest and most reliable field test to distinguish mole or vole. Here's how it works:

1. Open the tunnel: Pierce an active tunnel with a hole approximately 10 cm in diameter on the surface, so the tunnel becomes visible.
2. Mark the location: Remember the exact spot or mark it with a stick.
3. Wait: Leave the opening uncovered for 2 to 6 hours (not overnight, as both species could be active then).
4. Check the result:
   • Vole: The opening is sealed within a few hours. The vole pushes soil up from below into the opening to make its tunnel light-tight again.
   • Mole: The opening remains open. Instead, the mole creates a new tunnel below or to the side of the opening. If necessary, it pushes up a new soil mound next to the opening.

Perform the disturbance test at several locations in your garden to obtain a reliable result. Both animal species can occur in the same garden at the same time.

Mole or Vole: Further Distinguishing Features

Plant Damage

The most striking distinguishing feature besides the soil mounds is plant damage:

• Mole: Causes NO plant damage. The mole is a pure carnivore (insectivore) and feeds on beetle grubs, earthworms, snail eggs and other soil organisms. If plants collapse or wilt over mole tunnels, this is due to soil subsidence, not feeding.
• Vole: Causes massive plant damage. The vole eats roots, tubers, flower bulbs and bark of young trees. Typical damage: plants can be easily pulled from the soil (roots eaten), fruit trees die, flower bulbs disappear, carrots and potatoes are gnawed.

Tunnel System and Depth

• Mole: Tunnels run at various depths (5 to 70 cm). Shallow tunnels just below the surface are used for foraging, while deeper tunnels serve as permanent runways and nesting tunnels. The tunnel system can extend over an area of up to 2,000 m².
• Vole: Tunnels usually run at a depth of 5 to 30 cm, directly in the root zone of plants. The tunnel system is more compact and concentrated than with the mole.

Food and Droppings

• Mole: Feeds exclusively on animal food — earthworms, beetle grubs, snails, insect larvae. Mole droppings are rarely found and contain insect remains.
• Vole: Feeds on plant food — roots, tubers, turnips, flower bulbs, bark. In the tunnels you often find storage chambers with collected roots and tubers. Vole droppings are olive-shaped, 7 to 10 mm long, greenish-brown.

Both Animals in Your Garden: What to Do?

It is quite possible that both a mole and voles are living in your garden. In this case, you must proceed with differentiation:

• Voles may be actively controlled — with traps like the Pro SuperCat Vole Trap. Make sure to place the traps in identified vole tunnels (vertically oval, quickly sealed disturbance test).
• The mole may only be deterred — with vibration devices like the Motor-MoleChaser or deterrent fertilizers like Talpax Fertilizer.

Also read our detailed guides on controlling voles and deterring moles.

Legal Differences: Mole vs. Vole

The legal differences between moles and voles are significant and an important reason why correct identification is so crucial:

• Mole: Specially protected species under BNatSchG. Capturing, injuring, killing and significant disturbance are prohibited. Only deterrence is permitted. Fine for violation: up to EUR 50,000.
• Vole: No special species protection. May be controlled as a pest, including with traps and baits. No closed season. No permit required.

In case of doubt: If you're unsure whether it's a mole or a vole, treat the animal as a mole and use only deterrent methods until identification is certain.

Tips for Safe Identification

To safely answer the question mole or vole, combine multiple clues:

1. Inspect the soil mounds: Cone-shaped and fine (mole) or flat and with plant debris (vole)?
2. Expose the tunnel: Transversely oval (mole) or vertically oval (vole)?
3. Perform the disturbance test: Tunnel remains open (mole) or gets sealed (vole)?
4. Check for plant damage: No feeding damage (mole) or gnawed roots and tubers (vole)?
5. Look into the tunnel: Food remnants or storage chambers (vole) or insect-like remains (mole)?

If at least three of these indicators point to the same animal, you can rely on your identification with high confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can you distinguish between a mole and a vole by the soil mound?

Yes, the soil mounds differ significantly. Mole hills are high, cone-shaped and consist of fine, crumbly soil without plant debris. They are ejected from bottom to top, similar to a miniature volcano. Vole mounds, on the other hand, are flatter, more irregular and often contain root pieces, grass blades and coarser soil clumps. They are thrown up to the side of the tunnel. This distinction works in most cases but should be confirmed with the disturbance test and inspection of the tunnel shape.

Can a mole and a vole live in the same garden?

Yes, this does occur. Both animals use different ecological niches: the mole hunts insects and worms, the vole eats plant roots. In practice, however, voles often avoid proximity to moles, since moles occasionally eat young voles. Nevertheless, both species can occur in the same garden at the same time. If you find different types of soil mounds and tunnels, you should take appropriate measures for each species.

Does the mole cause plant damage?

No, the mole causes no direct plant damage. It is a pure insectivore and has no interest in roots, tubers or flower bulbs. If plants wilt or collapse near mole tunnels, this is due to soil subsidence, not feeding. In fact, the mole is even beneficial: it eats pests like beetle grubs and snails and loosens the soil. If, however, you notice gnawed roots and missing flower bulbs, you're dealing with a vole.

What is the disturbance test and how do I perform it?

The disturbance test is the simplest method to distinguish between mole and vole. Open a tunnel by piercing a hole approximately 10 cm in diameter in the surface. Wait 2 to 6 hours and then check: if the opening is sealed, it's a vole — it seals its tunnel to make it light-tight again. If the opening remains open, it's a mole — it digs around the opening and avoids it. Perform the test at several locations to obtain a reliable result.

Can I catch a vole in a mole trap?

Catching and killing voles is permitted, as they are classified as pests and have no special species protection. You can use specialized vole traps like the Pro SuperCat Vole Trap for this purpose. Be sure to place the trap exclusively in identified vole tunnels and not in mole tunnels. Accidentally catching a mole in a trap is an offense and can result in a fine.