If you have ever walked into a garden center in Louisville looking for a solution to your mole problem, you have likely seen the shelves lined with “sonic spikes.” These solar-powered stakes promise to drive moles away using ultrasonic vibrations. It sounds like the perfect, humane, hands-off solution.

Unfortunately, for most homeowners, they are a complete waste of money.

Moles are fossorial (underground-dwelling) mammals that have evolved over millions of years to live in a world of constant vibration. Rain, wind in the trees, footsteps, and roots growing all create vibrations in the soil. While a sonic spike might annoy a mole for a day or two, they quickly habituate to the noise—just like you get used to the sound of traffic if you live near a highway. We frequently see mole tunnels dug right next to, or even wrapping around, these buzzing spikes.

The Grub Control Myth

Another common piece of advice is: “Treat your lawn for grubs, and the moles will leave.”

This is only half true. While moles do eat grubs (Japanese beetle larvae), their primary food source is actually earthworms. Earthworms make up the vast majority of a mole’s diet.

You can nuke your lawn with insecticides to kill every grub, but you cannot (and should not) eliminate earthworms. Earthworms are essential for healthy soil. As long as you have rich, healthy soil with worms, you have a mole buffet.

The Only Proven Solution: Trapping

The only reliable way to stop a mole infestation is to physically remove the animal. Because moles live underground and rarely surface, this means using specialized traps placed inside their tunnels.

Trapping moles is an art form, but it is something a determined homeowner can learn.

Step 1: Identify the “Highway”

Moles dig two types of tunnels:

1. Feeding Tunnels: These are the erratic, squiggly surface ridges you see all over the yard. They are often used only once as the mole “swims” through the soil looking for food. Trapping here is usually a waste of time.
2. Travel Tunnels: These are the straight, long tunnels that connect feeding areas. They are used daily. This is where you must set your trap.

The Test: Walk around your yard and step on (collapse) several sections of tunnel. Mark them with a flag. Check back in 24 hours. If a section has been pushed back up, that is an active travel tunnel.

Step 2: Choose Your Trap

There are several types of mole traps, but the two most effective styles are:

• Scissor Traps: These have jaws that close around the mole’s body. They are set deep in the ground.
• Harpoon (Plunger) Traps: These sit above ground with spikes poised over the tunnel. When the mole pushes up on the trigger pan, the spikes drive down.

Step 3: Set and Monitor

Carefully excavate a small section of the active tunnel and place the trap according to the instructions. It is critical not to leave too much human scent or let too much light into the tunnel, or the mole will sense danger and backfill the tunnel with dirt.

Check your traps every 24-48 hours. If you haven’t caught anything in 3 days, move the trap to a new location.

When to Call a Pro

Mole trapping requires patience, practice, and a willingness to handle dead animals. If you have set traps for weeks with no success, or if your lawn is being destroyed faster than you can fix it, it might be time to call in the cavalry.

Critter Removal of Louisville offers professional mole trapping programs. We know how to read the tunnels, set the traps effectively, and monitor the property until the activity stops.