In an earlier post in this thread ( #20 ) for jlindy I gave some tips for Vole control. Some of the other posts from readers have alluded to having at mole problem at their location.
Here is how you control moles ~
First , a disclaimer -
There is a lot of myth , folklore and old wives tales about moles.
Some myths -
Broken glass , razor blades , barb wire put in a moles tunnel will cause it to cut itself and die from it's wounds.
Moles are very tactile animals . They hunt by smell and feel. They would notice a sharp object quickly and just dig around it.
Put mothballs , human hair , animal urines , mint , Castor oil or other repellents in the tunnel to make them move away.
Again , they will just dig around it.
Put chewing gum in tunnel so animal will eat it and clog it's digestive tract and die.
Moles don't eat chewing gum , they are insectivores.
Use sulfur smoke bombs to kill them.
This might work , but it is for agricultural use only. It is made out of sulfur and it stinks , not for use anywhere near a house.
Flood tunnel with car exhaust to kill them.
This might work but modern car exhaust contains very little carbon monoxide. The animal would probably die of heat stroke before CO poisoning.
Sonic mole repellers.
I set traps right next to these things on purpose in customer's yards. Heck . I even check to make sure it is turned on and with fresh batteries. Catch moles next to them all the time. Waste of money.
Treating the whole yard for grubs.
Mole do eat grubs. However , over 50% of a mole diet is earthworms. Grub killer does not get rid of earthworms. You want earthworms in your yard anyways.
Standard mouse /rat poison.
Moles are insectivores. They will not eat a nut or grain based bait. This makes as about much sense as trying to get a human to eat a sandwich made out of an oak plank.
I'm donning my flame suit now because I am sure someone is going to tell me one of the above things worked for them. If it worked for you , great. However , I will bet you just got lucky. Something may have happened that you were not aware of the caused the problem to go away. A predator may have caused it's demise for even illness.
If any of these things worked on a constant basis , I would use them. My job is to get rid of the offending animal as quickly as possible. If these things worked , My customers would not need to call me after using these things. A lot of the people who hire me have already tried the things and failed before calling for my expertise.
Mole Control
There was a university professor ( I can't remember the name ) who was once quoted saying -
" The most effective form of mole control is a trap in the hands of someone who knows how to use it . "
This is very , very true.
First make a proper ID of the animal problem.
Moles will have raised tunnels that are closed to the surface. Primarily found in lawn areas and some parts of mulch beds.
Voles , mice and shrews will use an abandoned mole tunnel , but it will have holes to the surface. Primarily in mulch beds and some parts of the lawn. Chipmunks , rats , ground squirrels use holes , no tunnels.
Mole facts -
Moles can make a new tunnel up to 18 feet per hour. Moles can travel in existing tunnels 80 feet per minute horizontally or vertically. Average 1 acre lawn with a mole problem will have only 1-7 moles causing all the damage. Mole do not hibernate , they go below the frostline in winter.
To trap moles effectively you need to understand how to read their tunnel systems. This will help you put your traps in the best places to catch a mole.
Straight long tunnels - These are the tunnels the mole are using on a regular basis. They are also called travel tunnels.
Tunnels with no direction and dead ends - You will see spots on the lawn where the mole has just gone willy-nilly in circles and a bunch of dead ends. This is a feeding area. It is used once or twice then abandoned.
Boils or mounds of dirt. This is the sign of a deep tunnel. Anywhere from 6-12 inches to several feet deep.
Walk your lawn and look over the tunnel system carefully. Some times if you have just the right shade of sunglasses it will highlight yellowed areas of the lawn to see the tunnels more clearly.
You need to find the longest , straightest tunnels.
I am going to say that again ~
You need to find the longest , straightest tunnels. Very important.
You will be setting your traps in the long , straight tunnels. Setting them in a feeding area rarely produces because these areas are quickly abandoned. Setting traps in the boils or dirt mounds requires lots of digging to set the trap.
There are several mole traps on the market , you may have seen these in a hardware store -
The Victor spear trap
http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/B0645-2
The Victor Out-Of-Sight trap
http://www.victorpest.com/store/mole-and-gopher-control/B0631-2
Both of these traps are effective. Both of them require a bit of practice. Both of them can be hazardous if set incorrectly , be careful. I have met one person who ran a spear trap through his finger , his wife hired me to keep him out of trouble..lol
I use a different trap , it is called the NoMol. They are made in Switzerland. I don't suggest you try this trap , it takes much longer to learn how to use it properly than the two Victor traps . Plus the Victor traps are available locally. NoMols are only available by mail/web order.
NoMol trap
http://www.nomol.com/
You will need at least 3 traps or better yet 6 traps to remove moles from your yard. Using any less than this will prolong the time it takes to capture the moles. You need to give the animals multipliable chances to get caught. This stops the damage to your lawn quickly instead of just using 1-2 traps.
Using the longest , straightest tunnel for your trap location , trap as many moles as you can until the are no freshly raised tunnels. Punch some holes in the tunnel system and see if they get repaired or the tunnel collapses. After your yard is mole free , keep an eye on your neighbor's yard. If they have moles , they will migrate to your yard and you will have to catch them as they come. I have seen this many , many times. I try to get my customers to talk to their neighbors about hiring me for mole control. I can use the extra work , plus it keeps the original yard from getting re-infested.
It is important to catch all the moles in your yard. Any leftover moles can breed.
Poisons ~
As I stated before standard mouse/rat poison does not work for moles because it does not look or smell like insects.
Through the wonders of modern chemistry they have developed a poison just for moles - The Gummy Worm.
Bell labs has spent a fair amount of time on this new product called Talpirid.
http://www.talpirid.com/
This is a gummy worm with poison. It supposedly smells and tastes like a worm. ( I will take the manufacturer's word on that , I 'm not going to test it .) There are a bit pricey at approx. $2 per worm. You will need a tray of ten for an average sized yard. This is also a professional product that may or may not be sold to the public in your state. However , you can get an over the counter version with the same ingredients.
http://tomcatbrand.com/mole_control/1-mole-control-overview
The Tomcat brand is a little cheaper and available at Home Depot or Lowes and other places.
Application of the poison will again be in those long and straight tunnels. Poke a hole in the tunnel with a dowel and slip the worm in the hole while wearing gloves. Seal up the tunnel where you made the hole. Watch the tunnel system for activity , reapply as needed.
Make sure you read the directions. Basic rule of thumb for pesticides - ' The label is the Law ' any other use or misuse is considered ' Off-Label ' and probably illegal.