Ground Mole Poison: A Quick Guide

Ground Mole Poison

Are you a homeowner?

If so, you probably invest a lot of time and energy in keeping your lawn looking as healthy and beautiful as possible. And if you’re like most homeowners, you despise any type of rodent that burrows into the ground, thus breaking havoc with your grass and flowerbeds. 

Getting rid of moles might be a top priority, but it’s not easy. That’s because you need to understand the best strategy for mole removal that will eliminate the problem without destroying your lawn or endangering your family.

Here we take at how to use ground mole poison to defend your lawn against tunneling rodents that can drive you crazy. 

What are Ground Moles?

Let’s start by discussing what moles are and how to identify them. A mole is a small animal that lives underground and is generally not seen by humans. They are known for digging holes and then tunneling beneath the surface, which weakens the ground, thus damaging lawns and landscaping.

You’ll typically know you have a mole problem when you notice ridges on the surface of the lawn which are caused by tunneling. They will also produce piles of dirt from digging, and the ground becomes spongy where the tunnels have hollowed it out beneath the surface.

How to Get Rid of Ground Moles

There are several techniques for getting rid of moles when you have a mole at home. But here we are going to discuss the use of poison for eliminating your ground mole problem.

Types of Mole Poison

The primary types of mole poison include bromethalin and warfarin.

Bromethalin is distributed throughout your lawn in the form of artificial worms. These worms are specifically manufactured to replicate the odor, appearance, and chemical makeup of earthworms. 

Bromethalin is a combination of Bromine and fluorine, which leads to convulsions when eaten by ground moles. It’s important to note that bromethalin is sold under the name Talpirid and may require a license to purchase in some states.

Warfarin is popular for controlling rats and mice but can also be effective in eliminating lawn moles. This type of mole poison can be distributed in the form of artificial worms or injected directly into the soil using a syringe.

Zinc phosphide can also be used to kill a mole at home. This type of poison comes in pellet form and is known to kill moles very quickly, oftentimes in as little as 2 to 3 hours.

Hire a Professional Mole Control Service

The best strategy for controlling moles at home is to hire a mole control service. These are specialists who understand how to identify the problem quickly and provide a solution such as poisons or ground mole trapping that will help protect your lawn from these nasty pests.

A Guide to Using Ground Mole Poison

It’s no secret that keeping a lawn of any size looking great requires a lot of work, discipline, and a basic knowledge of lawn care. You also need to understand how to cope with pesky rodents. Fortunately, this guide to using ground mole poison will help keep your lawn in top condition throughout the year.  

Please contact us to learn more about eliminating moles from your lawn quickly and efficiently.

Ground Mole Trapping: How To Build a Ground Mole Trap

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Did you know that ground moles can eat nearly their entire body weight worth of earthworms in a single day? 

Despite them being such fascinating creatures, ground moles can wreak havoc on your property if you don’t take action to manage them. The problem that people often face is that they don’t know how to get started with ground mole trapping. 

We’ve created a guide to help you out. Keep reading if you want to find out more. 

Find the Ground Moles 

Not all ground mole burrows are active tunnels. If you want to find out if they are active, press down some soil into each burrow and then return to check on them a few days later. Tunnels that ground moles have raised again are active. 

You should focus on placing ground mole grasp around these holes. 

Keep in mind that most DIY mole removal techniques are not effective. This is why you should instead use the best Ground mole traps.

Build a Trap

You can build a trap with materials that are lying around your home such as a plastic bottle or a jar. If you use a plastic bottle, you’ll need to cut the top off. 

Then get a piece of string and attach a piece of hard candy or gum to one end. Fasten the other end to the top of the jar or bottle so that it is dangling above the top of the jar. 

You’ll then need to go to an active burrow. Take a shovel or a space and excavate a hole that is just big enough for your bottle or jar to fit into. Place the jar or bottle into the bottom of the burrow. 

Next, cover the burrow’s opening with a board so that it blocks sunlight from coming inside. 

Catching a Mole 

One of the most important DIY ground mole trapping tips is to be patient. It might take a day or two for a mole to fall into your trap. Check it regularly to see if you’ve caught one. 

If you do not end up catching a mole in the trap you’ve set, consider hiring a ground mole removal service to help you out. This is an especially good idea if you have many moles on your property. 

Relocate the Mole 

If you catch a mole, you should relocate it away from your land. Consider moving it to a location that is far away from your neighbors’ properties as well. 

