Controlling Moles in the Lawn

Flattening: Repeatedly mash active tunnels; may drive moles away.
Live trap: Bury a coffee can in an active tunnel.
Lethal traps: Harpoon traps over active runs; move if no catch in two days.

Mole populations peak in early fall. They eat insects, not plants, but tunnels are unsightly and may be used by plant-eating voles.

Finding Active Tunnels

Press down sections of visible tunnels, mark with golf tees. Next day, raised sections indicate active runs.

Chewing gum, broken glass, ultrasonic devices, windmills, mothballs, poison peanuts, lawn insecticides.

Castor oil products lack research support.

Resources: Missouri Extension "Eastern Mole Control"; The Mole Man.

About Gardening: Lawn Grubs and Mole Damage: Breaking the Cycle; Mole Control in Lawns: Trapping Beats Gadgets; What to Do With a Trapped Mole; Mole Repellents Don't Work—Trapping Does; Moles Persist Despite Lawn Service: What’s the Real Treatment?; Tunnels in Ohio Lawn: Moles or Voles? Here’s How to Tell; Humane Mole Control for Vegetarians: Repellents and Trapping Realities; Mole Control in Vegetable Gardens: Barriers, Traps, and Choices; Mole Control: Skip Poisons, Use Traps, Smoke, and Predators; Surface Trails? It's Voles, Not Moles

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