Monday, October 28, 2013

Ridding Yards With Mole Traps

By Rachael Gutierrez


Using mole traps to get rid of moles is probably the most common and dependable way of ridding your lawn of them. There are several different types of these traps and all of them can be found at your local hardware store.

In order for any kind of mole traps to be a success they must be placed where the animals is at and that is under the ground of a yard. So it is a common thing to try and destroy an opening to a tunnel to get them to come and try and open it again. This means that while trying to open the tunnel, the trap will be triggered generally by the dirt and then the animal will be killed by the trap.

The most important thing about using mole traps is to figure out which tunnels are being used. Moles dig systems of tunnels that are usually permanently used and then they use surface tunnels for runs to the surface which are only temporary. So it is figuring out which is the temporary and which is the permanent tunnel for the placement of your trap.

You can find permanent ones by see where there are areas that always seem to open up over and over. Another thing to do is look for mounds that follow straight lines. You will also notice that those that are permanent will generally have at least two mounds and this is often where they eat.

You will also notice that the main tunnels will seem to always follow fence lines if there is fencing in your yard, they will also follow your pathways and foundations along with any other kinds of borders that are man made. If the tunnels are deeper you might try finding them by taking a stick or metal rod and probe between fresh mounds or right next to a fresh mound. You can tell if they are fresh tunnels by stomping down on a mound one day and then coming out the next day to see if the dirt has been disturbed again.

There are quite a few traps but two of the more common ones uses would be the scissor jaw trap and the harpoon trap. Both of these can be found in many gardening centers.

The scissor jaw types are most effective when you place them in the main underground tunnel. This usually means you need to put them about 8 to 12 inches below the top of the ground. This is a good out of sight trap and lets you dig right into an active tunnel right in the path of the moles.

The harpoon or sometimes called the spear is one that is after you crush the tunnel with your feet. Then it is put right above that spot. The mole will then try to come to repair its tunnel and the dirt will cause the trap to shoot the spear or harpoon killing the animal in the process.

A common mistake when people use mole traps is that they do not get enough of them. Once a trap is triggered this means the trap has been used up for that tunnel, so, if there are more than one tunnel in your yard, you need to get traps for each tunnel you have discovered.




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