Get Started with Ground Mole Trapping Today 

If there are too many ground moles on your property, it’s important to know how to get started with ground mole trapping. After setting your trip, keep an eye on it to find out if you’ve trapped one. 

Are you looking to hire the best ground mole trapping service? If so, we are here to help you. Contact us today to get a free quote. 

Why DIY Mole Removal Doesn’t Work

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The internet has many how-to articles for DIY solutions to common problems. You can find thousands of tips, tricks, and strategies that promise quick solutions without involving the experts. Some of this advice is useful, but a lot is just noise. DIY mole removal strategies fall into the latter category.

Eastern ground moles are small, annoying pests that live mainly in the Eastern United States. They spend most of their lives underground, and once they have made a home in your yard or garden, they can cause serious damage. Many homeowners will turn to the internet for ideas on how to get rid of moles in their yards. However, these DIY mole removal strategies are usually ineffective. Many methods are untested by experts, and the results found online are based on anecdotal evidence, rather than scientific fact.

In this blog, we’ll cover the top DIY mole removal strategies, and why they don’t work. Read on so you don’t waste time and money trying ineffective mole removal methods. Then, we’ll cover what you should do instead if you have a ground mole problem.

Sound Repellents

Garden centers carry many types of sonic ground mole repellents. These battery-powered devices are stuck into your lawn, and supposedly emit a high-pitched frequency or vibration that frightens moles away from your property. The advertising on these products claims that the noise will be so annoying to the moles that they will leave your yard and find somewhere quieter to dig their tunnels.

However, the evidence to support these products is anecdotal, at best. Experts have not tested sound repellents as a mole removal strategy. What may often occur is a simple coincidence, where a homeowner places a sound repellent in their yard and the mole simply moves to a different part of their territory. Moles will travel throughout their designated territory as food becomes available, so it may be that they were not necessarily “repelled” by the sound, but simply wandered off looking for more food.

Castor or Peppermint Oil

A common DIY mole removal strategy is to soak cotton balls in castor or peppermint oil and place them at the entrances to mole tunnels. Supposedly, the oils are toxic to moles and can hurt them, but the evidence supporting this claim is shoddy at best.

While these oils can make moles sick if ingested, the moles are more likely to simply ignore the cotton balls. Soil can block scents from traveling, and as the moles dig deeper underground, they won’t necessarily notice that you’ve added something to their tunnels. If they do get close, they can simply avoid the smell and dig elsewhere.

Blocking Tunnels

Moles spend almost the entirety of their lives digging tunnels to find food. A common DIY mole removal method is to block the entrances of their tunnels with dirt or pieces of wood to make them leave your property. The conventional wisdom goes that moles will get sick of having to dig more tunnels than necessary and dig elsewhere to establish a territory that is less work for them.

However, blocking tunnels is more likely to just make the moles dig more tunnels around the obstruction, which ruins your yard faster and can cause more problems. This DIY mole removal strategy may inadvertently make your mole problem worse.

Reducing Food Sources

The Eastern Ground Mole’s primary food sources are grubs and earthworms. Some DIY mole removal strategies include using beneficial nematodes or other natural methods of grub control to reduce their food sources. The ideology behind this method is that if there isn’t enough food for a mole to eat in their chosen territory, they will move somewhere else where there is enough food.

However, while moles do prefer grubs, they will eat just about any insect they can find. Unless you’re able to drastically reduce the insect, grub, and worm populations in your yard without killing your plants, you probably won’t make enough of a dent in the mole’s food source to encourage it to find somewhere else to hunt.

Baits

Mole bait is a poison that is shaped like a grub or an earthworm, the mole’s favorite food source. Mole baits are effective at killing moles, however, getting them to eat them is the biggest problem with this DIY mole removal strategy. Unless the bait is placed directly in the path of the mole, they may not find it with as much as they tunnel, even if you place it at the entrance of the tunnel.

Another reason why this method may be ineffective is its risk factor. These baits are also toxic to dogs, cats, and other animals, and may cause a problem if ingested by the wrong animal. It’s best to avoid using bait at all costs, as the risks can outweigh the benefits.

Noxious Flowers

Finally, a common DIY mole repellent strategy involves the use of plants or flowers that moles find repulsive. Marigolds and other flowers supposedly are noxious to moles and planting a border of them around your garden may discourage moles from digging into your yard in the first place. However, evidence of the effectiveness of these flowers in repelling existing moles is inconclusive.

What Can I Do to Remove Moles?

