There are no chemical solutions to a mole problem and trapping is the most reliable method of control. Mechanical traps are environmentally friendly, target specific and they work! Some traps are good, some are not. I prefer the spear type and the Victor scissors.

Traps are the way to go. But, you must find the active tunnels and place the traps just right to get your prey.
There is a learning curve to being successful in trapping moles. Some times the "do it yourself method" sounds easy, but, in my experience ... the moles are not so easy to trap.

If you are not ready to invest in traps and spend the time to set and re-set your traps...you might call a few exterminator's in your local yellow pages for quotes on what they charge for a "Mole Hunt".

Pour gasoline in the tunnel and strike a match...

I'm just kidding.

I too have moles and am planning on spraying castor oil based on recommendations from organic friends and this site. From what I read, the oil coats the worms/grubs and distracts the moles who eats them. I've also read that the smell alone repeals them. Who knows? Either way I will be spraying 3 oz (+ some dish soap)/1000 ft^2 when the ground thaws. The wet->cold->warm weather has generated lots of frost heaves and my backyard looks like a war zone.

Ineterested in others experience.

Thanks for all your input. I'll give some of these ideas a try. Thanks again!!

From a previous post that I've read around here and copied into my own personal lawn guide

Into a five gallon paint bucket, put: 1\. Some tobacco juice. To make tobacco juice, go to the store and get a plug of Redman chewing tobacco. Cut it into fourths, and drop 1/4 of the package into a toe of a nylon stocking. Fill up a spaghetti pot (and yes, I got to keep the old one, and She Who Must Be Obeyed went out and bought a new spaghetti pot. But I've got the old one in the garage, for various things.) about 3/4 full in the pot with water, boil the water on the stove, and hang the nylon with the tobacco into the water (saving part, over the edge, so you can pull it out and toss it in the trash, neatly). When that water is dark, dark brown (not light brown), and kinda gross, it's ready. Pour the tobacco tea into the bucket. 2\. Put in the bucket about 4 shot glasses, or one juice glass, of liquid cheap dish soap. 3\. Put into the bucket a bottle of the hottest pepper sauce you can find, by pouring the pepper sauce through the toe of a nylon stocking (the stocking catches the pepper chunks. throw the stocking away. you want just the sauce in there, so it won't screw up your hose end sprayer). NOTE: Tabasco Sauce has the right size bottle, within an ounce or two, but Tabasco is not REMOTELY hot enough. You want to go to the Imported Foods section of the grocery, and get something labelled like Jamaica Damnation, or Hell On Wheels, something that is SO HOT, you wouldn't even consider actually eating the stuff. I got a case of some from Peppers.com (12 bottles) and am still working off that case. You want the hottest sauce you can find. Pour a more\-or\-less Tabasco sized bottle into the bucket. 4\. Pour about half of a one\-pound coffee can of human urine into the bucket. Yep, you're gonna do it in the garage, into the one pound coffee can, and put the lid on the can. When the can's half full, cap it, you're done. Pour the urine into the bucket. Cap the empty can. Toss the can into the trash. 5\. Put a half gallon of ammonia into the bucket. The ammonia is nitrogen, and a little shot of ammonia will help the lawn, but doesn't have much to do with critters. Now you've got the mix. Stir. Then fill the bucket, with water, to HALF FULL in the bucket. You're ready. Stir, a lot. Filter it again. Get another bucket, and pour the mix through the toe of a nylon stocking, into another bucket. Toss the stocking. What's left is a filtered (hopefully, no chunks of this or that: the chunks left with the stocking, into the trash) mix, that you are going to spray, with your hose\-end sprayer, onto the lawn, onto the flowers, onto the critter paths (if you can find a path running through the flower beds, or across your neighbor's lawn onto your lawn), spray everything. I even spray my neighbor's lawn, on the part closest to my lawn. Over spray everything, to the point of run\-off. As soon as the spray is dripping, move on. Spray something else. Spray at 2oz to the gallon. Sometimes, I use 3oz to the gallon. 4oz to the gallon is too much: you don't need that much. Spray it all. Everything. Keep the kids off the lawn, for a day. That spray will eliminate critters. Moles, voles, squirrels, cats, dogs, and deer. They can smell (yes they can) a faint whiff of human urine, everywhere, even though we can't. They smell and feel the tobacco, even though we can't. That hot pepper residue touches their cute little pads on their cute little feet. The spray is good until a heavy rain.

