[BakerGreenLawnMaker]

Over the past two months I've noticed some changes in the ground/soil in my lawn. I first noticed back in February when I put out some prodiamine that the ground in one certain area was lumpy along with some holes here and there, I honestly thought the changes were due to the surrounding tree roots. Now the lumpy areas turned soft and I have several holes that are about three inches in diameter and six to eight inches deep.

The moles/voles have done some significant damage to my lawn. I have mostly st aug and could use some advice on what would be the best approach in eradicating these dang moles from my lawn! Any input would be greatly appreciated.

FYI: the red line is the path of the moles.

 

[pennstater2005]

If you have raised tunnels it could definitely be moles. The quickest way I got rid of them was with the Trapline mole traps.

http://www.traplineproducts.com/onlinestore.html

Traps are sold in a pair one facing in each direction of the tunnel once set. They're very effective.

Some good reading linked

https://aroundtheyard.com/forums2/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4298&hilit=Moles

Michael Wise helped me tremendously!

 

[gatormac2112]

The consensus here is that the only thing that will work are traps

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=52&hilit=moles

 

[Topcat]

All I did with traps last year was add to the destruction of my lawn. So I gave up on trapping them and decided to make them miserable in my yard. I started a regimen of insecticides, then I started using Mole Repellent. So far, so good. They are doing a number on lawns in my neighborhood, but as of today I've not had any issues with them. I make sure to put repellent down at least every three weeks. And insecticide monthly. When I started the year I put insecticide down weekly.
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=129

 

[Ware]

Some studies suggest killing the food sources can actually result in more mole damage because they have to dig more in search of food.

 

[Topcat]

Some studies suggest killing the food sources can actually result in more mole damage because they have to dig more in search of food.

I can confirm that to a point... When I first started killing off the food, and using the repellent, they went WILD. However after few days of frantic burrowing, they finally left. This was towards the end of the growing season last year. I allowed the bermuda to grow to about 2 inches to hide the damage, and allow it to fill in without the obvious damaged areas from the moles showing.

They seem to have moved on. I spray about ten feet into my neighbors lawn to help keep them at bay, and I go real heavy with the repellent between our yards to act as a barrier.... they ARE in her yard. Hopefully, the strategy will work.

As stated, I was doing more damage trying to trap them than what they were doing to the lawn. The raised tunnels they left behind are easy enough to deal with. I simply soaked them with a hard stream of water to prevent damaging the grass, and it typically roots and will recover quickly... When I used traps, it involved digging into the tunnel to allow room for the trap to work. The recovery from that was longer than simply soaking the tunnel with water to flatten it out.

 

[Ware]

...As stated, I was doing more damage trying to trap them than what they were doing to the lawn...

This has definitely not been my experience.

 

[pennstater2005]

...As stated, I was doing more damage trying to trap them than what they were doing to the lawn...

This has definitely not been my experience.

Not my experience either. How did the traps cause damage? The ones I used went inside the tunnel and weren't even visible.

 

[J_nick]

I use a scissor trap. I only have a golf ball sized damage area when finished and that damage is caused by pulling to mole out of the tunnel.

 

[Topcat]

My moles, or gophers, or whatever they were were tunneling deep. I'd have to dig into the tunnel to get the trap positioned good enough to get them. They'd stay deep, then come up and leave very shallow tunnels that the traps would not fit into, then leave volcano looking air vents all over the lawn.

So placing the traps meant I'd have to dig into the tunnel to place it - ergo more damage than the tunnel itself.

Not my lawn, but a pretty good representation of what the tunnels looked like

 

[Colonel K0rn]

Dang @Topcat, this is what I expect to behind the creation of that hole.

 

[gatormac2112]

I've actually never caught a mole, having used both the scissors type and the 2-way trapline.

 

[Reelcrazy]

New to the forum but good luck!! I've done traps, smoke bombs, and chemicals. Better off trying to kill what they are feeding on and hope they go away. Worst case like me I have a neighbor who caught them but didn't have the heart to kill. Fml

 

[Ware]

I have popped a couple with my .22 :bandit:

 

[BakerGreenLawnMaker]

I have popped a couple with my .22 :bandit:

Hahaha!!!!

 

[BakerGreenLawnMaker]

My biggest concern is the damage to my st aug, as we all know it recovers very slowly. In the area where the moles have taken up, I have two large sunken holes, one is 4 to 6 inches wide and about 6 inches deep, the other is about a foot and half wide at 8 to 12 inches deep. Once I rid my lawn of these dang moles, should I dig up the damaged area and throw sand in the holes to level things up? I think if I do that it's going to cause a huge eye sore and take forever for the st aug to fill in spots. Thoughts?

 

[Movingshrub]

I have popped a couple with my .22 :bandit:

I'm actually really impressed. I've never had moles. However, we did have an absurd amount of chipmunks and their movements were so sporadic that I would feel uncomfortable trying to shoot one. With that being said, I live in the city limits, have LEO and senior citizens for neighbors so it would be hard for me to pull off.

Did you use frangible ammo by any chance?

 

[TulsaFan]

+1 on the scissor traps. I like to know when it is set off.

My impatience always had me checking the Trapline traps too soon.

 

[pennstater2005]

My impatience always had me checking the Trapline traps too soon.

Yeah that part was tough initially. I got myself to wait until at least the next morning for results. Although with those traps I almost always had one.

 

[Jgolf67]

I've had good success with killing them by suffocation. Used to have tons in my yard when I first bought the house now maybe once or twice a year I see signs of them. I bought a cheap small engine and pipe the exhaust into the tunnels when they pop up. Leave it running for 10-15 then punch a second hole in the tunnel as far away from the engine as I can to verify the exhaust as filled the tunnels then seal it all back up. The best is when they leave a mound, because those lead to the deep tunnels where they actually live. If you have a dog they will bring you the dead bodies once they start to smell under the turf, I haven't fixed that problem yet.