>Eastern Mole
Scalopus Aquaticus
You look outside your window and see dirt mounds in your yard or dead or dying grass in an irregular line running through your lawn.
You, my friend, have what we call a mole. Now your neighbor or someone else may say it looks like a gopher in your yard more than likely it is a mole. We do have gophers in certain areas but they are a little different.
I will go through the signs to help you identify this culprit.

Well, let me say first things first.
If you visit this website on a few occasions you will probably read this several times. Proper id
If a person is willing to remove troubling animals on their own from their property They must first understand a few things.
Properly id the nuisance animal. What is it so we may remove it quickly and safely and not set ourselves up for failure by trying to get rid of something we don’t have? Trust me on this we create our crisis by not following the first step. What for a fact do I have? The correct answer to this question will resolve not only the animal issue but also prove every person who thinks they know and has misled you to the point of selling all your stocks to get moles out of your yard was wrong. Plus it makes you smarter and the misleaders don’t like that.

As this pertains to Moles https://en.wikipedia.org>wiki>Eastern_mole This will give you the proper start-up knowledge you need. I will cover the removal and procedures.
Let’s get started
Take a look around the area with mole activity. Ask yourself are there dogs and other animals that frequent the area?
Many times I have had a mole in a trap and had a fox or dog or raccoon dig it up and run off with the mole and sometimes the trap. Be aware.
Not to get off track here but I do have to dive a little into the habits of a mole.
Moles have nests sometimes under tree roots and in deep pockets deep underground. Most of the time when you see the dirt mounds this is a result of deep tunneling due to upcoming season changes like cold and or drought which causes their food source to go deeper.
The difference in mound builds between moles and gophers is that moles push the dirt straight up and Gophers push it at an angle which normally leaves the entrance closer to a side while the mole is completely in the center of the mound.

Let’s look and see if we can find the difference between a feeding run and a full-time run.
Feeding runs are usually the raised areas in the lawn going in no certain direction. Unfortunately, most people set their traps in this area just to find out the moles never return. These areas when the grass dies are not because the mole eats the roots but because the mole has exposed air to the roots as it was feeding, creating the feeding tunnel.
Another phrase you will see on this website is follow structure because wildlife follows structure almost every animal will follow a structure. Doesn’t have to be a building or road could be a rock downed tree etc.
We should be looking for tunnels next to driveways and sidewalks near foundation walls. This is a perfect set because of the moist soil it attracts worms and then it attracts moles. A lot of times moles will set up deep runs from trees and under driveways and sidewalks. This is where the trowel comes in handy.
First, take an old screw drive or weed tool and poke it into the ground where you are thinking the run may be. Once you poke it in if you feel it give and Drop you have a void. Take your trowel dig a small soda can-size hole and verify that it’s a run. It would be slightly oval but is more round. Once you have this you are now ready to set a trap or set up your deterrent.
I highly recommend that you press down the day’s feeding runs just by walking on them. This will help in tracking new mole activity and it can help the grass if it’s not already brown.

What you will need is leather gloves.
While moles generally don’t carry disease to transfer to humans from what we know now. They can carry fleas and other parasites so care should be taken.
A small shovel or trowel old screwdriver
For digging and setting various traps and locations of active runs.

Methods
Deterrents and repellents
Baits
Traps

Deterrents and Repellents
This one is a hit or miss they can work but truthfully they are in your yard for two reasons
1; perfect habitat for the worms and grubs they survive on.
2: this mole was pushed out from a neighbor’s property due to another’s territory

But I have used the solar chaser which is staked in the ground and emits vibrations . This product was used to prevent moles from coming onto the property from a wooded area on active runs.

Baits and poisons
I haven’t had much luck at all with liquids and gummy poison worms. It’s not like I haven’t tried. In almost every case I have had to remove a customer’s moles there have been domestic animals like dogs and cats. These products such as Bromethalin, Talpirid, and Phostoxin if animals were to ingest the worm bait or animal carcass would be highly toxic and deadly to these and wild animals. So even if there are neighbors cats or dogs nearby by i will not use this method. From what I’ve read the mole are supposed to die in the run. But on the few I have used this on I have found moles above ground. I also had a mole eat only a part of the bait which in a lot of cases if it gets sick and survives it will become bait tolerant just like mice So if there is a chance and there is I don’t have control over what a smart mole will eat.

Fumigants or gases

I’m not a big user of this method either for the simple fact is mole tunnels run next to foundations and buildings people dwell in. I don’t know if this would be a possibility of releasing a toxic gas into a structure through cracks but I sure don’t want to find out. Not only this but if you were to miss a crack or opening in the ground that would release the gas you could lose potency and result in only a sick mole.
I believe everything has its place and I don’t believe that everything out there is a gimmick. I will give credit where it’s due. These baits and gases have their place i only concern myself with non-target people and animal toxicity because, at the end of the day, you are responsible for how you use these products. Make sure you follow the label and the instructions down to every word !!. On any chemical do not step out of the recommended applications on the label Don’t listen to anyone telling them they know more than the label does. Trust me you injure someone’s animal this person who gave you this advice won’t say I’ll take responsibility for this, It’s on you, my friend. Be smart.

A lot of products are presented as mole and gopher removal well Gophers are herbivores like rabbits so the pellets and granules may work for them But moles are insectivores feeding on insects.
So be careful and read before you buy. The only thing in common these two have is they dig /tunnel and have big front feet.

Traps
I will elaborate on this method as it has been the most successful I have found.
Several traps can be used and they all work. I use all that I will list and give guidelines on these. Remember one thing no trap is perfect for every application. With this said I am so tired of seeing videos from people say this trap won’t work buy this one. I’m here to tell you they all work and it’s not the trap it’s how this person is using or not using it correctly.
Quickly a brief history of mole traps and trapping this will be part of the proof as to how successful these traps can be.

Let me start with the oldest trap and method the pit trap which was nothing but a clay pot in the ground that the mole fell into and was used successfully by the Romans.
Next the tunnel trap. I’m not sure but this one is well over 100 years old and by the way, is popular in Europe still today.
The scissor trap this one is over 100 years old or by its original name Talpex mole trap is very popular for deep runs and very successful. And the footset scissors which are relatively new to the market.
The harpoon trap this one came along in the late 1800s. This is one of my favorites and the one most folks have difficulties with.
Shocking that all these gimmicks and failures have existed for this long in the world.

Trap setting and procedure

1 Nash loop mole trap

2 Handset scissor trap

3 foot set scissor trap

4 pit trap

5 harpoon trap

6 tunnel trap