Easy Way to Get an Elimination Trap

Even though moles remain underground most of the time, their damage will extend onto the surface in the form of tunnels and ridges along your lawn and volcano-like mounds that can raise as high as eight inches. The damage done underneath your lawn will also tear up plant roots and can cause them to die slowly. For more information about identifying moles, visit our identification guide.

If you've identified mole tunnels and mounds throughout your yard and can tell that it isn't a similar animal like voles, shrews, or gophers, you can use the following treatment methods to help get rid of them. Some of these treatments can be done using simple household items that you may already have, but others will require a trip to the store to purchase some products and materials.

Insecticides

Moles eat insects like grubs and worms, so one simple preventative measure is to eliminate this food source. You can treat your yard regularly with surface insecticide granules or a spray. Along with keeping out moles, this great habit can protect your home from smaller pests like roaches and other insects. But if you already have a mole problem, you may not want to use this method until the issue is resolved. Killing off lawn grubs and other food sources could cause the mole to dig deeper in search for food and create even more lawn damage before it finally moves on.

Bait and Poison

There are several products on the market that act as both mole bait and poison to the critters in your yard. These usually come in the form of fake worms that mimic the shape and feel of real earthworms but contain the poison bromethalin. Bromethalin contains both bromine and fluoride and affects the moles both physically and neurologically until they die. Other common types of poisons include warfarin and zinc phosphide.

If you decide to use poisons, it's very important to read the instructions carefully before placing them in the ground. If you use too many or too much, the poisons could affect other wildlife and even your outdoor pets. One advantage of using poisons on moles is that they're already underground and you won't have to deal with a carcass. However, the instructions will usually tell you to continue monitoring your yard for new tunnels for a certain period of time until you can be certain that the mole activity has ceased.

Trapping

Live Traps: Live mole traps are usually cylindrical chambers with a one-way door on each side. You can usually bait a mole with worms or grubs inside the trap, which you can then place inside an already-dug tunnel and knock in the sides next to it. Place a piece of plywood on top of the trap and cover it with dirt so that the trap isn't just sitting out in the open. The mole will smell the worms and also want to head towards the trap in order to re-excavate the points that you've knocked in. Once inside the trap, they'll be locked inside with the worms. To humanely release the moles, check the trap every four hours.

• Flooding The Tunnels: The flooding method is only recommended if you're comfortable with coming in contact with the mole or if you've handled wildlife before. It's also better suited for those with smaller yards or if you can easily see this mole in its entirety from a single vantage point. You'll need at least one other person to help you with this process:
• Everyone involved should be prepared with long pants, long sleeves and gloves.
• Locate an end to one of the mole tunnels.
• Open the tunnel and insert a hose.
• Slowly fill the mole tunnel system with water.
• Keep an eye on the remainder of the tunnel system. You'll want to look for any movement or new tunnels being made.
• Once you see any sign of activity, stop the mole and snatch it with your gloved hands, a shovel, or any other tool of your choice. Put the animal in a large bucket.
• Carry the bucket away to a drop-off location far from residential property.

Spring-loading Traps: If you've ever dealt with mice or rats, you've probably used a small-scale spring-loaded trap. Traps designed for moles are slightly larger and use either spikes or blunt force to kill them. The spring works by creating tension in the mechanism until it's triggered by movement. Once released, the trap will either crush or stab the mole.
Even though moles are already underground, you'll still have to go through the cleaning process if you'd like to reuse the killing trap. This means that you'll still want to check these mole traps as often as you would check a live one so you can remove the carcass from the ground before any decay has begun.

Repellent

Many different types of mole repellents exist, both DIY and on the market. These can be used as a preventative measure or in combination with other treatment methods, but it isn't recommended to use them on their own for mole removal. A mole could likely dig deeper to avoid the repellent or tunnel elsewhere in your yard. Repellents are best used to keep moles from coming into your yard in the first place, or at least to keep them out of certain areas.

Tar: Similar to castor oil, moles will also stay away from the smell and taste of tar. This repellent is more difficult to work with, so it isn't recommended to spray or pour it directly on your yard. Instead, you can use a small object to dip in the tar before placing it in the ground within the mole's tunnel system. If you do this at strategic points around your yard, the animal is bound to change course and stay away.

Sonic Repellents: Sonic repellents are not an easy DIY project, but they're usually budget-friendly and easily available in-store and online. They work by sliding them into the ground, usually with a spoke, where they emit sonic vibrations that scare off moles and other rodents. This frequency is undetectable to humans, so it repels your mole problem at no nuisance to you. With this method, you also won't have to worry about checking a trap or using poisons if you have children or pets.

Granulated Repellent: Granulated repellents usually contain a combination of ingredients which moles can't stand – including castor oil, citronella oil, and garlic. As with any store-bought pest treatment you're using on your yard, be sure to read the instructions fully. Reapply as necessary – not any more or less.

Liquid Repellent: Store-bought repellents also come in liquid form. They're most commonly a blend of castor oil along with other ingredients that keep moles away. The benefit of buying a liquid repellent is that it takes away a lot of the work you would otherwise be doing to create your own DIY recipe. Some of the other ingredients inside liquid repellents include eggs, clove, fish oil, garlic and onion, and wintergreen.

Gassing

Gassing is a form of poisoning moles that is only recommended to be done with store-bought gas bombs. Depending on the size of your yard and length of its mole tunnels, the packaging will usually recommend the exact number of bombs that you need to buy. Gas bombs work by being placed at the entrances to mole tunnels. Once they're set off, they'll quickly fill the length of a tunnel with poisonous gas. After using them, you'll want to monitor your yard for a certain period of time to see that the moles are dead and didn't simply run away from the poison.

As with any store-bought poisons, you should read all of the instructions thoroughly. If you have outdoor pets, there may be special instructions to keep them inside for a certain amount of time while the poison is being released.

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Source: https://www.pests.org/get-rid-of-moles/

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