How to Catch Moles With Traps
Mounds of loose dirt pushed up in your yard connected by raised trails of sod and dirt are sure indications of mole activity. Moles tunnel their way underground in search of grubs and other insects. Their bodies are designed to dig and live underground with little oxygen, so they rarely need to come to the surface. These little digging animals can destroy lawns in a short period of time, killing the grass roots with their constant tunneling. The only practical method of getting rid of them is to trap them. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Locate fresh mole activity: The most obvious sign of moles tunneling under your grass is pushed-up mounds of dirt. Working around a dirt mound, stab the screwdriver into the ground until it breaks through into a hollow tunnel.
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Dig out a 6-inch hole over the tunnel with a trowel. Lift out the cut chunk of sod, locate the tunnel, and figure out the direction it is going to and from.
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3
Set a scissor-style mole trap: This is easily accomplished by utilizing two setting levers. Stand the trap upright, hook the twin hooks on each of the levers over the trap spring with the open end of the hooks facing out. One lever should be on each side of the springs. Squeeze the levers up, bringing them together at the top of the springs.
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Lift the trap pan that is under the jaws, and put the end of the trigger wire into the end of the pan. Slip the safety latch over the springs to hold them together. (Directions for setting come with the trap.)
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Sift some loose dirt into the hole, partially filling the tunnel. Push the now open trap jaws into the sifted dirt until the bottom of the pan just rests on the dirt. The open jaws have to be parallel with the tunnel so the mole has to pass between them. Take off the safety latch from the springs.
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Put the plug of sod back on top of the hole with the trap in the tunnel under it. This is to seal out all light. The mole will travel through the tunnel until it encounters the fresh, loose dirt. It will burrow through the dirt, pushing up on the trap pan, which will release and snap the jaws shut on the mole.
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Check the trap the next day by lifting the plug of sod and looking in the hole. If the trap is still set, leave it. If no catch is made in three days, try putting the trap in a different tunnel. Usually only one mole lives in a tunnel. Once one is caught, move to a different tunnel.
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Tips & Warnings
Find main tunnels for best trapping success. A long ridge of pushed-up dirt is a good indication of a main tunnel.
You will know that the screwdriver has broke into a tunnel when it suddenly goes down several inches with no resistance from the dirt.
When sifting dirt into the hole, make sure the bottom of the jaws reach the floor of the tunnel at the same time the trap pan touches the dirt. Remove or add dirt as needed.
Use the setting levers for the trap rather than squeezing the springs together with your hands. The levers are designed to compress the springs in a safe manner.
Once the safety latch is released, do not put your hands anywhere near the jaws.
