I Have Moles Ripping Up My Lawn: What Is the Surest Way to Rid My Lawn of Moles?

Moles perform valuable functions in the ecosystem, aerating the soil, distributing humus and eating grubs that damage plant roots. Because of the tunnels and hills they leave behind as they travel through the soil, many homeowners seek to eradicate moles from their property. The good news is that there are usually only a few moles living on a given acre of land. Trapping is the only effective way to get rid of moles.

Harpoon traps are one of three types of effective mole traps. In design, they resemble a medieval castle gate. They are set to straddle the mole tunnel, stabilized by supporting stakes driven into the soil on either side of the tunnel. When the mole goes through the tunnel underneath the the sharp spikes above, it brushes against the trigger and the spring-loaded spikes come down like a guillotine, piercing the animal's body and killing it.

Scissor-jaw traps grab the animal's body and crush it as it passes through the trap. They are designed with two sets of spring-loaded scissor jaws that straddle and surround the tunnel area when open. Unlike harpoon traps, you must dig up an area along a mole tunnel and replace the dirt loosely before arranging the trap along the axis of the partially collapsed tunnel. The trigger is in the center of the trap, so the mole runs into it while excavating the damage to the tunnel and springs the trap.

Choker loop traps have a similar design to scissor-jaw traps, but the scissor jaws are replaced with wire loops that tighten suddenly around the mole's body when it brushes against the trigger, killing it. Again, setting a choker loop trap requires digging out an area in an active tunnel, the same width as the trap and a bit deeper than the bottom of the tunnel and then loosely filling the area around the trap with soil so that the mole won't notice the trigger until it's too late.

Traps are only effective when they are placed on a tunnel that is currently used. To check if a tunnel is active, crush a short section with the heel of your shoe, and come back later and see if the area has been repaired and re-opened. If it remains collapsed for more than a couple of days, it's not a good candidate for trapping. In addition, moles are very sensitive to things that seem out of place in their environment, so try not to disturb things more than necessary when setting a trap.