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How to Solve Mole Problems
How to Solve Mole Problems. If your lawn looks like a haphazard excavation site and is riddled with holes, moles are most likely the problem. Moles are small rodents that, despite their petite size, cause major damage by burrowing tunnels to find food and travel from one place to another. Because there are so many myths about how to handle a mole...
If your lawn looks like a haphazard excavation site and is riddled with holes, moles are most likely the problem. Moles are small rodents that, despite their petite size, cause major damage by burrowing tunnels to find food and travel from one place to another. Because there are so many myths about how to handle a mole problem, getting rid of these rodents can be frustrating. However, if you use the right mole removal techniques, mole elimination is a quick process.
Things You'll Need
Gardening equipment (gloves, knife or spade)
Mole traps
Earthworms and grubs
Weatherize your traps and any gardening gear like gloves that you will use during the mole elimination process. Weatherization refers to leaving your gear outdoors for a few days so the scent of people, manufacturing and chemicals dissipates. This may keep moles from being scared away from bait and traps.
Place a dowel or metal rod into the tunnels to determine their depth.
Stomp on the mole tunnels and wait 24 to 48 hours. If the tunnel is cleared out again in this time period, you have located an active tunnel that the mole is using. This will show you what tunnels in which to place traps and bait. The straighter the tunnel, the more likely it is to be active.
Purchase traps and find bait. Grubs and earthworms are sufficient for bait because they are the natural food of moles.
Place harpoon traps in surface tunnels and scissor or loop traps in the deep tunnels, along with bait.
Close the tunnel back up carefully. Do not leave any opening. According to professional mole catcher Ian Dando of Gloucestershire, Britain, moles can detect differences in air current and may shy from the trap area if air is traveling through your cut.
Mark the traps with an overturned bucket or flagged metal rod. Check the traps daily and dispose of the captured moles.
Tips & Warnings
Although moles can shy away from certain scents, this alone may not be an effective deterrent. Avoid spending money on techniques like placing mothballs in the tunnels, as these will not work as well as understanding the habits and environment of the mole.