Click link below for the original post of the thread I mentioned above.

Here is a link that might be useful: Original Thread

Must echo an above opinion. Nothing is better for ridding moles than cats. However, I know some people had rather have moles than cats.

I had a mole problem. I found some poison worms at the big home improvement store. Used a small rod to put a hole in the moles most recent tunnel, dropped the worm in and covered up - (they hate sunlight). Few days later I found a dead mole on the grass my dog was playing with.

Jack Russell Terriers work pretty good on moles too. But they leave a mess...

Okay, we catch these buggers all the time....last year we got 14 of them!
And here is the trap that works! it is worth every penny! We have a fleet of 3 we use. Often times we usually catch them within an hour! How is that for fast! I have even given them as gifts for my friends who have bad vole and shrew problems.

http://www.gemplers.com/product/RMEL/Mole-Eliminator-Trap

How to use it:
Okay so you have Moles, Voles, or Shrews...
These little guys have main tunnels, they are usually straight with their "feeding tunnels" breaking off of them.

You simply set them on the straightest tunnel you can find, straddling the tunnel..there is instructions with them. Set it and when it has been triggered it pops up so you can tell right away that it is sprung.

Note: These traps are supper strong and you have to step on them to set them. To unset I step on them again and rock back and forth until you feel it release.

To remove the mole, vole or shrew: you may need help squeezing the trap open enough to get the little bugger out. If you don't have a lot of hand strength (ie: ladies that means us) you may need another person to help get it open.

For those who are squeemish: No worries!!! this trap DOES NOT cause any blood but kills them effectively, there will be no survivors in this trap. At least I haven't had one

I googled these traps and found lots of folks selling them, even as low as 28.95, but the shipping is over $10 at most places. Do you know of any chain store that sells them? I am going to try Agri Supply at lunch to see if they have them. I have been using the spike type trap for almost a year now with now luck. Hopefully these are better. I did read good reviews....keeping fingers crossed.

tak2w I do not know of any chain that has these...wish they were in a store. Like I said, I know you will not be disappointed. The woman I work for got me on to these and we caught 14 last year and probably 10 the year before.

I even got my mom one for Christmas (hey for all you out there that are thinking "nice...she got her mom a mole trap for christmas!"...it is a great gift for those who need them and for the parent who has everything!) LOL LOL :)

Anyway I just set it for her today in fact...she has a regular that makes a mess of her front yard. I will let you know if she gets it soon.

I noticed the past week that the moles hills stopped forming and I thought that I heard a squeaking noise in the yard one night. This morning I found a dead mole by the house where the cats like to sleep in the morning sun. I guess the daily encouragement of "get the mole" helped for my two outdoor hunting cats that finally are getting back to work.

That contraption that shubbach posted looks like a good remedy as well. I'm thinking about picking one up if my cat's slack off again!

The type of stepon-to-set mole traps you are talking about are available at "Do-it-Best" Hardware stores. They do work great, I have 3 fewer moles already this year.

I couldn't find the traps locally, so I ordered one online. The cheapest I found was $28.95 + $8.90 shipping. Not a bad price to pay if it can get rid of my moles!! I have included the link below (I have not connection to this company, other than I ordered from them.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Mole trap everyone is talking about on this thread....

This is what the purdue turf web site says about catching moles

Here is a link that might be useful: Purdue turf

Well, my trap arrived and I set it on what I though was a main tunnel and nothing for about 3 days, so I moved it to another tunnel two days ago, and when I got home from work last night, I checked the trap and.....I GOT HIM!!!! I was so excited! I have been battling this guy for over two years. I don't know how many more there are, so I set the trap on the same tunnel last night, so we'll see if I can trap any more. Best $38 I've ever spent!!!

Since this January, moles appear to have taken over our yard. There are dozens if not hundreds of holes from top to bottom, except over the septic field. One of my dogs has gone after a few of them and created even bigger holes.

My main concern is destruction of the soil and the possibility that one of my dogs may injure themselves by stepping into a hole. Also, with a history of ankle sprains, I'm not that comfortable walking through my yard for fear of another sprain.

I've ordered some of the Victor traps online. My questions are 1) which holes to start with? and 2) how do you begin to repair the damage from the holes?

Thanks,
Jay

Surefire mole killing:

http://www.talpirid.com/

Get it here:

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/talpirid-mole-bait.htm

Call this guy.

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