Recently in Moles Category

2008 has been a slower year for mole activity at my home. I've trapped a few of them, but recently, one has been a bugger to catch. I knew there was one in the area - tunnels directly under a newly planted vegetable garden; mounds in the middle of the backyard lawn; and an occasional mole run to try trapping.

I finally spotted a large tunnel system where I've had success previously. Picking a straight-away, I set the Out-O-Site trap in the sandy, dry soil. I check the traps daily. If they are not sprung, I'll probe around the trap to see if the mole made it through without tripping the trigger. This happened probably 5 or 6 times over a week period of time.

I finally decided the dry, sandy soil was being pushed through rather than up, which springs the trigger. So I got a gallon of water, and wet the run on either side of the trap, and then wet the soil plug under trap so there would be a little more resistance when the mole pushed through. It worked the first time!

I think this may be why I was able to catch so many last year - it rained almost daily up until July, and I caught most of them in the early part of the year. So, if you're having trouble catching moles in dry, sandy spots, try wetting the soil.

I just wanted to make a short note to encourage folks hassled and bothered by moles. I got the 4th one this year, including 3 in the last 4 days. I've mentioned before - try trapping in the same run, especially if the tunnel is a bit deeper and larger. At this time of year, family members are probably using the same tunnel system to get to various feeding grounds. Earlier this year I caught one mole, and about a week or 2 later, they were using that tunnel again.

I probably had to reset the trap (Victor Out O Site) at least 6 or more times before I got it. It was just passing through without tripping the trap. The last time I made sure the trap was as deep as I could go without it being in the tunnel pathway, and made sure the "jaws" were perfectly straddling the runway. I also make sure there is no soil blocking the other end of trigger, so when it is pushed up on the action end, it can move up with out resistance on the other. - - Persistence pays off!

After a banner year last year, catching 16 moles on my small < 1 acre home lot, 2008 started off rather quietly. Last month I caught one mole, using the Victor Out of Site Trap. This was after unsuccessfully trying to shovel a mole out while it was making a mound. That was the first time I had encountered a "mound-in-progress", and perhaps I was too hasty in my attempt to flip it out while the dirt was being shoved up.

Yesterday, I noticed, in the same area by the street, a fresh mound, and sure 'nuf, it was in progress. So, I hurried, got my sharp-shooter shovel and waited patiently for it to start shoving more dirt up. Patience did not pay off this time, though, and it got away.

I figured the creature would be really spooked, because I excavated a bit to examine its very large tunnel system going off in either direction from the mound. At any rate, I left the shovel in a nearby spot just in case. This morning, there was a BIG fresh mound in the exact same spot. I could almost hear it chanting, "Nah, nah, nah, nah nah nah". 

So, the saga continues. I'm waiting for more apparent surface ridges appear to start my trapping program, realizing moles from neigboring properties will always recolonize the vacated runs.

Despite a year-long campaign to trap moles on my 0.9 acres, the little buggers continue to invade my space. Now, you might say I should learn to peacefully co-exist with this resident mole population. If all they were doing was making unseen runways that criss-cross my yard underground, that would be fine. But, I they are causing 3 major problems (not to mention several other minor irritations):

1. Mounds are pushed up into the middle of flower beds, between cracks in paving stones, and in the middle of the lawn.
2. Runoff after heavy rains follows the major runways, causing severe erosion on several parts of my property,
3. The extensive tunneling in flower/shrub beds kills nearby perennials, and drys out roots of azaleas and other sensitive plants.

So, the hunt continues. Last week I caught 2 (# 14 and 15 for 2007) in the same run. This week I tried trapping nearby 2 mounds. Both times the trap was almost buried by a large plug of soil. I suspect I'm trying to trap too near the mounds and they are encountering the metal trap. Next time I'll go out further from the mound. However, finding the deep run some distance from the mound can be challenging.

A person asked recently how to tell the difference between gopher and mole mounds. As a matter of fact, a lot of people don't realize that moles make mounds, and sometimes lots of them. The main difference in the mounds is that mole mounds are just blobs of dirt on the ground; gopher mounds have definite indents on one side of the mound where it plugs up the hole. The photo on the right is a gopher mound, with the plug facing you.

Yesterday I caught mole 13, using the Out-O-Site trap. There are signs of mole activity in other parts of the yard, so the saga continues......