How to Catch a Mole in Your House or Yard

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Moles are certainly not the most beautiful creatures in the world, but they are extremely intelligent. That is why getting rid of moles in your garden can be a nightmare. Remember Chester Crabtree? Well, you don’t need to be so ruthless as to aim rifles into the ground. There are plenty of humane ways in which you can get rid of the moles infesting your yard without causing them any needless damage.

Before catching a mole you have to know what you are up against. Moles are extremely intelligent and sensitive creatures. They have hardly any vision but they have an extremely sharp sense of smell. This allows them to locate their food in underground tunnels (that is why they don’t need good vision). They also have extraordinarily strong and well developed paws to dig tunnels under the ground.

So what are they doing under your garden? They are not there to pull down your veggies or infest your trees. They are there for the earthworms. Moles love them and the tunnels they dig under your yard are not to amuse themselves. They are in fact traps the moles dig to catch earthworms that are equally blind as they themselves. As the continually digging earthworm wriggles out of the earth and drops into the tunnel the mole picks up the vibrations through the earth and scampers up to its lunch. Smart, isn’t it? Sure, but why do you need to know this? Because the mole is such as intelligent creature, running behind one is not going to help you in any way. It is also not a good idea to use mole poison because it may cause harm to other life in your yard. Trying to trace their paths from above the yard will not help because they have probably built such an extensive labyrinth of tunnels underneath and know their way around it so well that you do not stand a chance. You have to get to them using your smarts.

Using a mole trap is a clever way of getting rid of moles in your garden. You can either get a mole trap from the store or set up a simple yet effective one at home yourself. However, mole traps available on the market cause a lot of unnecessary pain to the creature and may even cause it to die. You can set up a more humane trap at home with things around the house.



Mole traps typically come in various forms. You can get a plunger type mole trap that you thrust into the ground. There are also tunnels or tube shaped mole traps that you would need to set well into the ground to catch your mole. Then there is also the cage variety similar to the one used in mouse traps. Whichever trap you get the first thing is to decide where to set it.

Look around your yard for tracks of raised earth. This is where the mole has been digging tunnels under the ground. Find an opening to one of the tunnels. Get down on your knees and put your hand into the hole. Move it around to find which direction the tunnel leads from. You want to trap the mole as it tries to come up through the opening. Set up your mole trap by hoisting it well into the ground. The legs of the trap will firmly grip the soil to make the trap steady. When the trap is steady, camouflage it with some earth. Check it after twenty-four hours. If the mole has been using the tunnel you will find it trapped inside the mole trap. If not, you can wait or another day or set up your trap at some other opening.

You can also set up a more humane mole trap using things from around the house. Take a simple can or jar large enough to contain the mole. A large soup can will do fine. You need to dig the can straight into the tunnel so that the open mouth of the can is a little below the base of the tunnel. Cover up the edges with some earth to camouflage it. When the mole comes scampering through the tunnel it will drop into the open can and will be unable to dig itself out. Pull up the can (wear gloves!) after a day and dispose of the mole where it won’t bother you in an area where the mole will still be able to survive but not be a nuisance to you and your yard.

More in-detail how-to mole removal articles:

Information about mole trapping - analysis and methods for how to trap.
Information about how to kill a mole - with poison or other methods.
Information about how to keep moles away - prevention techniques.
Information about mole repellent - analysis of types and effectiveness.

This site is intended to provide information about how to catch a mole education and information, so that you can make an informed decision if you need to deal with a mole problem. This site provides many mole capture articles and strategies, if you wish to attempt to solve the problem yourself. If you are unable to do so, which is likely with many cases of mole removal, please go to the home page and click the USA map, where I have wildlife removal experts listed in over 500 cites and towns, who can properly help you with your nuisance mole.

Click here to read more about how to get rid of moles.