Mole Control and Removal - How To Get Rid of Moles From Yard and Lawn

We are experts in mole control methods, having performed thousands of mole trapping and removal jobs nationwide. Read below for much more detail. You may be able to solve your X problem yourself. Pro help is most relevant if you are unable to effectively trap the animals, or if you have a difficult case. If you need mole removal in your hometown, we service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check our prices - updated for year 2020.

Mole Info: Moles live underground and surface only occasionally. Their cylindrical bodies and powerful front claws are ideal for digging. They almost "swim" through dirt. Moles create a complex network of interconnected chambers by burrowing both deep and close to the surface, where they often leave visible ridges. Mole hills are places where the mole has pushed up earth above the surface. They have very poor sight and feed mainly on worms and insect larvae that they find by the sense of touch and smell. They do not eat roots or tulip bulbs. That is the work of voles.

Nuisance concerns: The primary problem with moles is the tunnels. They can leave ridged tunnels all over a lawn. They also leave large dirt molehills in several areas of the territory. They are not necessarily dangerous, but can ruin your nice landscaping or yard.

After you read the below information, in the event that you wish to hire a mole removal company, you may want to see how much does mole removal cost?

Moles are unique in the wildlife removal field, because they live underground! Most of the other animals can be controlled via live cage trapping. But that is not the case when it comes to moles. There is no trap designed that can catch them alive. All traps are lethal traps. Read about mole trapping to learn about how it's done, and please be aware that it isn't easy for amatuers. Mole trapping requires a great deal of experience. You may be wondering if there are other ways outside of trapping to kill a mole but there really aren't. You'll need lethal traps like spear traps or scissor traps. Finally, are there some ways to modify your lawn or property? A little. Read about mole prevention here.

These are the six steps for how to get rid of moles:

• 1. Identify all active mole tunnels. These are different from branching feeder tunnels. Active tunnels are usually straight and often along edges.
• 2. Stomp down a few of these areas, and see if moles push them back up, which will reveal that they are in active use.
• 3. Set traps on top of, or in, these tunnels. Harpoon, scissor, or clamp traps all work, but they are very tricky to set right.
• 4. If you have kids or pets, the traps could hurt them. Put a bucket over the traps.
• 5. Check the traps and remove any caught moles!
• 6. You might only need to catch a couple. But monitor the yard for new digging, and trap more if necessary.

Wondering how to get rid of moles in the yard quickly and easily? There is no magic spray or device that you can use to make them go away. Some people try to sell sprays made of castor oil or soap to get rid of moles, but that doesn't work. They also try to sell ultrasonic sound emitters. These devices are worthless at eliminating moles. Some old wives' tales recommend the use of mothballs or ammonia-soaked rags to make them leave, but I've been to countless homes where these techniques failed - biologists know that these attempts won't work. There is no such thing as an effective mole repellent. The ONE AND ONLY WAY to take care of your problem is with trapping and removal of the animals. If you need to find a professional trapper in your hometown, just click on my comprehensive list of hundreds of wildlife removal professionals, and you can have your problem quickly taken care of!

This is a nice photo of a Townsend's Mole, taken in the Seattle area by my friend Sean. He traps and removes moles. I don't really do any mole extermination here in Florida. It's not worth my time, and frankly, I just never got good at it. Mole control is difficult. Even for me, who did it for a while in Pennsylvania and experimented in Florida. Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy way to exterminate moles. Many people want to buy poison to kill moles. The problem is that moles eat only live food - almost ...click for more

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"Blargh!", said the above mole as it gasped its last breath before dying. This mole was murdered. But how? BY POISON! Yes, mole poison killed this mole. I know, because I poisoned it myself. I invited this mole to a fancy dinner, but little did he know that I placed cyanide in his wine. Just a few sips, and he keeled over as I cackled with laughter. This mole will dig up my yard no more. Of course the above story is fictitious. I actually used iocane powder. Okay, I didn't use poison at all. There is no such thing as an effective ...click for more

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If you have a problem with moles destroying your yard, there is only one way to get rid of the problem - with mole traps. There is absolutely no effective mole poison, repellent, deterrent, or any device to easily get rid of them. Except for a trap. Just set the mole trap on the surface mole tunnels, trap and remove the mole or two in your yard, and you'll have digging no longer. Unfortunately, mole trapping is not easy. The traps are not very user friendly. There are several types of mole traps, from harpoon to scissor traps ...click for more

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Moles are a common nuisance animal throughout the country. The primary objection that homeowners have to this little creature is that they make a mess of lawns. They live underground, where they are extremely active, tunneling through soil and eating about half their body weight each day in earthworms and grubs and such. They dig deep tunnels, which aren't noticed, but they also dig surface tunnels for both feeding and movement, and these tunnels create ridges all over a lawn. In addition, moles often dig ...click for more

