4 Ways to Deal with Moles

You’ve noticed some dirt spots in your yard. At first you chalk it up to your dog, or the lawn mower, or even the sun. Eventually, these dirt spots turn into big piles and tunnels. Then it hits you… moles have taken over your yard. How can you deal with these critters?

First and foremost, the present of moles isn’t all bad. If you have a garden, you may decide that the benefits are worth the cost of some unsightly spots in your yard. Moles do NOT eat your plants. Instead, they eat the beetles, grubs, and other insects and larvae that DO eat your plants. A single mole can eat around 50 lbs. of bugs per year!

Their tunnels also act as an aerator to your yard/garden. They mix and loosen the soil allowing more air, water, and nutrients to reach your grass and garden plants and allowing the plant roots to penetrate deeper into the ground.

But still, their tunnels close to the surface can be unsightly and make mowing more difficult. Additionally, mole tunnels can be highjacked by other rodents that DO eat the roots of grass and plants.

Secondly, moles typically move from yard to yard as they eliminate the bugs in each area of the ground. You may find that as soon as they arrive and become noticeable to you, they have already left and no additional measures are necessary.

To determine if there are still live moles present, stomp on their tunnels to flatten and check back in a day or so to see if they have risen again.

**If in fact, there are moles present and they do not seem to leave your yard in a timely fashion, there are a few things you can do to help the process along.

1.)  Trap the moles yourself with live traps – If you can identify the primary tunnel, you may place traps in the tunnel. If you can remove and relocate 1-2 moles, you will likely solve the problem. Moles are loners and although it may appear that you have many, a single mole can dig up to 100ft of tunnel a day. There are probably less moles than you think.

2.)  Trap the moles with mice traps – If you do not want to deal with checking live traps and moving the rodents elsewhere, you can use a snap trap that is generally used for mice and rats. Place the snap trap at the tunnel entrance (if you can find it) and bait with meat such as pepperoni or sausage.

3.)  Flood them out – Place a garden hose at the tunnel entrance and run water to flood out the moles. This doesn’t always prevent them from returning, but after a couple times of frustration, they may just decide to move on.

4.)  Hire an expert – Although it comes with a cost, you can hire a professional wildlife expert. They have training and experience dealing with a variety of pests. They will use the best and most effective method to remove the pests. Additionally, they are knowledgeable of the laws pertaining to wildlife. Permits or licenses may be required in your location. Hiring an expert will ensure that you approach the situation within laws and guidelines.

**Check with your state and local laws before attempting to eradicate moles from your yard.