Your neighbor’s lawn looks great. It’s green, luxurious, and, if you’re honest, makes you a bit jealous. Why?
Because your lawn is a disaster, ground mole damage has turned your beautiful green lawn into a brown mud pit. Your friends never come over for barbeques, and you have difficulty setting up the grill without tripping over a molehill.
While we can’t help you with your friends, we can help with your mole problem! Here are some key tips for effectively using ground mole poison that will get your lawn back in shape in no time.
Use the Right Ground Mole Poison
Not all poisons are the same, and not all animal removal solutions involve poison.
Double-check what you are getting when you buy a mole or pest removal solution. Moles can be targeted in various ways, some of which don’t involve poisons at all!
Certain chemicals marketed for ground mole removal are simple animal repellents. These can be effective tools in the short run but will need to be reapplied every so often to continue keeping the varmints at bay.
If you end up getting mole repellent, realize that this will not kill the moles. This is fine, but it’s important to realize what you have and what you’re dealing with. A benefit to mole repellent is that it is (sometimes) safer for children and pets than true poison.
There are also poisons designed to kill mole’s diets. These can target worms, grubs, and other insects that moles feast on. Make sure you know whether your poison will target the moles themselves or just their food!
Good ground mole poison will target and kill the animals directly, but you have to be careful! These poisons can be deadly for pets and children, which is why many people use less-lethal alternatives.
Before you settle on using poison to get rid of your moles, consider these tips for mole removal, particularly if you have pets or children.
Follow All Instructions
If you want to poison your ground moles to remove them, it is imperative that you read all included instructions with your poison. Read all the warnings and labels carefully, even going online if you feel that you need more information.
Mole poison is very toxic to dogs and other pets when ingested and can be much worse than a typical rat or mouse poison. You need to be careful to place your poison where pets can’t get to it or keep them indoors for as long as it’s potent and exposed.
Locate the Holes
The first step towards killing the moles is determining the best places to set poison. There are two main tunnels you want to search for: surface runways and deep tunnels.
Surface runways are those long, raised patches of bare dirt that you see in your yard. Moles create them by digging in the ground underneath, killing the grass above them.
Deep tunnels are indicated by large mounds of dirt piled aboveground in a somewhat mountainous shape. Depending on your region, moles may or may not form many deep tunnels like this.
You should test the tunnels to see if they are active tunnels or not. For runways, poke a stick carefully through the top, making a hole in the tunnel. Do this in several places and tunnels, marking the holes with flags.
Similarly, poke holes in the entrances for deep tunnels, making sure your stick goes in the same direction as the tunnel. This may take a bit of trial and error, but one direction should have much looser dirt than other directions.
Come back after 2-3 days, and check the holes you have made. If any of them have been resealed or filled in, you know this is an active mole tunnel. If they still have a hole, you know the mole hasn’t come that way for a while.
Bait the Moles
Once you’ve found active tunnels, it’s time to place your poison. These tips are for poisoned grubs and worms and may be different if you have a different type of poison.
The method is fairly similar for both surface runways and deep tunnels. You will want to poke a hole in the tunnel roof of an active tunnel, being careful not to collapse the tunnel.
Insert one or two pieces of bait, settling them on the floor of the tunnel. You want to make sure it is accessible and won’t get missed, so cover up the hole you made to block out all light from the tunnel.
Repeat this process several times along different active tunnels and deep holes, placing the grubs in the tunnel and resealing the holes you’ve made.
You can come back after a few days (depending on how long the poison says it takes to work) and repeat your testing process. Poke some holes in the tunnels you found to be active, and see if the holes get filled after a few days.
Ask the Professionals!
If you’re still struggling or want to know more about how to get rid of ground moles, it may be time to call in the big guns!
Companies like Trap Your Moles offer a variety of animal trapping services and have a lot of experience with these types of pesky creatures. You can call an animal control company to ask questions about your poisons and pest removal choices and get their expert advice on proper procedures.
There’s no need to attempt this until you’re certain you know what you’re doing! Especially with potent poisons, it’s always better to ask someone if you’re unsure. And if you decide you don’t want to use chemicals, they are also experts at ground mole trapping.
Get in Touch
If you decide that using ground mole poison on your own isn’t right for you, don’t worry!
You can contact us and let us know what issues you’re facing. Our team of trained professionals will be more than happy to talk with you and help you any way we can. You won’t regret letting us handle the problem for you!