If this list has you discouraged, you don’t need to worry. The best and most effective way to remove ground moles in your yard is to have them trapped and killed by expert pest removal services. Trap Your Moles has been trapping moles and other wildlife pests in the Cincinnati area for years. We are dedicated and thorough, so you don’t have to worry about the moles coming back once we’ve removed them.

If you’re struggling with moles in your yard, get in touch with us today and we’ll come to your property to do an inspection. We can then work with you to determine the best strategy to trap and kill the moles, so you don’t have to struggle with ineffective DIY mole removal solutions that waste your time and money.

6 Tips to Prevent Mole Damage This Winter

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As the weather gets colder, you might think that your mole struggles are over with. Unfortunately for homeowners, this isn’t the case. During the winter, moles do not hibernate like many other mammals; they simply burrow deeper into the ground beneath your yard. They dig down below where the ground freezes and live on worms, grubs, and other insects that inhabit the deeper layers of soil. They stay deep underground until early spring when they start to tunnel closer to the surface. Further, males and females come together to breed in late winter, creating the next generation of moles ready to destroy your yard.

Prevention and early treatment of mole problems year-round is the key to keeping your yard intact. We’re the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Northern Kentucky mole removal experts, so when you have a mole problem, you can count on us to take care of it right away.

In the meantime, read on for the top strategies you can use to prevent and deter moles from tearing up your yard this winter.

1. The Dryer the Better

Loose, moist soil is easier for moles to tunnel through. If you overwater your lawn or have a lot of moisture in your soil, moles will be more tempted to move in. Moist soil is also rich in earthworms, grubs, and other pests that moles eat. Use sprinklers or irrigation systems sparingly and be alert if the forecast calls for heavy rain.

2. Place a Barrier

Protect your flowerbeds, trees, and other features with barriers that prevent moles from digging where they’re not wanted. Cloth liners below or above flowerbeds or wrapped around the base of trees will deter moles from digging. If it’s too difficult to dig in your yard, they’ll likely move somewhere else instead.

3. Don’t Mulch Too Early

Putting down mulch earlier in the season to better insulate your plants may invite moles to move into your yard. Warmer soil is easier to tunnel under, and the earlier you mulch, the earlier moles may invade. Try to wait until after the first frost to mulch your flowerbeds. Hopefully by that point, moles and other pests will have moved on from your yard in search of a warmer environment.

4. Take Advantage of Natural Predators

Do you have an indoor-outdoor cat? Have you seen snakes in your yard or hawks flying overhead? All of these creatures will make a tasty snack of moles and are an effective way to deter them from sticking around. Cats especially are effective mole hunters, as well as controlling other rodents. Consider adopting a furry friend to help keep your mole problem in check. Resist the urge to rid your yard of snakes or cut down trees that birds of prey like to roost in, as well. Coexisting with these critters can help keep your yard mole-free.

5. Starve Them Out

Moles are insectivores, feasting on worms, grubs, and other garden pests. Keeping on top of pest removal is an effective solution in preventing moles from finding your yard hospitable. Get in touch with an exterminator or plant shrubbery or flowers that don’t attract pests to make sure your yard doesn’t become a mole buffet.

6. Contact the Experts

If you’ve tried every prevention strategy in the book and moles still are tearing up your lawn, it’s time to call in reinforcements. Trap Your Moles serves the greater Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas with expert mole removal services. The recommended mole removal and prevention services include several visits per year to monitor your situation and keep up with trapping and repellants. Our trappers are versed in many different strategies to remove moles for good. You can get in touch with our experts for a consultation, so your mole problem is solved for good.

What are the Signs of Moles?

When there’s snow and ice on the ground, it can be tricky to determine if you have a mole problem. Often, they can tear up your yard without showing any visible signs until it warms up. Once the last snow has melted, check your lawn for loose dirt, uneven terrain, or other abnormalities. Small piles of dirt excavated from tunnels, called mole hills, may crop up in places you don’t expect. Or you can see long, raised tracks through your lawn called feeding tunnels that moles use to dig for food. Tunnels may appear along the side of your house or other structures, as moles like to dig alongside a solid barrier to lend more strength to their tunnels. You may also notice dead grass or plants in the wake of these tunnels, but you’ll have to look closely in late winter when the grass is likely still dull.

Don’t Let Moles Ruin Your Yard

Dayton, Northern Kentucky, and Cincinnati homeowners trust Trap Your Moles to rid their yards of any pesky wildlife. Nipping the mole problem in the bud early in the winter before they reproduce is the best way to stop them from becoming an infestation. See for yourself just how effective our methods are in our gallery, and contact us to schedule your consultation today.