How to Get Rid of Moles in the Yard
Moles are the bane of many homeowners who spend hours perfecting their yards. Moles leave large, garish piles of dirt on top of sod, burrowing through the layers of soils in search of insects and grubs. Moles can also be very difficult to trap because of their time spent underground and their tendency to abandon tunnels after one use. Trapping moles can be an effective method of removal if done correctly. Knowing how to trap a mole takes some experience. If you are going to trap a mole yourself, you need to purchase some body gripping traps. Find an area where the mole has created a long, straight tunnel through the sod. Using a garden tool cut the sod away and secure the trap inside of the tunnel. Replace the sod and flag the area so you remember where the trap was set. The trick to trapping moles is to place the device in an active tunnel. This type of knowledge is gained through experience, which is why hiring a professional for mole removal may be the best idea.

How to Get Rid of Moles in the Lawn
Moth balls are not an acceptable method of mole control. It is important that all homeowners realize pouring moth balls down a mole tunnel will do nothing to stop the rodents from digging in the yard. The only way to remove moles is to lethally trap them. Trapping a mole requires experience and knowledge of mole behavior and is often a situation that is best left to a professional. You can attempt to remove the moles yourself, but you will need to learn how to determine if a mole tunnel is active or if it was a one-time feeder tunnel. Placing a trap in an active tunnel is the only way to catch a mole. There are a variety of mole traps. Body gripping traps are the most common, though spear traps and scissor traps are used as well. Mole traps are placed into an active tunnel with the sod replaced on top. The traps must be secure and stable or the mole may not approach. The traps are checked daily and the bodies removed.

How to Get Rid of Moles in the Back Yard
Moles are subterranean animals which make them difficult to control. There are no poisons for moles and there are no decoy predators you can buy to deter them. Cats and dogs are largely inefficient mole catchers, at least in the capacity of problem mole control. If you want to get rid of moles in the back yard, you need to have the animal lethally trapped and removed. Moles are interesting creatures that create a network of active and inactive tunnels throughout a yard. You know you have moles if large piles of fresh dirt appear in unsightly mounds around your landscape. The mole looks for bugs and grubs in the soil and will tunnel to them rather than retrieve them from aboveground. To get rid of moles, a professional will be able to determine which mole tunnels are active and which tunnels were only used once. Traps will then be placed inside the active tunnels. Trapping moles can be very difficult, and the traps within the pathways must be set exactly right or they will not work. The trap areas will be marked and checked regularly. Once the moles are removed, the lawn must be revitalized or a new mole will be tempted to move into the old tunnels.

How to get Rid of Moles in the Garden
Moles do not eat the roots of plants, so if you've noticed your plants have perished chances are you have a vole and not a mole. If your plants are uprooted or buried under and obvious pile of fresh earth, then you can be sure you've got a mole issue. Moles like gardens because the soil is often light and moist, a good combination for insect and grub proliferation. These food sources are why the mole is there, and the animal will continue to tunnel as long as it feels there is food to be had. To get rid of a mole in the garden, consider replacing mulch with garden stone. Decorative stone does not promote bug habitat the way mulch does, and it allows for better drainage and weed prevention. Loose stone will also make surface tunneling unattractive for a mole. If changing your garden habits is not an option, the moles must be lethally trapped and removed. There are no live traps for moles because the animals live underground. Lethal traps are placed in active tunnels and are checked regularly for activity. Once the moles are removed, the landscape needs to be repaired. It is not uncommon for a new mole to move into an abandoned tunnel system.

I received the following email from someone who says that his housecat is an effective mole hunter. I'm sure not all cats are, but it was interesting to hear of it: "Your mole blog is very funny. I appreciate people who can catch and release animals rather than poisoning them. But you mentioned that trapping is the ONLY way to get rid of moles the animal. Actually, there is another way, but the mole always ends up dead. That way is by using a house cat. Cats are efficient hunters, (almost too efficient.) I had a huge problem with moles in my yard. I got a male cat, and had him neutered. (This is very important.) Within in six months every mole was gone. In fact, I watched him one afternoon as he stalked a mole. He walked around the mole ridges for a while. After a bit, he stopped in one spot and trained his eyes and ears to the ground. He jumped up in the air and came straight down front paws first and pulled the mole right out of the ground. He played with it for a while before he killed it. However, the downside to getting a cat, is that they hunt everything including native song birds. I eventually gave him to some friends who owned a farm."

Read more about mole biology.
How to Get Rid of Moles via underground fences and trapping
What kind of damage do moles cause to a lawn?
What is a mole hill? Describe mole tunnels