Getting rid of moles in your yard or garden can be a frustrating and fruitless chore even if you know what you are doing.
The myriad of misinformation and home-spun recommendations out there don't help matters either.
People have used smoke bombs, red pepper, poison peanuts, razor blades, chewing gum, human hair, vibrating devices and long list of dangerous chemicals to get the moles out of their lawns.
There is very little evidence to support these methods.
After years of trialing this method or that method I am of the conviction that there is only one mole control strategy that works.
Effective mole control consists of: 1.
Effective mole traps 2.
A good knowledge of a moles behavior and habits.
These are the key ingredients to proper mole elimination.
Number two is the most important.
Without this knowledge the traps won't help you very much.
One may be asking why grub prevention is not listed.
While moles do eat the white grub it is not their main food source.
Moles prefer earthworms.
You can spend a lot of money treating your lawn for grubs but it is my opinion that it will not be an effective course of action.
There are a variety of mole traps on the market.
The two most common styles are also the most effective.
The plunger style and the scissor style traps are what professional pest control people use and so should you.
They work on the same premise as far as having a trap pan placed on the top side of the mole tunnel and striking when being pushed up.
That is where the similarity ends as the killing mechanisms are different.
This plunger or harpoon style mole trap seems to be the most popular and available of the different varieties and is designed for being set on-top of the ground directly over the mole runway so that its supporting stakes straddle the tunnel and its spikes plunge down and harpoon the mole as it pushes up on the trigger pan.
The scissor traps have large scissor-like blades that are inserted around the mole tunnel after pushing down a small area for the trigger.
When the mole excavates the collapsed part of the tunnel, the scissors slam shut and kill the mole.
These traps work well on the deeper main mole tunnels that are usually 8 to 12 inches below the surface.
Proper placement of mole traps is the key to success or failure.
This is where a good knowledge of mole behavior and habits is vital.
The mole is a solitary and territorial animal.
In fact there usually are only 2 - 3 moles per acre.
This territorial nature is a key factor in mole control.
After a mole is eliminated by trapping your lawn may soon be claimed by a neighboring mole looking for new grounds causing you to believe that your mole control plan is not working.
Moles make two kinds of tunnels.
These are shallow tunnels at or near the grounds surface and deep tunnels that are 6 - 20 inches underground.
Mole hills are built as the mole digs deep runs and pushes soil up through the surface of the yard.
The interconnecting trails visible above ground and just under the surface are feeding tunnels and may often be used only once.
Deep tunnels are the mole's highways that lead between feeding areas and living chambers.
These deep tunnels are where the scissor trap really shines.
Too locate deeper tunnels use a stick and probe between or next to fresh mounds.
When the ground gives way, the stick has probably broken through the burrow.
Finding surface runways that are active will take you a little more time.
Look for good straight tunnels.
Tunnels that are more likely to be active seem to be those connecting feeding areas or those running adjacent to driveways, walks or garden edges.
You will need to collapse a small area of several tunnels and mark the spots.
Over the next couple days you will have to check to see which tunnels are re-expanded.
These are the active tunnels and this is where you want to place your traps.
Please consider the safety of children, pets and yourself.
Mole traps are sharp, spring-loaded fast and very powerful.
These traps don't know the difference between a mole and a hand.
Be very careful.
Follow the manufacturer's directions and warnings.
And most importantly keep them out of the hands of a child and educate your children so they know better than to play with a set mole trap.